Fire-detection upgrade for Malta hotel uses Hochiki Europe system
Fire detection for one of Malta’s major holiday locations is now provide by an Hochiki system following major refurbishment work in 2012. The Seabank Resort & Spa is just 30 m away from Malta’s largest beach and has 1700 beds and 130 on-site staff. Facilities include five themed restaurants, three bars, Malta’s largest hotel swimming pool and a wellness spa with heated panoramic indoor pool.
Firetech, one of Malta’s leading installers of fire-detection systems, was awarded the contract to supply, install and commission the new system. Project manager Ivan Sciberras recommended a BS 5839-compliant category L1 addressable system from Hochiki Europe. The system is based around the enhanced systems protocol.
Installed devices include 1184 smoke sensors with Hochiki’s high-performance chamber technology to minimise the differences in sensitivity experienced in flaming and smouldering fires, reducing the possibility of unwanted alarms.
There are also 193 heat sensors and 83 manual call points. Other devices include dual-relay modules, mains relay controllers, mini zone monitors and smoke reflective beams.
Firetech had only eight months to install and commission the system. This task was helped by the design of the produces enabling devices to be fitted in about 30 s on an installed base, compared to up to 20 min for other manufacturers’ products.
To meet the BS requirement of a sounder level of 75 dB at bed heads, 631 base sounders have been used, along with 23 combined base sounder beacons in areas where an additional visual warning is considered necessary.
