AEI Cables has won further valuable support for its initiative highlighting the need for only using approved cabling in a range of critical applications of Category 3 Control fire performance cables.
The systems powered by these cables – including smoke and heat extraction systems – assist fire services in firefighting and enabling safe evacuation in the case of life safety.
Sharon Hodgson, Labour MP for Washington and Sunderland West, is supporting the initiative to raise awareness and follows the support of the Electrical Safety First organisation and national fire safety membership body The Institution of Fire Prevention Officers (IFPO).
Sharon said: ‘This is a worthwhile initiative from a company based in the North East highlighting the need for the use of the most relevant products in the interests of electrical safety. This seems particularly timely especially with the scenes we have seen recently with fires breaking out across the UK in the unusually hot weather.’
Category 3 Control fire performance cables reduce harmful smoke, toxic gases and flame spread in the event of a real fire.
The applications of Category 3 Control fire performance cables also apply to evacuation alarms for the disabled in care homes, emergency voice communications systems and voice alarm systems in relevant buildings including tall buildings, office spaces, hospitals, shopping malls and stadia.
The new Code is intended to inform and guide designers, contractors, fire engineers, regulators and enforcers including building control bodies, fire authorities, Health and Safety inspectors and equipment suppliers and manufacturers.
By incorporating this guidance into the selection of cabling for these critical systems, those people using these striking new buildings can move about safe in the knowledge that they are safe.
AEI Cables’ Firetec Enhanced cabling has been approved and certified by LPCB to BS8519 (Annex B), Category 3 Control in addition to Category 2 Control. The BS Code of Practice under BS8519 contains six categories of cables, three for power cables and three for control cables each covering survival times of 30, 60 or 120 minutes.
Using the very latest in technology and science, the Firetec Total Fire Solutions range offers Mineral Insulated Cabling (MIC), Firetec Enhanced fire performance cabling, accessories and technical support from the AEI Cables distribution facility at Washington, Tyne and Wear.
All AEI Cables’ products are supplied with approvals from independent bodies including BASEC and LPCB. It also holds approvals from organisations including Lloyds, the MoD, Network Rail and LUL and works to international standards around the world.
