Talking tall

THE DAWNING of a New Year delivers new hope as we move towards the light at the end of the tunnel and, hopefully, a route out of the COVID-19 crisis. That route is beginning to take shape as the Government’s plan comes together.

Resuming on Monday 1 March, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry is conducting a review of many of the root causes of what happened on 14 June 2017, along with a consideration of social and economic elements. With this will come formal changes to law and policy. Some are already in place or under review.

Many of the basics, including fire detection reviews, were instigated almost immediately to ensure properties have adequate and up-to-date protection. Very early on in the process, it sadly became apparent that plenty of dwellings didn’t have acceptable levels of cover.

Dividing properties between the public and private sectors also revealed discrepancies and different challenges. Using a risk assessment approach, owners and managers had to start looking at a wide range of elements including (but not limited to) fire detection, fire prevention, localised extinguishant measures and passive protection with one eye on what was in place and the other on adherence to Codes of Practice.

Together with maintenance and testing regimes, evacuation plans, local management and relationships with Fire and Rescue Services, these would underpin the plan of action.

The divide between public and private sector properties quickly exposed the vast array of issues facing owners in terms of what was/is needed. As ever, finance had been a key driver in the way that this protection had been administered in the preceding years. Many local authorities had already experienced huge budget cuts and were forced to make decisions based on cost and allocation of available funding.

Addressing the situation

There was a need to address the situation with all of its associated costs, with due recognition of the time needed for remediation work and the sheer scale of the problem. There are thousands of tall buildings across the country.

Fire detection and early warning of any impending danger was one of the key elements at the top of the ‘To Do’ list. In short, how to update these systems and how quickly that could be done. Many properties in the public sector had the very basics in place. Compliant (just about), then, but in some instances urgent attention was needed to ensure adequate protection.

Many local authorities have chosen to use wireless fire detection as the answer due to its non-invasive installation properties. Many tenants didn’t want any intrusion. Indeed, plenty of them vocally denied access. Local authorities have often had to resort to the law to gain access for installing safety equipment.

The use of wireless fire detection has simplified this dilemma by reducing the time needed to install a number of fire devices into a dwelling or common area. Additionally, without cable, there’s no need to install such a system in a particular order.

Commonly, a loop cable is installed to support the fire devices. By its very nature, this has to be routed through all of the protected areas, duly ending up back at the fire panel. Even with a conventional system, the cable still has to be run through all areas of protection.

Driven by standards

Wireless fire detection systems are now commonplace and accepted as being equal in every way to a ‘traditional’ wired system. Although wireless technology has been in use since the early 1990s, EN standards have been crucial in terms of driving reliability, innovation and acceptance.

EN 54-25 states that radio fire detection systems complying with the standard must be “as efficient and stable as comparable wired fire detection systems and components”. This has seen the demise of technology not able to meet the demanding requirements of the standard. Consequently, EN 54-25 certified systems are now used as a solution in every type of building.

As the technology has developed, we’ve seen the amalgamation of wireless and wired technology as a hybrid approach and even add-on wireless gateways for any system. Conventional or addressable, independent of protocol or protocol-integrated detectors, sounders and VADs can be added to extend existing systems, allowing cost-effective upgrades in a fraction of the time.

Returning to the question of access to individual living accommodation, in a tall building it’s possible to install a number of wireless devices in less than an hour. This not only decreases the inconvenience and time needed for the work, but also takes away completely the issue of cable runs across living rooms or kitchens (something that can be a real cause of anxiety for tenants or owners).

If a particular property cannot be accessed for any reason, then it can simply be bypassed until such time that the occupier is available to grant entry. This avoids extensive delays as the installation programme can continue without interruption and ‘missed’ properties dealt with at a later date. The system can be tested at any time during its installation prior to commissioning as, again, it’s not reliant on wiring integrity. In principle, sections, floors or even individual areas can be tested as the installation proceeds.

In a tall building with many floors and zones this can also save time. With time being of the essence to deliver safety, it’s now well accepted that a totally wireless system solution can radically reduce installation times. By way of example, a wireless system with, say, 30 devices can typically be installed, tested and fully commissioned in less than a day. Scaling this up to perhaps 500 devices in a more complicated environment, the time saved dramatically increases in parallel with reductions in cost.

