Refurb Projects August 2017
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FIRE & SAFETY<br />
Fire Safety at Great Scotland Yard<br />
WES+ fire alarm system is protecting the original Scotland Yard police station in London whilst<br />
it is turned into a five-star luxury hotel by Galliard Homes.<br />
The historic building served as the<br />
headquarters for the Metropolitan police<br />
from 1829 to 1890 and the £110m<br />
development involves retaining the original<br />
Edwardian façade. When completed, the new fivestar<br />
hotel will offer rooms costing up to £10,000 a<br />
night.<br />
Galliard Homes makes fire safety a priority on<br />
all its developments, which is why the project<br />
team at Great Scotland Yard set about identifying<br />
what they considered to be the ‘most effective fire<br />
alarm system’ currently available.<br />
The company had used a hard wired firm alarm<br />
system on other construction sites but found it to<br />
be cumbersome. The trailing wires created a trip<br />
hazard and the process of repositioning the call<br />
points as work progressed was both time<br />
consuming and required a qualified electrician.<br />
David Ridge, Sites Services Manager at Galliard<br />
Homes, said: “We felt that there must be a better<br />
way of protecting the Great Scotland Yard<br />
development from the dangers of fire. Following<br />
extensive research we identified WES+ as a system<br />
that would provide us with a step-change in<br />
usability by the fact it is wireless.”<br />
He added: “That overcame the challenges we<br />
had with hard wired systems and being compliant<br />
with the relevant sections of EN 54 meant that we<br />
were also confident that it gave us the best fire<br />
protection. When we complete Great Scotland<br />
Yard later this year, we will be able to transfer the<br />
WES+ system to our next project, making it is the<br />
best and most cost effective system on the market<br />
today without doubt.”<br />
The WES+ system installed at Great Scotland<br />
Yard will trigger a site-wide alarm even if just one<br />
of the manual call points or automatic heat/smoke<br />
detectors are activated. This will allow all<br />
personnel to evacuate the site and rescue services<br />
to be alerted at the earliest opportunity.<br />
Incorporating heat/smoke detectors into the<br />
WES+ fire alarm system means that the iconic<br />
Great Scotland Yard is protected 24/7, even when<br />
personnel are not present on site. Nominated<br />
personnel at Galliard Homes will instantly receive a<br />
text alert if any call point is activated.<br />
The WES+ fire alarm system, which can be<br />
installed with a few simple button-presses to pair<br />
the interconnecting call points, creates a<br />
completely secure mesh network. The scalable<br />
nature of the system means that up to several<br />
thousand units can be paired, making it suitable<br />
for large and small construction sites. A silent test<br />
facility eliminates downtime on site.<br />
Additional complexity was added on this<br />
project because it is in the heart of one of<br />
London’s most popular tourist areas and<br />
surrounding by other significant buildings that<br />
house large numbers of people. A fire doing<br />
construction could soon spread to adjoining<br />
buildings. As the dangers of fires on construction<br />
sites become better understood an increasing<br />
number of developers are specifying a WES+ fire<br />
alarm system.<br />
Insurance companies and clients are also<br />
encouraging developers to use an EN 54 compliant<br />
fire alarm system that incorporates automatic heat<br />
/ smoke detectors. Zurich Insurance has stated that<br />
there is an ‘expectation that customers comply<br />
with the Joint Code of Practice Fire Code<br />
guidelines as far as is practicable and reasonable’.<br />
The Joint Code of Practice on the Protection<br />
from Fire of Construction Sites and Buildings<br />
Undergoing Renovation (JCOP) now contains the<br />
advice; Components of automatic fire detection<br />
and alarm systems should be marked as complying<br />
with EN 54 (paragraph 13.8).<br />
Along with Galliard Homes, WES+ is currently<br />
used by over 75 percent of the top 100 UK<br />
constructions companies to protect personnel and<br />
assets from fire on site. It is designed specifically<br />
for construction sites and has a three-year battery<br />
life.<br />
To ensure your site has the best possible<br />
protection from fire, whilst complying EN 54,<br />
call the WES+ helpline: 00 44 (0) 115 822 3424<br />
Web: www.wesfire.co.uk<br />
34 AUGUST <strong>2017</strong>, REFURBISHMENT PROJECTS
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