Video system provides fire protection in aircraft hangar
Video fire protection has been installed in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight hangar at RAF Coningsby to protect valuable historic assets. Fike Safety Technology camera-based SigniFire VFD visually detects the presence of fire or smoke at its source. Multiple cameras were installed to cover the floor of the hangar and the roof space.
Most notable among the Second World War aircraft in the hangar are the Spitfire, the Hurricane and one of only two flight-worthy Lancaster bombers in the world.
SigniFire does not use traditional forms of detecting smoke, heat or flame. Instead, it works by automatically analysing video images at the point of detection in each video fire detector — looking for tell-tale characteristics that indicate the presence of smoke and/or flames.
Distributing the video processing to within each fire-detector camera improves resilience and, with the use of fire-resistant cable, enables the system to be BS 5839 certified.
An aircraft hangar is a demanding environment for video fire detection, with light levels changing through the day and night, slow-moving aircraft, bright sunlight and constantly opening hangar doors. False alarms are minimised by the application of video exclusion zones and double-knock triggers on both flame and smoke detection. White LED lighting installed next to each camera ensures minimum illumination at all times.
The new system was designed by TIS, an integrated solutions specialist and part of Fike’s nationwide integrator network.
