Solihull Community Housing selects wireless solution from Kentec

Post-Grenfell Tower, the local authority in Solihull has made fire prevention and general safety absolute priorities in a determined bid to better protect its residents who live in similar high-rise accommodation blocks.

Working closely with the West Midlands Fire Service, installer Early Birds Fire Protection specified Kentec’s K-Mesh system on the basis of its reliability and practicality. Upwards of 2,000 apartments spread across a five-mile radius needed protection. Gives that it’s a wireless system, K-Mesh was both quick and easy to install. There was minimum disruption for local residents, while costs for the housing association were also reduced.

The installed system comprises circa 4,000 sensors linked to a combination of Kentec’s Taktis panels and Syncro AS analogue control panels, which are in turn linked to an alarm monitoring station. In the event of an alarm being raised, the Fire and Rescue Service and the incident commander are afforded an immediate view of exactly where smoke has been detected and can determine how far a fire may have progressed.

Each of the tower blocks involved harbours a single stairwell and point of exit. On that basis, early warning of any fire is essential to ensure the safe evacuation of residents and also to assist the Emergency Services such that they can attend a given location on a swifter basis.

System specification

Specifying a new fire safety solution was rendered all the more challenging by the mix of residents in particular buildings. Seven of the towers are designed specifically to accommodate those residents aged 50 and above. An extensive consultation process involving residents, members of staff, contractors and the local authority was carried out such that the needs of residents could be gathered and the importance of early warning for residents living with a disability or dementia might be addressed.

Derrick Hall, director of sales at Kentec Electronics, firmly believes that the wireless capabilities of K-Mesh, combined with the interconnected system that it hosts, offer a number of advantages.

“The advanced nature of K-Mesh means that the system is fully expandable and future-proof,” commented Hall. “The system is able to protect people living in high-rise residential blocks both now and into the future.”

Hall added: “The set-up is based on an open protocol format. The system’s ability to integrate with a full range of technologies – including the sprinkler systems – takes the concept of fire detection and safety to another level.”

Minimal disruption

Craig Puddefoot, managing director of Early Birds Fire Protection, explained: “The project proceeded to plan with great success and minimal disruption for residents and staff. The wireless nature of the K-Mesh system renders it very easy to install. There was no need to run live cables, thereby reducing cost and complexity, all without damaging the fabric of the buildings involved.”

Steve Murray, senior project manager for Solihull Community Housing, noted that the project has helped team members to better understand the lifestyles of residents and the importance of early warning alarms for emergencies.

Murray concluded: “The insight gained by consulting residents and staff has been truly invaluable, with a tailored safety solution being the end result. We are now able to spot potential emergencies much sooner, provide life-saving information to Fire and Rescue Services and Emergency Services staff and, importantly, keep our community safe.”

*Further information is available online at www.kentec.co.uk