Hawthorne maintains, monitors and installs fire alarms, intruder alarms, CCTV, access control, emergency lighting and fire extinguishers for businesses in Bury St Edmunds and across West Suffolk. Our local work is built on long-term maintenance contracts that cover every system on a site, for motor dealers, logistics yards and professional offices. We are SSAIB certified.
Short answer
Most West Suffolk businesses need several safety and security systems serviced to different British Standards: a fire alarm to BS 5839-1, emergency lighting to BS 5266-1, extinguishers to BS 5306-3, and an intruder alarm to PD 6662. Putting them on one maintenance contract with one company, alongside CCTV and 24/7 monitoring, means fewer visits, one set of records and one number to call. Alarm monitoring starts from around £349 a year.
What we look after in West Suffolk
- Fire safety. Fire alarm servicing and monitoring, emergency lighting testing and extinguisher servicing, with certificates and logbook entries on every visit.
- Intruder alarms. Monitored, police-response-capable alarms on showrooms, offices and warehouses, with dual-path signalling for the phone network switch-off.
- CCTV. Site-wide systems on yards and car parks, including PTZ and pole-mounted cameras, kept recording and viewable remotely. See our CCTV in Bury St Edmunds page.
- Access control. Access control servicing and support for offices.
- Monitoring and response. Alarm and CCTV monitoring through an accredited control room, with keyholding available.
Our work in Bury St Edmunds and West Suffolk
Franchise car dealerships. We look after the Bury St Edmunds franchise showrooms of a large dealership chain, with monitored intruder and fire alarms, emergency lighting and extinguishers, as part of a contract covering its dealerships across Norfolk and Suffolk. See security for car dealerships.
A haulage and logistics yard on the A14. We maintain the site-wide CCTV, including PTZ and pole-mounted cameras across a large yard, the intruder alarms on its warehouses, and its fire alarm and emergency lighting, keeping the cameras recording around the clock in an environment that is hard on equipment.
A professional practice in Bury St Edmunds. We maintain the access control at the firm's Bury St Edmunds office, alongside the systems we look after at its other offices.
What West Suffolk sites have taught us
- Yards are hard on cameras. Vehicles, weather and ground movement on big sites strain poles, joints and cable runs, so we check mounts and connections on every service, not just the picture.
- Separate contractors mean separate gaps. When fire, alarms and CCTV are maintained by different firms, nobody owns the whole site. One contract makes one company responsible.
- Building changes need system changes. New partitions, mezzanines and change of use alter what detection and lighting a building needs, so tell us before the work starts.
- Signalling is the hidden risk. Alarms that report over a phone line or 3G need upgrading before those networks close, or monitoring stops without anyone noticing.
Frequently asked questions
Can one company maintain our fire alarm, intruder alarm and CCTV?
Yes, and for most West Suffolk sites it is simpler. We put the fire alarm, emergency lighting, extinguishers, intruder alarm, CCTV and access control on one maintenance contract, with one set of service records, one point of contact and one invoice, instead of three or four contractors each visiting separately.
How often does a commercial fire alarm need servicing?
BS 5839-1 recommends servicing at intervals of no more than six months by a competent person, with the results recorded in the logbook. Emergency lighting needs a monthly functional test and an annual full-duration test under BS 5266-1, and extinguishers an annual service under BS 5306-3. We cover all three on one visit where the timing allows.
Can you take over systems another company installed?
Usually, yes. We survey the site, check each system and its documentation, take over the maintenance and, for monitored alarms, transfer the monitoring. Several of our West Suffolk contracts started this way.
Will the fire service attend if our fire alarm goes off?
Do not assume it. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service sets its own policy on attending automatic fire alarm signals, and many services no longer attend an unconfirmed automatic alarm at a commercial site during the day. Your fire risk assessment should say how a fire is confirmed and who calls 999.
Which areas of West Suffolk do you cover?
Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket, Mildenhall, Brandon, Haverhill, the A14 corridor and the villages between. Our engineers are based in Norwich and cover West Suffolk as part of our standard area. Maintenance contract customers get a 4-hour emergency response and same-day attendance for non-emergency faults.
Book a free survey in West Suffolk
Contact the team for a free site survey. We check every system on site and give you one itemised maintenance quote. See also our Suffolk and Ipswich pages and our accreditations.
Last updated: October 2026