Wireless networking

If we multiply the number of fire devices across an estate of properties, or perhaps a number of tall buildings, there’s the option of wireless networking. In the past, communication between panels has meant cables having to be run underground in ducts. Where none exist, expensive groundworks would be required. Roads, pathways, car parks or similar may need to be traversed and, at hundreds of pounds per metre, costs can spiral. This will potentially have led to properties perhaps not being connected and weeks of additional work.

Wireless networks have the potential to support up to 16 separate control panels with a capacity of over 8,000 wireless fire devices, all fully addressable by location. This alone could realise cost reductions to the tune of many, many thousands of pounds, yet still provide greater safety, enhanced information and a wider overview on what’s happening.

Networks yield the broader picture and allow evacuations to take place in connected buildings in a more controlled manner. Additionally, wireless technology does away with drilling and drawing cable through fire compartments, eliminating possible breaches of protection.

Approved Document B Volume 2 (2019) defines a fire compartment as “a building or part of a building comprising one or more rooms, spaces or storeys constructed to prevent the spread of fire to or from another part of the same building or an adjoining building.” While almost all installers are responsible types and re-seal these compartments, there are some instances where expanding foam or similar is used and the integrity of the compartment is compromised.

We know that many buildings may already suffer with breached compartments resulting from the many contractors installing cable TV or other consumer-driven services. Those contractors may be totally unaware of – and oblivious to – the importance of fire compartments. That’s another challenge in itself. 

The wider inclusion and deployment of developing technology increases safety and drives down cost. Developing technology would include ‘Smart Services’ and remote connections. Using dual path communications for integrity and security, it’s now possible to remotely connect to fire panels at any location.

On demand

Connecting to a system on demand can then facilitate many tasks such as daily checks to ascertain that everything’s fine and there are no faults on the system. Typically, a panel fault in a building where there are multiple occupants may be ignored for many weeks due to everyone assuming someone else has dealt with or reported the problem.

Interrogations on a regular basis can also ensure that any fault is known and a remote check carried out to ascertain what exactly has happened. Taking this a stage further, simple adjustments can be made without visiting site. Where repairs or replacement parts are needed, an engineer can take the correct items with him in the full knowledge of what to expect on arrival.

Engineers can also remotely connect to diagnose any issue and prioritise as necessary. Is the issue crucial? Does it need immediate attention or is it a simple adjustment that can be carried out remotely or on a non-urgent visit?

Several systems offering this technology have already been deployed, but currently there are limitations on the size of system. However, new products are being developed to make this type of technology accessible for any size of system. Local authorities could implement a Borough-wide programme and audit outside of normal planned preventative maintenance. This would yield a clear and detailed view of the status of every system and building presently under their control.

In January, the Government announced a new £30 million Waking Watch Relief Fund to pay for the costs of installing an alarm system in buildings with unsafe cladding. Common alarm systems will enable costly waking watch measures to be replaced in those buildings waiting to have unsafe cladding removed. £22 million is set aside for eight major cities, including London and Manchester, where there are proportionally higher numbers of properties meeting the stipulated criteria.

When established and operated in accordance with National Fire Chiefs’ Council guidance, waking watch is an acceptable risk mitigation strategy. That guidance, though, is clear in the belief that alarms are preferable on the grounds of both safety and cost efficiencies.

BS 5839:1 L5 system

The Waking Watch Relief Fund will cover the cost of an ‘eligible’ BS 5839:1 L5 fire detection system installed on or after 17 December 2020 for buildings where particular criteria apply (including ‘unsafe cladding’) and a waking watch is in place. The Government’s drive will ensure that a fully-compliant fire detection system can be installed to replace a waking watch and thereby increase safety for all occupants.

Then there’s BS 8629:2019, the new Code of Practice for the Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance of Evacuation Systems for Use by Fire and Rescue Services in Buildings Containing Flats. This document demands a good deal of explanation as there’s some degree of confusion on the approach to be adopted and when it’s needed. The Fire Industry Association has issued a guidance note on its website. Well worth a read.

Ray Puttock is EMEA Marketing Manager at EMS (www.emsgroup.co.uk)