In the centre of Piccadilly, in downtown Manchester, Oxygen Towers, pictured, is a set of three 31-storey, 16-storey and 10-storey buildings consisting of 345 single, two and three-bedroomed apartments and 12 family townhouses. The futuristic-looking ‘vertical village’ combines homes with such facilities as a swimming pool, cinema, gym and spa. The development also features garden terraces and rooftop gardens.
The Hush Pro BS 5839-6 fire detector and alarm from Wigan-based manufacturer C-TEC will integrate with the site’s BS 5839 part 1 landlord system to offer Grade C – higher – fire protection than the Grade D unmonitored battery alarm systems typically used in domestic installations. As a fully-monitored BS 5839 part 6 Grade C system, Hush Pro reports open and short circuit faults and operation faults back to the fire panel and allows management and maintenance companies to remotely monitor.
Each of the flats will feature a low-level Hush Pro Controller connected to a series of Hush Pro smoke detectors, base sounders, multi-sensors and heat detectors all interfaced to a network of C-TEC 4-loop ZFP addressable fire control panels to provide fire and fault monitoring. If, for any reason, part of the domestic fire alarm is compromised, this will be reported to building management for them to action the fault and re-instate fire detection coverage to the flat.
John Blundell is head of Solid State Living, the specialist fire company that worked on the design and delivery of the project. He said: “As well as enhancing the fire safety management, property and life protection of the buildings, a key factor in our client’s decision to invest in Hush Pro was the system’s ability to notify building management in the event of a real fire and, at the same time, its potential to virtually eliminate false alarms.”
“Hush Pro’s unique capacity to differentiate between Fire Level 1, usually a false alarm reported locally in the dwelling, and Fire Level 2, almost always a real alarm activated outside of the dwelling, reduces false fire alarms, unnecessary call-outs and the risk of a real fire alarm being ignored. As our client requires immediate notification in the event of a fire but also first-class false alarm management, Hush Pro will prove ideal.
“Also of vital importance to our client is that, as the project consists of private balconies with an open plan flat arrangement, Hush Pro is the only fire alarm solution that can actually meet the requirements of BS 9991 Annex D3.”
Jason Lawler, 24-7’s Group Director was the person responsible for delivering the electrical and mechanical systems for the project. He said: “Hush Pro is an outstanding solution. The system will provide residents with easy-to-use detection, alarm, silencing and test facilities so they can test their own devices, be alerted to system faults and hush any false alarms at the Hush Button which is positioned at light-switch level for safe and easy access. Hush Pro’s powerful false alarm management capability will also prove invaluable at the site.”
Visit www.c-tec.com.
