HEALTH & SAFETY
“DUAL DETECTORS USE BOTH THE ‘TRADITIONAL’
INFRA-RED LIGHT TO
‘VIEW’ THE PARTICLES ENTERING THE
ALARM CHAMBER
PLUS BLUE LED LIGHT TECHNOLOGY.”
SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE In the case of The Frog & Frigate,
smoke detector false alarms caused by vaping were becoming a considerable problem in the running of the pub.
Generally speaking, a false alarm - i.e. an alarm that has been generated by the fire detection system but not in response to an actual fire - is caused by the Infra Red scattered light technology in the detector being unable to distinguish between smoke and larger size particles like steam and dust.
“SMOKE DETECTOR FALSE ALARMS
CAUSED BY VAPING WERE BECOMING A CONSIDERABLE PROBLEM IN THE
RUNNING OF THE PUB.”
“IN AN ENCLOSED VENUE WHERE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
PEOPLE VAPING, THIS CAN HAVE
THE SAME EFFECT AS STEAM
ON A SMOKE DETECTOR.”
www.tomorrowsfm.com
Vapes feature a cartridge containing nicotine in a solution of either propylene glycol or glycerin and water. When you suck on the device as you would a normal cigarette, a sensor detects the air flow and starts a process to heat the liquid inside the cartridge so that it evaporates to form water vapour. Unlike e-cigarettes, which most often resemble traditional cigarettes, vapes come in all shapes and sizes and thousands of flavour combinations from blueberry to marshmallow to single malt scotch. In an enclosed venue where there are a number of people vaping, this can have the same effect as steam on a smoke detector, leading to false alarms.
Despite the false alarm issues at The Frog & Frigate, Derek was reluctant to ban vaping in the pub, but was recommended a solution by installers Fire and Safety Testing in the form of ‘dual optical’ detectors. Unlike industry standard single optical sensor smoke detectors, these dual detectors use both the ‘traditional’ Infra-Red light to ‘view’ the particles entering the alarm chamber plus blue LED light technology. By calculating the ratio of these light sources, which operate at different wavelengths, the detector can determine the particle size and thus distinguish between smoke and non-combustion products. As steam and dust are much larger particles than smoke, the detector won’t false alarm but will still remain sensitive to combustion (fire) products in order to generate an alarm. This technology has been employed in Nittan’s Evolution EV-DP smoke detectors.
HAPPY HEALTH & SAFETY Since the installation of Nittan’s
EV-DP at The Frog & Frigate six months ago, Derek is happy to report that there hasn’t been a single false alarm in the venue meaning that his customers are kept happy, entertained and safe.
Fire detector and alarm systems are absolutely essential but no one should have to put up with false alarms. If you have a fire detection system that is causing disruption as a result of false alarms, take action. False alarms, especially from steam, don’t have to be a headache.
www.nittan.co.uk TOMORROW’S FM | 31
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