Conventional Manual Call Point introduced to product portfolio by Apollo

The new product, designated SC2900-001APO, features a modern and sturdy design, is fitted with an alarm LED and has been designed to operate on a zone of conventional fire detection devices. It’s supplied with 470 Ohm resistors and normally open clean contact electrical options.

In point of fact, the new design has already made weekly system testing a hassle-free process for numerous end users.

‘A Heart for Duns’

‘A Heart for Duns’ is a community group of volunteers, formed to maintain and develop the vibrancy that exists in the Scottish town of Duns. The group owns and manages the Volunteer Hall, which hosts regular weekly events such as choir practice, community quizzes, after-school clubs and more. Recently, the group decided to reshape the available facilities so that they would better serve the needs of the community.

In order to maintain smooth operation of the hall, something that needed to be addressed was the on-site Manual Call Points. There were various makes and models installed across the site. Some were easy to test, others not so. The crucial weekly testing was proving difficult as some of the testing keys didn’t work in the alarm points. Due to this, the group felt that it wasn’t carrying out effective fire alarm testing and sought an alternative option.

‘A Heart for Duns’ contacted SAFE Services who specialise in fire and security system integration. SAFE Services duly recommended the new Apollo Conventional Manual Call Point. All existing Call Points at the site were changed to this model and each of them fitted with a hinge cover to reduce false alarms from accidental activation.

There was minimal disruption for the volunteers as the SC2900-001APO has been developed to make installation quick and simple for practising engineers.

Substantial difference

Commenting on the newly-installed Call Points regime, Liz Brown (finance and facilities manager for ‘A Heart of Duns’) stated: “Having a consistent make of modern Manual Call Point makes it easier to test the system across the site with minimal effort. It’s simple and effective and has made a huge difference.”

Graeme Millar, fire systems technical engineer at SAFE Systems, observed: “For me, the new Call Point from Apollo lends itself to swapping out older model Call Points. I think that, because all of the testing is done by forward pressure on the Call Point, all of the stress is greatly reduced on the back-box fixings into the wall and there’s less that can go wrong with the Call Point itself. Other models require an element of upwards and downwards force to test. Through time, this has led to Call Points coming loose and, in the worse case scenario, breaking altogether.”

Millar added: The new Apollo Manual Call Point looks so much more modern when compared to others on the market, while the company is spot on when it comes to the testing and resetting procedures. The rotation of the element makes it obvious if the Call Point has been activated either maliciously or accidentally.”

Social media comment

Engineers have also made positive comment on social media in relation to the new device. One stated: “This is so overdue, Apollo. We’ve installed lots of these new Call Points in the last couple of weeks and customers love them. They’re so much easier to test than the KAC 2-pronged test key Manual Call Point, which has always been our standard choice of Call Point until now.”

Another engineer has observed: “It's about time. This is one of the best Manual Call Points designs out there.” Other engineers have said: “Loving this. It makes things so much easier for the customer” and: “Fantastic Call Points. Definitely recommended.”

*For further information on the new Apollo Manual Call Point visit the product page: www.apollo-fire.co.uk/products/range/apollo/manual-call-points-pull-stations/sc2900-001apo-conventional-manual-call-point