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| The Arnot Power Station will be protected by 370 of the Fike’s SigniFire IP cameras |
Fike’s camera-based SigniFire detection system is being deployed at Arnot Power Station in South Africa. SigniFire can visually detect the presence of flames within the field of view of the camera, reflected fire light when flames are obstructed, and the presence of pluming smoke clouds and ambient smoke. Located in Mpumalanga, the power station is operated by Eskom Holdings, which transports and distributes approximately 95% of South Africa’s electricity. The Arnot Power Station will eventually be protected by 370 of the innovative SigniFire IP cameras.
C3 Shared Services (C3SS), a video, fire and security specialist with a long and successful history of providing high-tech integrated security solutions throughout the African continent, is installing the system. UL Listed, FM Approved and CE Marked, SigniFire represents a critical advantage for early warning fire detection, identifying and reacting to fire situations in their earliest stages in challenging environments that often cannot be protected with traditional fire protection systems.
“The challenge for conventional systems, such as smoke detectors, is that the smoke needs to interface with the device, which can be a major drawback, especially in large-volume areas, such as warehouses with high roofs. High air flow also makes it difficult for sensors to detect smoke in some cases,” Brendon Cowley, C3SS Business Development Director explained. “The SigniFire technology was the perfect solution to get past these issues for the Arnot facility.”
Each SigniFire camera is connected to the system via an IP network and can be configured with multiple detection and/or exclusion zones within the field of view. These zones are set to either detect specific events (fire, smoke and motion) within the zone, or detect events outside the zone. The activation of each zone can also be linked to time schedules, so the system won‘t interfere with special events or circumstances.
“The on-screen display in the system highlights the flame, smoke or reflective heat with either a blue or red line, signalling a warning, while pinpointing the specific location of the fire,” added Cowley. “Once a fire has taken place, you need to find out what caused it. With visual-based fire detection, you can go back and use the recording from the system to find the cause of the fire, even if the camera is destroyed in the blaze. As a bonus, it also can be used for the detection of intruders.”
