The Maison Francois temporary evacuation fire points case study

Maison Francois in St James is coming up to be a wine bar and a brasserie. The two-storied bar & restaurant takes up the former address for Greens on 36 Duke Street. The top floor will be a brasseries restaurant and downstairs, a wine bar. The plan further includes wine rooms and guest areas that sit a large number of people.

The empty shell building still under construction stands on 5000sqft of land. The restaurant is set to open on 14th September, and therefore, construction activities are a buzz at the site to meet the timelines. The main contractor contacted us to request the installation of temporary evacuation fire alarm points and extinguishers.

Challenge

We were tasked to implement a system that would have the least impact on construction workflows and improve the fire safety of the whole site with real-time emergency alarms.

Fire alarm units had to be non-wall mounted, but still, they needed to be deployed in a manner that guaranteed coverage and protection for every area.

Wireless Fire Alarm Solution Chosen

We installed a single knock fire alarm system with a category one receiver. The fire response system is EN54 certified and compliant with the Joint Code of Practice (JCOP) and HSG168 requirements. It is a customized and most cost-effective solution for construction site fire protection.

The system is primarily configured with smoke detectors and heat sensors. The system makes it possible to run drills and test alarm activation, track devices connected, and other system data that helps with efficiency in fire detection.

Why the single knock system for construction site fire alarm

The Bison security single knock fire alarm system is most recommendable when you want:

• A fire detection system that is cheaper and suitable for restaurants and small office spaces under construction

• It requires a single contractor on site for deployment which is another of its cost-effective aspects

• It gives you command of both floors in one system, no zone splitting

Consider the double-knock fire alarm system for a large construction site

• It is a best practice and a requirement by BS 5839-1:2013 to install a double knock fire alarm system on large construction sites

• The system allows for inspection delays of up to 10 minutes for incident verification before ‘raising the alarm

• The system can activate all fire devices when two call points are pressed

Fire Points Deployment and results

We installed our single-knock fire evacuation alarm system with verification on the site for a 26 week period. Out temporary fire alarm system at the Maison Francois construction site had critical components:

• 8 radio linked automatic heat detector points

• 4 manual fire alarm call points fitted on the trolleys

• 4 mobile construction trolleys with safety warning signs

• 4 water extinguishers serviced in compliance with BS 5306 part

• 4 CO 2 extinguishers serviced per the requirements of BS 5306 part

• 1 EN54 compliant Wireless GSM fire alarm base station

Our fire alarm system has been lauded as the best compliant system on site as far as the EN 54 is concerned. It’s fully battery-powered and sends automatic notifications to personnel. The units use a radio network technology that allows communication over a substantial distance on-site.

We have fulfilled all contractor requirements and finished the installation on time. We have provided complete site maps of all fire points on the building and training on running silent fire alarm tests.

The fire alarm system is monitored at our Bison Security remote monitoring station. It is a 365-24-7 type of monitoring in full compliance with the Joint Code of Practice for the construction industry.

Features and customizations for a battery-powered wireless fire alarm system

Installation for quick repositioning: The entire alarm system is configured for agility and portability such that it can be installed and moved anywhere across the property as needed. In construction where the building is still in progress, the systems can be installed in one place, then moved when work is finished.

Call points and control stations: The wireless alarm system can be set up with several call points that you can activate manually.

Battery power source: The alarm system is advantageous because of faster installation-which can be in hours if not minutes-and because the system runs on batteries. You are guaranteed uptime in monitoring and alerts even when there is a power outage.

Heat and smoke detectors: Looping a fire alarm system to on-site heat detectors is fast and less costly and levels up monitoring and alarm response. The system will automatically activate when abnormally higher temperatures and smoke are detected.

Evacuation integration (optional): Your fire alarm system can be synched to a turnstile system to release all locking to allow for secure exists when a fire is detected.

CCTV monitoring (optional): Advanced wireless fire alarm systems are integrated with CCTV surveillance systems for incident validation and timely and accurate responses.

The benefits of our temporary fire alarm system

• It is flexible and practical

• Real-time self-monitoring

• The entire zone is alerted when a fire point is triggered; it minimizes material damaged and personnel injury

• The installation can be removed and reused in future projects

• No wiring involved and you get 2+ years of battery life for cost efficiency

• The system comes with contacts for offsite alerts to fire and first aid departments

The use of temporary evacuation fire points helps with compliance and elevates personnel safety while minimizing material damage at the construction site. The Bison Security fire alarm system is designed for speed of installation, affordability, compliance, and effective fire detection.