A school is an institution which carries out educational activities to ensure students learn and achieve in their academics. Schools are often home to a large number of staff and students ranging from the young ages of 3-4, all the way up beyond retirement age. In order to keep staff, students and visitors safe, a reliable fire detection system must be in place.
What are the Risks Associated with Schools?
Fire risks in schools go beyond those typically associated with kitchens, electrical outlets and appliances, boiler rooms and smoking. They include some unusual and varied areas that too present some unique fire risks:
- Science Laboratories
Science laboratories are typically home to a range of gases, chemicals and even naked flames, making them a huge fire risk, especially if flames come into contact with those flammable substances. - Art Studios
Art studios also often contain equipment such as mirrors, lighting equipment and clay ovens that can easily cause a fire to break out if misused. - Photographic Dark Rooms
Dark rooms are also home to chemicals and a range of lighting equipment, meaning they too put the school at risk of fire. For example, if light bulbs are to become faulty and explode, the sparks created have a high chance of coming into contact with chemicals and starting a fire.
What are the Challenges?
- Regulations
Schools are subject to some strict fire regulations, which include having a suitable fire detection system installed. The installed detection system needs to be up-to-date and well maintained. However, if the system that is in place needs to be upgraded or replaced, the disruption caused by running new cables can make this difficult and time-consuming. Maintenance work will need to be conducted outside of school hours to minimise disruption as much as possible, which can increase installation time even more. - Expansion
As schools expand, new or temporary buildings are often put in place to accommodate more pupils. Extending and existing fire alarm system to cater for theses areas can also be costly and time-consuming.
What is the Solution?
Buildings like this require a number of detection types to be installed across the entirety of the building. The solutions must be flexible, reliable and cost-effective to fit within the school’s budget. Hybrid fire detection is, therefore, the perfect solution as it combines wireless and hardwired detection technology to provide full coverage of its allocated environment.
Wi-Fyre
Wi-Fyre allows wireless fire detection technology to connect effortlessly with existing hardwired fire alarm systems. This means an existing hard-wired fire detection system can be extended without the need for time-consuming or costly cable runs, and with little disruption to the day-to-day operation or aesthetics of the property.
At the core of Wi-Fyre is the Wi-Fyre transponder which connects to the existing fire alarm cabling via a compatible interface module. Each Wi-Fyre transponder can communicate with up to 30 field devices such as input/output interfaces, detectors, manual call points and sounders.
A Wi-Fyre Wireless Survey must be carried out using the Wi-Fyre Survey Head to make sure that the signal between the transponder and the device to be installed is strong enough for the system to operate to its fullest capability.
Wi-Fyre also has six user-selectable modes for integration with a wide range of systems:
- Conventional
- Addressable (collective)
- ProFyre 2-Wire Addressable
- ProFyre Addressable
- Standalone
- Reflective
For more information about Wi-Fyre, please feel free to give us a call on +44 (0)1329 835024 or email [email protected] where we would be happy to answer any questions.
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