Westside One, a residential building located in Birmingham city center, was constructed little over a decade ago yet its old addressable fire system was ageing rapidly and did not comply with current regulations.
Midlands-based fire safety solutions specialists, Fire Safety Services Ltd., who are known for providing the maintenance for the multi-story premises, encountered recurring problems with the existing fire detection and alarm system (FDA), and recommended a complete upgrade to provide the ultimate protection to the building’s occupants.
Gent fire detection and alarm system
It was important to upgrade the system and select a new solution to bring it up to the current safety standards"
Dave Lewis, Fire Systems Manager, Fire Safety Services Ltd., has said, “With the original system there were no sounders other than in the concierge area and the smoke vent doors were not integrated into the main system. It was important to upgrade the system and select a new solution to bring it up to the current safety standards”.
Westside One is located on the busy Suffolk Street Queensway in Birmingham and is a 13 story tower block made up entirely of living accommodation. In a building of this nature, the FDA is a crucial element for the protection of the residents, any changes to the system have to be carried out quickly and efficiently to ensure the building is without coverage for the least possible amount of time.
S-Quad detectors with optical heat sounders
Fire Safety Services selected a Gent by Honeywell two loops Vigilon Compact solution to cover the entire apartment block. A total of 76 devices were installed, including S-Quad detectors with optical heat sounders and interface units to operate the smoke vent doors. The new solution would allow the alarm to be raised on every floor throughout the building and has been programmed to operate the smoke vent doors in emergency situations.
As one of Gent 24’s network of approved Systems Integrators, Fire Safety Services Ltd. has had a close working relationship with the fire industry expert for more than seven years.
Gent Vigilon Compact solution
Dave Lewis states, “The biggest challenge for Westside One was the fact that it is an occupied building. The amount of downtime in between taking the old panels out and installing the new ones had to be kept to a minimum. We needed to get the system up and running quickly and the Gent system saved us valuable time”.
He further adds, “On a typical system upgrade of this nature the average time for installing and commissioning is approximately five working days, this project took just three and a half days from start to finish.”
Fire Safety Services worked hard to get the detection back in place as rapidly as possible. The team’s familiarity with the Gent technology was a key part of the quick turnaround alongside the flexibility of the system.
Robust fire protection solution
The high quality Gent FDA system in place is fully compliant with the current standards
Dave explains, “The Gent solution provided the ease of install that we required, there was no extra cabling as we were able to use the existing cables. This saved both time and money, so it was an ideal, cost effective solution for the client.”
The Westside One project is now complete. The high quality Gent FDA system in place is fully compliant with the current standards, and provides the building’s occupants with the robust protection and peace of mind that is essential in residential accommodation.
Honeywell Gent fire detection systems
Gent by Honeywell is synonymous with quality and innovation in the fire detection and alarm industry. Honeywell Gent fire detection systems have been developed to the highest possible standards to deliver the most advanced fire detection and alarm system available in the market today.
