Automist selected to offer enhanced protection for vulnerable residents

The adaptable home is managed by a specialist charity that provides care and support services for people with autism, learning and physical disabilities and early onset dementia.

As part of the project, Walls & Futures wanted to explore innovative solutions that could increase safety measures and protection for the residents moving in.n This was particularly important given that, due to having reduced mobility, in the event of a fire many of the residents would be considered to be at high risk of injury or fatality.

Joe McTaggart, managing director at Walls & Futures, explained: “While most people are familiar with how a traditional sprinkler system looks and works, we wanted to integrate a modern alternative that would be discreet without compromising safety and would also enable us to create what looked and felt like a contemporary home.”

McTaggart continued: “We wanted an intelligent system that would target the origin of a fire efficiently and effectively. When we discovered that Automist uses heat and smoke detectors in tandem with infrared sensors to achieve exactly that scenario, as well as providing increased protection to those considered to be vulnerable, we knew this would be the perfect system for this particular home.”

Maintenance long-term

Another priority of the project was installing a fire safety system that could be easily maintained long-term. Liam Hughes at MCFP explained: “Automist can be installed with a number of different detection options and, to support the long-term safety needs of this particular home, we’ve integrated the system with an addressable fire alarm panel. This means that rather than having to maintain and manage two systems there’s just one.”

In addition to tailoring the installation to ensure that it meets the wide-ranging safety needs of the home’s residents, upon completion of the project MCFP delivered training to the residents’ carers to make certain they know exactly how the system works and what would happen if the system is triggered.

Yusuf Muhammad, chief design officer at Plumis, concluded: “When we designed Automist it was with exactly this type of installation and occupant in mind. Once activated and the alarm is raised, a pump drives mains water through the nozzle unit, targeting the fire with a dense fog of watermist that removes heat and displaces oxygen from the fire zone. That results in fire control, suppression or extinguishment. The intention is to lower the temperature and the accumulation of toxic gases in order to realise survivable conditions in the building.”

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