A care home is a residential facility that provides accommodation, personal care and support for individuals who may be unable to live independently due to age, illness or disability. It offers a safe and supportive environment where residents receive assistance with daily tasks such as dressing, bathing and medication management. Care homes can also provide social activities and companionship, fostering a sense of community while ensuring residents’ physical and emotional well-being.
Risks
Due to the nature of their business, care homes can have a variety of fire risks. Some of these risks include:
- Smoking
- Improper disposal of cigarettes or smoking in non-designated areas can lead to fires. Residents with limited mobility or awareness may increase the risk.
- Kitchen Hazards
- Cooking appliances, unattended stoves and electrical kitchen equipment can cause fires if not properly managed or maintained.
- Faulty Electrical Equipment
- Worn-out wiring, overloaded sockets or poorly maintained electrical devices can pose significant fire risks.
- Flammable Materials
- Bedding, furniture and medical supplies like oxygen tanks can quickly ignite and fuel a fire.
- Inadequate Fire Safety Measures
- Blocked fire exits, lack of smoke alarms or poorly maintained fire safety equipment can increase the risk of fire and hinder evacuation efforts.
Challenges
There are also a number of challenges that arise when designing a suitable fire detection solution for care homes. Some of these include:
- Building Structure and Layout
- Older care homes may have complex layouts, making it difficult to install traditional wired systems without significant disruption or costly modifications.
- Retrofitting wired fire detection systems can disrupt daily care home operations and disturb residents, especially those with mobility issues or dementia.
- Scalability and Flexibility
- Adapting a traditional wired system to accommodate new rooms or changes in the layout of the care home can be challenging and expensive.
- Aesthetic Impact
- Wired systems often require visible cabling and conduits, which can detract from the homely environment care homes strive to maintain.
- Maintenance Complexity
- Diagnosing and repairing faults in wired systems can be time-consuming and disruptive, particularly in a setting where minimising downtime is critical for resident safety.
Wireless fire detection systems can address these challenges with minimal installation disruption, scalability, and easier maintenance.
Wi-Fyre Xenos
Wireless fire detection systems use radio communication to connect smoke, heat, and other fire detection devices without the need for wiring. These systems are particularly well-suited for care homes, where complex layouts or older buildings can make traditional wiring difficult. They are quick and easy to install, minimising disruption to residents, and offer the flexibility to reposition detectors if the layout of the care home changes. Additionally, wireless systems feature battery backups to ensure continuous functionality during power outages and can be integrated with central control panels for efficient monitoring and management.

Wi-Fyre Xenos is an advanced wireless fire detection and alarm system designed to provide flexible and reliable fire safety, particularly in settings where traditional wiring is difficult or impractical, such as care homes.
Utilising cutting-edge wireless technology and delivering robust performance, Wi-Fyre Xenos offers a comprehensive range of devices, including smoke detectors, heat detectors and manual call points, ensuring thorough fire protection coverage.
The system is easy to install, eliminating the need for extensive cabling, making it ideal for retrofitting older buildings or safeguarding environments where wiring is not feasible.
Wi-Fyre Xenos enables secure, real-time communication between devices and the control panel, ensuring efficient and scalable fire protection tailored to diverse safety requirements.
With its straightforward installation, real-time monitoring and flexible configuration software, the Wi-Fyre Xenos range delivers a dependable and adaptable fire detection solution, perfectly suited to care homes.
Design Considerations
Panel Placement

The fire alarm control panel should be centrally located in care homes for optimal accessibility and visibility. Ideal placements include near main entrances, reception areas, or staff-only spaces to ensure quick access during emergencies. Panels should be secure, away from environmental hazards for reliable operation and easy maintenance.

Detector Placement


For optimal results, smoke detectors should be placed on ceilings or high on walls, ensuring they are positioned away from vents, windows or areas with strong air currents that could disrupt detection. Key locations include hallways, bedrooms, communal areas, and escape routes in care homes.
Detectors can be mounted with or without a sounder base. A sounder base provides an integrated audible alarm, ideal for enhancing localised alerts in high-occupancy areas or large spaces. Detectors without a sounder base are suitable for locations where centralised alarms suffice or to reduce noise levels in sensitive environments.



Call Point and Wall Sounder Placement

Call points should be placed near exits, escape routes, communal areas and staff workstations in nursing homes, ensuring quick access for emergency activation while complying with fire safety standards.

Wall sounders should be placed in hallways, communal areas and near bedrooms to ensure audible alarms are clearly heard. This promotes effective evacuation and enhances safety for residents and staff.
Typical Wiring Diagram

The Wi-Fyre Xenos system uses translator modules, connected to the fire alarm control panel, to communicate with wireless devices. Its mesh architecture enables devices to relay signals through multiple pathways, creating a self-healing network. If one pathway is disrupted, signals automatically reroute via other devices, ensuring reliable and continuous communication.

Why Choose Eurofyre?
- Wi-Fyre Xenos Support
- Eurofyre’s team of fire detection specialists are experts in wireless fire detection. We offer a Xenos Survey Kit to buy or hire to make conducting a Wi-Fyre Xenos site survey quick and easy. We also provide Xenos programming support to help with off-site programming.
- Complete System Supplier
- Eurofyre supplies all aspects of fire detection and its associated safety products, including Wi-Fyre Xenos, and can provide expert advice and consultation.
- Demonstration and Training
- We offer demonstrations and expert training on a range of systems, including Wi-Fyre Xenos, in our very own sophisticated training facility.
- After-Sales Support
- Eurofyre offers both on-site and telephone support to assist you in ensuring that your system is fully functional and operating at maximum efficiency. Our after-sales care and support are second to none.
For more information about Wi-Fyre Xenos, or to discuss any of the other products that Eurofyre have to offer, please feel free to get in touch either by phone on +44 (0) 1329 835 024, by email to [email protected] or via the online enquiry form situated on our contact page.
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