A construction site, also known as a building site is a, location used for building new properties or improving existing ones. Construction sites tend to differ in size and shape and contain multiple areas, therefore, choosing the best, most effective fire alarm system can be difficult.
What Fire Risks are Associated with Construction Sites?
There are many fire risks associated with construction sites, the most common being:
- Electricity
With the large amount of equipment onsite, as well as builders and electricians working on and around electrical mains, the risk of fire rises due to the increased chance of electrical sparks. As well as this, frayed cables, faulty electrical equipment and open fuses can spark and set combustible materials alight. - Materials
Construction sites often contain a wide range of materials such as wood, insulation and chemicals, most of which can easily catch fire if they are to come into contact with sparks or flames. - Portable Heaters
Portable heaters a typically used on construction sites during the winter to keep the office building or portacabin warm during the cold months. However, portable heaters increase the chance of fire, especially if they are housed close to flammable materials or substances. - Temporary Lighting
Temporary lighting such as floodlights, lamps and site lights also increase the risk of fire as workers can forget to turn them off, leaving them on for hours. If this is the case, light bulbs can overheat and even explode, causing a fire if sparks are produced.
As well as putting the lives of workers at risk, construction sites also hold dangers to local residents and members of the public. If the unfortunate is to occur and a fire breaks out, it could result in financial loss, injury, lawsuits and death.
What are the Challenges?
One of the biggest challenges we face when designing suitable fire detection for construction sites is providing reliable protection for individual areas. While hardwired systems are effective for more long term installations and adjoining areas, running cables to new parts of the construction is largely impractical.
What is the Solution?
Wi-Fyre wireless fire detection is the ideal solution for protecting construction sites from fire as it allows hardwired systems and wireless technology to co-exist and work together on a peer-to-peer basis. Wi-Fyre provides construction sites with the opportunity to place wireless devices across the premises and connect them to a new or existing hardwired system, located wherever needed.
Wi-Fyre has a range of field devices which can all benefit construction sites:
Wi-Fyre Wireless Detectors
Wi-Fyre offers four types of wireless detectors; Optical, Rate-of-Rise (ROR), fixed heat and Optical Heat, each of which connects effortlessly with a new or existing fire alarm control panel.
Wireless Sounders
Wi-Fyre Wireless Sounders are available in two finishes, red or white, to help suit your environment best when mounting on the ceiling or wall. As well as this, Wi-Fyre Wireless Sounders allow users to select which alarm tone they’d prefer as it has been designed with eight tones to choose from, with volume control, to once again suit your environment and ensure everyone within that environment is alerted when a fire has broken out.
Wi-Fyre Transponders
The Wi-Fyre Transponder connects to the fire alarm control panel and has the ability to communicate with up to 30 mixed field devices, including sounders, heat and smoke detectors, input/output devices and manual call points. Wi-Fyre Transponders come in two versions with either a LCD or blank display, both of which are easy to install and commission.
Wireless Survey Head
In order for wireless devices to work effectively, a wireless survey must be carried out prior to installation to ensure the signal between each wireless device and transponder is strong enough for the system to work efficiently.
In order to test this strength, Wi-Fyre provide a wireless survey head to test the strength and let you know how strong the connection is. This is shown by the survey head’s eight-way colour coded rotary LED display which will give an indication of the signals strength.
If you would like to discuss how you can use Wi-Fyre to benefit your fire alarm system, 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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