BS5839-1: 2019 confirms that it is essential that the fire alarm system be tested every 12 months. During that testing, automatic fire detectors such as smoke detectors, optical beam detectors, and aspirating systems will be functionally tested with ‘real’ stimuli like smoke.
Don’t forget that flame detectors and other industrial products need to have the same routine testing with real stimuli such as a naked flame to prove they are operating properly and per the design of the system.