Fire protection solutions manufacturer, Advanced, has supplied intelligent fire panels to student accommodation in Kent to replace existing panels, as part of a £3.5m project to improve fire safety at Cloud Student Homes’ Canterbury Student Village sites.
Cloud Student Homes provides students with comfortable, convenient accommodation, with 17 different types of rooms available at the Canterbury Student Village, which is easily accessible to three universities, Canterbury Christchurch, University of Kent and UCA, as well as Canterbury College. With fire safety a priority, it was vital to replace the existing fire alarm system in Kentish House, Behn Hall and Tallis Court. However, as the buildings were occupied, the challenge for the project was to keep the existing fire system working while the Advanced panels were being installed to ensure occupants were protected at all times.
Advanced’s high-performance, fault-tolerant MxPro 5 analogue addressable panels were chosen to provide industry-leading protection to category L 1 for the student accommodation suites, bedrooms, high-risk areas and plant rooms within two blocks of Kentish House, two blocks of Behn Hall, and Tallis Court.
Fire engineering consultants, Endeavour Group selected fire safety specialists CSS Ltd as the contractors on the Canterbury Student Village fire alarm replacement project. CSS Ltd was responsible for the design, supply, install and handover of the project. The company installed five MxPro 5 4-loop fire panels which were networked and connected to the ARC for fire and rescue monitoring. All devices are Hochiki with input/output units connected to the existing AOV units throughout. The networked fire system had to integrate with the access control, lift and AOV systems. Endeavour Group reviewed the product design and functionality of the fire system package on the project to ensure it met the client’s needs.
Both Project Director Tony Leck of CSS Ltd and James Doyle, Director of the Endeavour Group have worked with Advanced fire systems on similar projects and agreed that the networked MxPro 5 fire panels would be the best fit for the client. “Advanced was specified since it supports an open protocol and offers a powerful solution for the student accommodation. We also find it an easy system for customers to navigate and use. The panels are proven in the field with CSS Ltd and Endeavour Group using them for a number of years. Advanced MxPro 5 panels are about the best on the market along with the tech support received by Advanced on installations. Pick up the phone to tech support and within minutes it is all sorted thanks to Advanced’s experienced technical support engineers,” said Tony Leck at CSS Ltd.
The Advanced MxPro 5 has a number of features that CSS Ltd finds particularly useful when it comes to installing the fire panel. These include a built-in multimeter which, measures all voltages and currents across the fire system in real time, to speed up the commissioning process. Meanwhile, the MxPro 5 panels come in four and eight loop formats to suit CSS Ltd’s needs and customers’ budgets. The MxPro 5 also offers design flexibility since the panels work with leading detector protocols including, Apollo, Argus, Hochiki and Nittan. In addition, the panels work with up to 254 devices per loop (depending on the protocol) and offers an overall capacity of 200,000 devices per network. CSS Ltd adds that it is easy to network up to 200 network nodes and 2,000 fire detection zones and that the panels support wired, wireless and hybrid devices making install even more flexible.
Neil Parkin, Sales Manager at Advanced, said: “Our MxPro 5 panels are designed to make life as easy as possible, delivering robust protection that offers real peace of mind, all backed up by our highly rated technical support.”
Cloud Student Homes specialises in operating the running of student accommodation blocks where individuals own the individual rooms on a leasehold basis. The company manages 3,500 student bed spaces across 21 sites in the UK. Cloud Student Homes now has plans to upgrade all its sites to Advanced fire panels.
MxPro 5 is the fire industry’s leading multiprotocol fire panel and is certified by FM Approvals to EN 54 Parts 2 and 4. It offers customers a choice of four detector protocols and a completely open installer network, backed up by free training and support. MxPro 5 can be used in single-loop, single-panel format, or easily configured into high-speed networks of up to 200 panels covering huge areas. Ease of installation and configuration, as well as its wide range of peripheral options, make MxPro 5 customisable to almost any application.
The MxPro 5’s stand-out false alarm management capabilities are available as standard. AlarmCalm delivers unprecedented control of verification and investigation delays. By dividing sites up into virtual false alarm ‘building areas’ independent of fire zones, much more precise control of false alarm management and reduction strategies can be achieved that exactly fit the needs of each part of a building. An optional AlarmCalm button allows trained occupants to verify if they believe a local fire signal is a false alarm too – a highly effective way of eliminating unwanted alarms.
The MxPro 5 BMS/graphics interface allows BMS systems and graphical control PCs to be easily integrated with the MxPro 5 series of fire control panels and remote terminals using a simple RS232 connection. Multiple interfaces can be connected to the network catering for sites requiring control from a number of graphical PCs.
As a world leader in the development and manufacture of intelligent fire systems, Advanced products are specified in locations around the world, from single-panel installations to large, multi-site networks. The Advanced portfolio includes complete fire detection systems, multiprotocol fire panels, extinguishing control, false alarm management and reduction systems as well as emergency lighting.
Advanced is owned by FTSE 100 company Halma PLC – a global group of life-saving technology companies with a clear purpose to grow a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day.
For further information on Advanced: Tel: 0345 894 7000 or visit: https://www.advancedco.com/
About the Author
Dave Staddon - Publisher
Co-Founder of MDM Publishing Ltd. He has worked in fire publishing for close to 30 years. The company's portfolio includes International Fire Protection, International Fire Fighter, Asia Pacific Fire, Gulf Fire & UK Fire.
