FIRE SAFETY W
ENHANCING FIRE SAFETY AT A MEAT PLANT
hen Dovecote Park, a major food processing plant in Yorkshire, UK, wanted to enhance its levels of fire safety, the company turned to the
experience of its long-standing system integration partner WRS Solutions. Following a thorough review and analysis of Dovecote Park’s premises and equipment, WRS identified a number of concerns, the rectification of which would boost fire safety significantly. To address the issues, WRS immediately engaged with the expertise of Business Insight 3 (Gold Level FLIR partner) and FLIR. FLIR thermal camaras are proven performers in the early identification of hotspots that emerge when common equipment found in food processing plants deteriorates, wears or reaches end-of-life. Established in 1997, Dovecote Park supplies British beef, veal and venison to retail, fine dining and food service customers nationwide. Committed to keeping its workforce safe and its productivity rates high, Dovecote Park urgently began to assess potential solutions.
The company turned to system integrator WRS Solutions, which had previously concluded other successful projects with official FLIR partner, Business Insight 3 (Bi3). Bi3 proposed the installation of multiple FLIR FH-Series R cameras in the roof voids. The FLIR FH-R is a rugged multispectral fixed sensor that combines a thermal radiometric stream with a 4K visible camera to provide rapid, early fire detection and visual
verification of the incident as it unfolds. Upon exceeding a hotspot or predefined temperature threshold, security operatives receive an audio/visual alert through a connected Video Management System (VMS), prompting response tactics. Importantly, FH-R sensors support the adjustment of threshold temperatures to specific equipment that requires monitoring. To seamlessly integrate thermal detection with the existing VMS, Bi3 developed custom software using their proprietary data engine. This innovation ensures that alerts are instantly relayed to the engineering department and Nick Dunn, Dovecote Park’s Health, Safety, and Environmental manager. “FLIR thermal cameras provide peace of mind because we can now be proactive in our equipment maintenance, instead of reactive,” he says. “From the moment something gets hot, our maintenance team can attend to it.” Today, Dovecote Hall’s roof voids house over 30 FLIR FH-R thermal imaging cameras. Just 12 months after installation, the cameras have
34 SUMMER 2025 | INDUSTRIAL COMPLIANCE
The move was prompted by the identification of a potential fire risk in the company’s production hall roof voids, which house devices such as motors, pumps, electrical cabinets and distribution boards that power machinery on the food-grade factory floor below. Mechanical problems like worn pumps or damaged bearings, or electrical problems like failing circuit breakers, promote heat accumulation. If this heat goes unnoticed, it could prove the start of a potentially devastating fire. Dismissing sprinklers due to their cost and reactive rather proactive operating concept, Dovecote Park was drawn to thermal imaging, a trusted, non-contact way of preventing fires by detecting hotspots before they reach ignition temperature.
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