Voice sounders give fire warnings in cinema

Vimpex, fire alarm, voice sounder

As part of the refurbishment of a community centre in East Dulwich, London, a 3-screen cinema with cafe-bar and courtyard garden has been created. It is served by a new fire-alarm system based on Vimpex multi-message Fire-Cryer Plus voice sounders to achieve timely evacuation of the building. The system was designed and commissioned by Southern Fire Alarms in partnership with consultant LTS International. It was installed by DW Electrical.

David Fell, sales director of Southern Fire Alarms, explains, ‘There is a high level of noise pollution in today’s modern building environment. Fire-alarm bells, sirens, sounders, security alarms, public address and mobile ringtones are just some of the cacophony of noises that bombard building users on a daily basis.

‘The confusion of tones means people can become complacent and ignore safety critical alarms. From experience we know that the addition of unambiguous voice messages that are heard and understood vastly reduces this confusion.’

35 Mini Fire-Cryer slimline base sounders were installed under ceiling-mounted fire detectors in all parts of the building. These sounders are installed on a conventional 2-wire sounder circuit.

A 2-stage alarm strategy was deployed. Stage one alerts staff using flashing beacons. After a 3-minute investigation delay, stage two initiates a full building evacuation, aided by the Fire-Cryers with a fully synchronised message.’

For more information on this story, click here: Oct 2015, 129
Related links:
Related articles:



modbs tv logo

More refrigerant bans possible, says government

The government could tighten up the rules that restrict the use of global warming refrigerant gases including speeding up phase-out programmes and introducing new bans, according to a spokesman from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Baxi research suggests schools strongly support heat decarbonisation

A survey conducted by Baxi of 200 state school estates managers, consultant engineers and M&E contractors has found that while enthusiasm for Net Zero and support for low carbon heating systems in schools is thriving, persistent barriers remain.