Hyfire and Absolute Security protect HMS Victory with wireless technology

Launched back in 1765, HMS Victory is currently undergoing a ten-year programme of works to make her ship-shape for the next generation. In 2022, as the vessel celebrated 100 years in dry dock in Portsmouth, Absolute Security Systems Ltd took on design responsibility for the fire system that’s now providing comprehensive cover within the temporary structure surrounding the ship. That system is being used to provide protection and access during the works, with members of the public allowed to continue to visit HMS Victory, and also to view the project works being carried out.

The fire system has been installed and interfaced into the existing on-board fire system, offering flexibility such that it can be repositioned to suit the ongoing progress of the refurbishment, which also involves replacing rotten planking from the hull with new oak, repairing HMS Victory’s structural framework and fully re-rigging the historic ship.

Comprehensive protection

“With the possible exception of the Titanic, I don’t think there’s a ship in the world that’s more famous than HMS Victory,” said Paul Waddon, fire alarm division manager at Absolute Security Systems Ltd, “so we took on this project with a mix of trepidation and excitement. A wireless fire system is a no-brainer in this situation, as it offers comprehensive protection for the vessel with little or no impact on the fabric.”

Waddon continued: “Using the TauREX design tool, and with input from the Hyfire team, we’ve been able to specify, install and commission the new fire system in record time. It may not be the most visible element of the reconstruction, but an effective fire system is absolutely vital to the protection and preservation of HMS Victory as conservation experts and skilled shipwrights work to make her ship-shape for at least the next five decades.”

EN 54 certified

Hyfire offers a wide range of commercial standard wireless fire devices ranging from optical, multi-criteria and heat detectors to through EN 54-23 approved VAD’s, all of them fully certified to EN 54. All products offer the highest performance and quality standards and are fully compliant with BS 5839 Part 1.

Fire panels are wired via a loop to translators, from which wireless devices can be used on their own to build fully wireless systems of virtually any size or otherwise mixed with Hyfire’s wired products to provide seamless hybrid solutions. This affords total flexibility for specifiers and installers.

Ollie Murray, national sales manager for the South at Hyfire, concluded: “Lots of individuals and businesses must surely dream about being involved with a project like this. It has certainly been an amazing experience to play a part in the future preservation of HMS Victory. Taurus wireless devices are perfect for structures like a ship as they can cover every void and deck and hard-to-reach space with no need for complex and unseemly wiring.”

*Further information is available online at www.hyfirewireless.com