One of Ireland’s largest and most architecturally significant churches is now protected by cutting-edge devices from global wireless fire detection and alarms leader Hyfire.
Originally designed by local architect Andrew Cullen and built between 1894 and 1902, the historic fabric of St Mary’s & Michael’s Parish Church in New Ross, Co. Wexford, required any new fire system to take account of the aesthetic character of the structure, with any impact on the building’s interior kept to an absolute minimum.
Brendan Stamp, Director at New Ross-based Guardian Fire, commented: ‘St Mary’s & Michael’s has a commanding presence, being one of the largest parish churches in Ireland and also one of the most loved, so when we were called upon to specify a new fire system with minimal intrusion to the building and its users, Hyfire wireless devices were the obvious solution.
‘We specified an Advanced MxPro panel with almost 40 separate Hyfire wireless devices, including detectors, sounders and translators. The volume of cabling was reduced by around 90% and, because the devices can be pre-programmed offsite, the installation time was also reduced, with very little remedial work needed to make good.’
Hyfire offers the widest range of commercial standard wireless fire devices on the market, ranging from optical, multi-criteria and heat detectors to notification, alarm, interface and control units, all fully certified to EN54. All products offer the highest performance and quality in the industry, and are also fully compliant with BS5839 Part 1. Conventional fire panels are wired via a loop to translators, from which wireless devices can be used on their own to build fully wireless systems of virtually any size, or mixed with Hyfire wired products to provide seamless hybrid solutions, offering total flexibility to specifiers and installers.
Chris McGregor, Regional Sales Manager at Hyfire, said: ‘Although they are now used right across the fire industry in all types of project, heritage buildings have always been one of the areas where wireless devices really come into their own. With high ceilings and ornate interiors, a church like St Mary’s & Michael’s would have been an installer’s worst nightmare for a fully wired system. With wireless, it’s simple and straightforward.’
All Hyfire products are developed by fire industry pioneers in Trieste, Italy, the global centre for wireless fire device design. The wireless range includes all devices required to build a fully wireless commercial fire system, including manual call points, remote indicators, visual indicators, sounders, sounder bases and output/input modules. A range of addressable translators and expanders are available, with the scale of the system limited only by the number of devices that the fire panel can handle. Devices can be quickly and easily pre-programmed offsite to increase the speed of installation and reduce time on site.
Martha Cooney, Parish Coordinator for St Mary’s & Michael’s, said: ‘When Hyfire wireless devices were first suggested, we had some concerns about battery life and reliability, but the Guardian Fire team quickly put our minds at rest. The technology behind these systems has clearly moved on rapidly in recent years, with wireless now the equal of wired alternatives, and the reduced intrusion in the fabric of our beloved church was also a major selling point.’
Hyfire was launched in 2007, bringing to market some of the first commercial wireless detection and alarm devices fully certified to EN54. Since then, the Hyfire brand has become synonymous with quality, reliability and innovation in the commercial fire sector. Hyfire devices are available for Advanced or Kentec panels and come with a five-year warranty, backed up by a dedicated partner programme, to ensure the best survey, installation, commissioning, after sales service and exceptional technical support.
