Tailored solutions
and are more likely to be connected to alarm receiving centres. If an unreliable or inappropriate system is
installed, the downstream costs of fault finding, repair and maintenance will be significant. A recurring challenge is to make the system as unobtrusive as possible without impacting performance. Thanks to repeater panels, the larger fire panel can be hidden from view. Some new repeater panels such as
Advanced’s TouchControl touchscreen are designed to suit many locations and flush fit, and can add new performance features such as digital zone plans and active maps showing fire status throughout a site. An alternative is bespoke cabinets and housings, which can be tailored to fit seamlessly into almost any decorative scheme or hard to access space.
Discrete detection
Multiple factors can impact the challenges facing an active fire system, and these are often aggravated in historic structures. Irregular room geometry, large windows, archways, open fireplaces and high, suspended or decorative ceilings can create detection challenges. The standards for detector placement are dictated by BS 5839, which also gives detailed guidance on the options for different detection types in unusual spaces. Extreme care must be taken to ensure that smoke can reach detectors, and it is also important to place detectors in such
a way that smoke does not stratify beneath the detecting element or otherwise delay the efficient detection of smoke: again, BS 5839 will provide guidance. Different materials will dictate the likely speed and spread of fire in an old building, so detection choice and associated system programming are crucial – covering the spectrum of operations from alarm confirmation and alert methods to evacuation strategies and integration with third party systems. Many detection methods are suitable for
historic structures, and it is common to find many of them on a single system. Modern analogue addressable point detectors are hugely reliable and increasingly sophisticated. The most common type is the optical smoke detector, with many options available that use different detection and analysis methods. Heat detectors are common in spaces such
as kitchens, where steam and cooking smoke are present, and multi sensor detectors are often used, as they combine heat and smoke detection in a single unit, which can be used as general detection with real advantages for signal confirmation. Many points can have sounder and strobe options added or have them ‘on board’ the device, and more exotic detection modes such as CO are coming to market, or are already specified for certain uses in some standards regimes.
Floors and ceilings in older structures are
often wooden, so fitting cable systems to approved standards without suspended steel
FOCUS
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