Honeywell introduces cloud-based solution offering end-to-end connectivity and visibility for fire safety systems

“Today’s global environment requires the fire and life safety industry to innovate with solutions that enable facility managers and system integrators alike to monitor their systems and diagnose issues at any time and from anywhere,” explained Sameer Agrawal, general manager for global fire software and services at Honeywell.

Agrawal continued: “Many facilities are working to create healthier environments and even limiting occupant density to comply with social distancing under COVID-19. With CLSS, we’re helping system integrators to provide their customers with the highest level of safety and service and work more efficiently by giving them insight into any defined system problem before they even reach the site.”

Notably so in today’s environment, organisations across the fire safety value chain face multiple challenges. They need to achieve more with fewer resources as many facility maintenance teams are working with reduced staff. They also have to manage the challenges of limited access to facilities due to shutdowns. Dealing effectively with safety incidents, where risks remain the same at any occupancy level, are a further task.

The CLSS platform addresses these challenges by enabling system integrators and facilities management firms to access the data within a fire system from anywhere, without necessarily being present at the control panel.

Compliance records

Firetron, the largest individually owned life safety systems company in Texas, is presently using the Honeywell CLSS platform to support the development of compliance records for its customers. “We’re always looking for the most technologically advanced reporting so that we can reduce customer time and effort during audits,” said David Maloy, president at Firetron. “For example, our healthcare facility customers are under ever-increasing pressure to provide accurate compliance records as per The Joint Commission’s reporting requirements. With more than 600,000 devices under our management, CLSS provides us with a scalable tool to meet our customer service aspirations.”

The CLSS platform is also being employed by the EDSB Group of Companies, a UK-based provider of fire, security, electrical, mechanical and building services, at a 50,000 m² logistics centre for a freight carrier at East Midlands Airport.

“CLSS offers a level of connectivity to provide invaluable reassurance that the system has been commissioned effectively and is being maintained safely,” explained Jonathan Parker, managing director at the EDSB Group of Companies. “We can also see how old every detector is and when a given detector needs to be changed based on prevailing regulations. With CLSS, we can tailor settings based on a customer’s requirements and verify that weekly testing is carried out according to their specifications, while also logging faults and fire activations.”

Commissioning and maintenance

Through the application of digitisation principles and Industrial Internet of Things technology, Honeywell’s CLSS tools make it easier to design, install, test and commission fire systems, while simultaneously helping to eliminate errors and manual data entry throughout the designing, commissioning and maintenance processes.

These tools can also improve the delivery of on-time completions and the handover of a compliant system with the relevant reports, saving channel partners – and end users – time and money. During planned maintenance, CLSS streamlines the verification of compliant fire system testing and automatically generates and archives compliance reports for audit purposes.

Whether using the CLSS mobile app or a PC, facility managers can monitor their systems and easily access compliance reporting. This real-time view also enables technicians to troubleshoot a system remotely, allowing them to arrive on site with the right tools to service a system the first time. This truly maximises on efficiency and minimises disruption. Even more critical given the industry’s talent gap of skilled fire technicians.

Using CLSS tools, Honeywell partners can reassure their end users that they’re in full alignment with mandated inspection and maintenance requirements. CLSS automatically captures the testing activity, thereby removing any doubt about which device was tested, when and by whom. It also automatically generates suggested corrective actions and planned maintenance recommendations based upon local regulations.

CLSS is protected by extensive built-in cyber security provisions. As an organisation, Honeywell is committed to proactively monitoring the cyber security landscape, ensuring that data is safely stored and securely accessible to permitted system users only.

Delivering full backwards compatibility, CLSS safeguards investment in legacy systems, while at the same time preparing Honeywell partners and end users for ongoing digital transformation. The CLSS platform will continue to integrate the latest smart solutions, enabled by cloud connectivity, to ensure buildings and their occupants are as safe as possible.