Wireless fire alarm system boosts protection regime at Charles Pugh (Glass)

Following a comprehensive fire risk assessment, Charles Pugh (Glass) – the wholesaler of replacement vehicle glass – recognised the need to replace its existing 25-year-old fire alarm system and asked Cannon Fire & Security to deliver a completely new system that would meet modern standards.

Cannon Fire & Security saw the potential of SmartNet-100 on this project. With 14 engineers now trained through the Cygnus Academy, Cannon Fire & Security is a certified installer of the SmartNet system.

The aforementioned fire risk assessment revealed that the existing systems in the two buildings were no longer compliant with modern regulations, influenced by changes in building usage, their increased size and insurance requirements. SmartNet-100 is both EN 54 certified and BS 5839-1 compliant, providing Charles Pugh (Glass) with assurance that the new system meets all relevant safety standards, while simultaneously satisfying insurance requirements.

Benefits of wireless

While Charles Pugh (Glass) had made the initial choice to upgrade its systems in order to satisfy the fire risk assessment and insurance requirements, it’s the benefits of 100% wireless and the promise of minimal disruption that really made Cygnus’ SmartNet-100 stand out.

The system is ideal for smaller and medium-sized projects where the scalability of SmartNet-Pro isn’t required.

SmartNet-100 boasts many of the features and benefits of the SmartNet-Pro range. It’s built on a combination of radio devices, operating on a self-forming, self-healing wireless mesh network with multi-path network redundancy using channel hopping technology that enhances reliability and robustness. SmartNet-100 remains up to 20 times faster to install than wired systems.

SmartNet-100 was installed in two buildings on the premises (the warehouse and the office/workshop) using two SmartNet panels with 75 devices, including smoke detectors, ceiling beacons and input/output units connected to one panel and 85 on the second system.

Cygnus provides a 100% wireless solution with no requirement for boosters and the mains power hardwiring which follows, thereby allowing minimal disruption during an installation period that took just three days.

Minimal disruption

“Choosing a 100% wireless solution has increased the speed and ease of installation,” explained Dominic Gundry-White, managing director of Cannon Fire & Security. “The installation only took three days to complete for both buildings combined, whereas it would have taken between two and three weeks to add a hard-wired solution.”

Charles Pugh (Glass) has been extremely impressed by the nature of this installation, which took place during normal work hours and still allowed all areas of the business to operate as normal.

Nick Ward at Charles Pugh (Glass) commented: “Originally, we had chosen a hardwired solution. However, concerns grew due to the disruption this would create in terms of the working day. I’m extremely impressed by the lack of disruption during the installation of the SmartNet-100 solution, which meant that no buildings had to be closed off or any ‘unworkable’ areas created. The speed of installation and lack of disruption allowed business operations to continue running effectively during the three days of the installation process.”

*Further information is available online at www.cygnus-systems.com