Schools are bustling hubs of activity, accommodating hundreds, sometimes thousands, of students and staff daily across classrooms, laboratories, assembly halls and sports facilities. Given their complex layouts and high occupancy, ensuring comprehensive fire safety is paramount. Rapid, reliable detection and notification systems are critical in such environments to protect lives and facilitate quick evacuations. Effective fire safety measures not only safeguard students and staff but also preserve educational continuity, minimise property damage and enhance overall community confidence in school safety protocols.
Risks
Like most educational institutions, there are a number of fire risks present in schools. Some of these include:
- High Occupancy
- Large numbers of students and staff increase evacuation complexity and panic potential.
- Science Laboratories
- Chemicals and flammable substances used in practical experiments can pose significant fire hazards.
- Cooking Facilities
- School kitchens or food preparation areas present risks due to heat, flames and cooking oils.
- Electrical Equipment
- Extensive use of electrical devices, including computers and projectors, can increase the risk of faults and overheating.
- Arson and Vandalism
- Schools can be vulnerable targets for intentional fires, particularly when buildings are unoccupied outside school hours.
Challenges
When it comes to providing a reliable fire detection solution for schools, there are a number of challenges presented. Some of these include:
- Complex Layouts
- Schools often comprise multiple interconnected buildings and varied spaces, complicating sensor placement and detection coverage.
- False Alarms
- Activities such as cooking, science experiments or dust from sports halls can trigger unwanted alarms, disrupting teaching.
- High Ambient Noise
- Busy corridors, assembly halls and gymnasiums can obscure audible warnings, requiring careful planning of notification methods.
- Aesthetics and Tamper-Resistance
- Devices must be discreet to minimise disruption or vandalism, yet easily accessible for maintenance.
- Cost and Retrofitting
- Balancing budget constraints with effective coverage can be challenging, especially when upgrading older buildings or installations.
Wi-Fyre Xenos
Wireless fire detection systems are ideal for schools because they offer quick, cost-effective installation without disruptive wiring, reducing downtime and minimising impact on education. They provide flexibility to easily extend or adjust coverage, accommodating evolving layouts and building expansions. Wireless solutions also maintain aesthetics by avoiding intrusive cables, while ensuring reliable, secure and rapid fire detection across the entire campus.
The Wi-Fyre Xenos product range offers a comprehensive suite of wireless fire detection and alarm devices designed for rapid deployment and high reliability, ideal for complex environments like schools. The system includes wireless smoke and heat detectors, manual call points, sounders, input/output modules, and translators that bridge wireless devices to existing wired systems. Each component is EN54-certified and engineered for long battery life (up to 10 years), with robust communication protocols ensuring secure, bi-directional signalling.
With a wireless range exceeding 1km in open air and support for mesh networking, Xenos systems can cover extensive campuses with minimal infrastructure disruption. This flexibility makes them particularly suited for heritage buildings, modular classrooms or phased refurbishments where traditional cabling is impractical.
Design Considerations
Panel Placement
The Haes Esprit 1–4 Loop Panel is a versatile, addressable fire alarm control unit supporting up to four loops and 240 devices per loop, making it ideal for small to medium-sized installations. Featuring a large graphical display and intuitive menu system, it ensures straightforward setup and maintenance. For optimal accessibility and monitoring, the panel should be installed near the main entrance or reception area.
The Advanced MxPro 5 is a versatile, high-performance fire alarm control panel, supporting up to eight loops and over 200,000 devices across a 200-node network. It offers powerful false alarm management, flexible cause-and-effect programming, and seamless integration with wired, wireless or hybrid systems. For optimal accessibility and visibility, the panel should be installed near the main entrance or reception area, ensuring quick access for staff and emergency responders.
Detector Placement
To achieve the best results, fire detectors in schools should be placed in corridors, classrooms, staff areas and high-risk zones like kitchens and science labs. Avoid placing them near vents or direct heat sources to reduce false alarms. Strategic, even coverage ensures early detection and effective evacuation.
A Xenos sounder base combines fire detection and audible alert in one unit, streamlining installation and ensuring alarms are heard at the source of risk. This setup enhances response times, particularly in large or noisy school environments. They’re ideal for classrooms and corridors where clear, localised alerts are essential.
Call Point and Wall Sounder Placement
Manual call points should be placed at all building exits, near stairwells and along escape routes, typically 1.4m above floor level, so they are easily accessible and quickly activated during an emergency.
Wall sounders should be installed in corridors, classrooms and communal areas, ensuring sound is clearly heard throughout the building, especially in noisy or high-traffic zones.
Typical Wiring Diagram
Xenos’ mesh architecture enables each wireless device to communicate with others in the network, forming a self-healing, multi-path communication web. This ensures reliable signal transmission, even if one path fails, signals automatically reroute through other devices, enhancing coverage, stability and system resilience across large or complex school layouts.
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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