Fire Safety Engineering April 2008

The definitive magazine for the fire safety community

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Sprinklers in schools 07/05/2008

In the light of the exclusion of sprinklers from a new school in Gloucestershire, what do you think of the government's presumption in favour of sprinklers contained in the new BB100?

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In This Issue News



The Beetham West Tower, set to be Liverpool’s tallest building, is to be protected with a wet riser system and two sprinkler systems from Chubb Fire to protect the interior and basement car park.



Main Image for Article Draka has supplied what it describes as its most advanced 0HLS (Zero Halogen, Low Smoke) cable solutions for emergency lighting at Heathrow’s T5. It has also developed a new EMC (electro-magnetic compatibility) cable for the integrated fire alarm, voice alarm and public address system at the new terminal.



Eurobond has launched a new RIBA approved seminar on the fire performance of composite panel systems which, it says, is in response to the potentially misleading labeling as 'fire safe' of some composite panel systems.



Up to 12 night staff at a Tesco store in Bexhill, Sussex were admitted to hospital for the effects of smoke inhalation following a fire at a nearby warehouse. According to a report in Builder & Engineer, the smoke entered the air conditioning system of the store.



The total number of primary fires in the UK has fallen by 5 per cent in the 12 months to 31 March 2007 and is now at its lowest since 1983, according to new government figures.



A free technical information sheet on fire safety in heritage buildings has been published by Chiltern International Fire. Historic Buildings and Fire Safety is aimed at architects, specifiers and facilities managers of heritage properties.



Aerial survey specialist Bluesky has launched a new range of detailed 3D city models, which can be used to help emergency response planning. The new product range will be available off the shelf and is also aimed to assist management of urban centres and provide a new understanding of the built environment.



Main Image for Article Fire safety telephones designed and built at Current Thinking’s Sunderland factory have been installed in the world’s tallest building, the 160-storey, 2,200 ft high Burj Dubai Tower. As well as the Burj Tower, the company’s fire telephones are also in operation in over 50 other buildings in Dubai,



The former management company of The White Swan hotel near Arundel has been fined £25,000 plus costs after pleading guilty to breaches of fire safety laws. Mill House Inns Trading Ltd, owners of the hotel at the time, pleaded guilty to five offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.



Main Image for Article A new rooflight has achieved 60 minutes fire integrity and insulation after being tested by BRE. Glass manufacturer Pilkington collaborated with NuLite Ltd, designer, manufacturer, installer and renovator of all types of rooflights, to test the new NL604 (C) fire-resistant rooflight which contains 23mm Pilkington Pyrostop 60-101 .

In This Issue Features & Articles



Main Image for Article As the largest freestanding building in the UK and with its distinctive wave-form roof, Heathrow's Terminal 5 opened for business this month. Baggage system problems apart, there's no denying that T5's fire safety systems are pushing the envelope of technology - whatever side of the frequent flying debate you are on.



Main Image for Article With the fire safety strategy in place, how was the detection and alarm system going to fit into the risk assessed approach? Here we explain some of the advanced systems and products that went into T5.



Main Image for Article Testing a fire door is not as straightforward as it may sound. Mark Cummings explains the testing and certification process, and how the results can be interpreted to widen the scope of products covered.



Main Image for Article The performance of a glazed fire door is only as good as the method of glazing used. So the glass, glazing system and the beads all have to work in harmony if the protected space is not to be compromised.



Main Image for Article While smoke alarms have been credited for bringing down fire deaths in the home, standards and regulations do not always offer uniform guidance. Gerald Jones argues for more consistency.

In This Issue Opinion & Comment



Main Image for Article I have a vision that tens of thousands of years from now, when the remnants of surviving man evolve from the Earth’s latest ice age, an explorer will stumble across the ruins of a long lost civilisation.



Main Image for Article Sometimes it’s the seemingly simple things in life which end up being surprisingly complex, and taking up much more time than expected. Forget sophisticated analogue addressable systems or multi-criteria detectors – what really exercised the minds of fire safety professionals recently was the decision to remove portable extinguishers from two apartment blocks in Bournemouth.

In This Issue Product Profile



Main Image for Article Imagine a system that not only tells you that you need to evacuate but also guides you to the nearest escape route or exit. Well, you need no longer imagine as Mark Thompson of KAC explains.



Main Image for Article Beam detection is widely used to help protect large, high spaces. Here Karl Caddick of The Fire Beam Company reviews the contribution his company has made to accurate beam alignment and effective maintenance.

Magazine cover: Fire Safety Engineering April 2008


"COMMENT & DEBATE"

Your chance to have your say on fire safety news and issues


Storage warehouse destroyed at Trafford Park25/04/2008
My wife and I (71 years old) have just returned to England from Australia, intending to buy a property, when every thing we possess has been lost in this fire, our only possessions are in a suitcase e

Fire extinguishers assessed as risk in Bournemouth flats09/04/2008
Having read your article about extinguishers in apartments and/or flats etc. with interest I feel compelled to write and ask the question "Is anybody going to do anything about this anomoly?" I ha

Fire extinguishers assessed as risk in Bournemouth flats24/03/2008
Such an assumption would of course be manifestly incorrect and would fail to recognise the fact that a fire risk assessment is unique to each individual premise and to individual circumstances applyin

Network rail taking no chances with new records centre21/03/2008
You may like to add that Thermatech Fire Consultants Ltd were the specialist fire consultants for the project and prepared the fire strategy document and the detailed specifications for the passive an

Give us the tools19/02/2008
As an active player in the passive fire protection industry worldwide, I have some sympathy for the views expressed by Wilf Butcher in the above contribution. But at the same time, I feel his disparag

Discreet detection for BMW world headquarters06/02/2008
Bosch tell us the detectors do not have LPCB approval in the UK but are tested to EN 54 part 7.

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