Fire Alarm Control Panels to Protect 19th Century Building

Advanced Electronics Ltd.
April 21, 2009

Advanced Electronics intelligent fire alarm control panels have been chosen to protect The Challenge Works, a converted 19th century building in Sheffield that now provides student accommodation.

Installed by Absolute Fire & Security, the system comprises of a MX-4000 control panel and repeater connected to Apollo fire sensors, call points and sounders. The system has been designed and installed as part of a new initiative to combat nuisance alarms in student accommodation. The building has 20 separate apartments, with every bedroom equipped with its own multi-sensor and sounder. Other areas of the building are protected using heat detectors and optical smoke detectors.

The sophisticated cause and effect functions in the Mx-4000 are being used to help reduce false alarms. If an alarm is raised in an individual room, only the local sounder is activated for a period of two minutes. If no further fire signatures are detected, the control panel clears and resets the fire detector in question and logs the incident. This avoids nuisance alarms due to transient sources such as cigarette smoke or burning toast. If another detector goes into alarm during the two minute period, a full evacuation of the building is initiated. A full evacuation is automatically triggered by the operation of a manual call point or by the detection of smoke on any designated escape route.