Heritage and refurbishment
and refurbishment projects will have a fully compliant fire alarm system which complies with EN 54 and carries CE marking. EN 54 compliant products, such as Ramtech’s
WES3 wireless fire alarm system, are now regularly used by over half of the top 100 construction firms in the UK. Despite this, localised decisions can still be made based on other factors and, even though wireless fire alarms are a fraction of the cost of the project and easy to set up, a short sighted approach can sometimes be taken. Wireless fire alarm systems operate via call
points, which are interlinked so that all areas receive the same audible and visual alert signal, even if the fire is contained to just one of them. Incorporating heat or smoke detectors into the system provides automatic cover 24/7, ensuring that the site is protected even when personnel are not present. In addition, no wires or drilling into the historic
fabric of the building are necessary. Being able to add or remove units helps make sure that personnel in all areas of the building receive the same audible alarm and that everyone present can evacuate to a place of safety.
Wireless future
It is now widely accepted that on refurbishment and construction sites wireless technology is the way forward, not least because the technology provides other functionalities which can be
incorporated into the fire alarm system and which are often essential on heritage projects. For instance, cloud based data and easy to use mobile phone apps can combine to create a fully integrated site wide security, medical, flood and major spillage emergency response system, within the wireless fire alarm system. Therefore, the team working on a heritage
building receives real time alerts regarding site emergencies and an instant connection to key personnel who need to act on specific alerts. These systems, such as Ramtech’s REACT technology, transform smartphones into a safety tool with welfare check ins and escalations, GPS location tracking and advanced lone worker features. This integrated approach establishes a simple and secure means of communicating emergencies to affected personnel, both on and off site. Other practical benefits include the ability to
alert emergency response teams when an intruder or unauthorised member of staff is detected opening a security door on site. In this case, the system will send an alert to the facilities team, indicating that there has been an unauthorised entry – a useful extra layer of security for a heritage project where valuable and irreplaceable items could be located in the building.
In the case of lone workers, security patrols can
raise a medical alert if there is an emergency, or alternatively a ‘welfare check in’ function
FOCUS
www.frmjournal.com APRIL 2020
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