Liverpool offices are cabled for fire protection
Commercial-property company Bruntwood chose AEI Cables’ enhanced Firetec to ensure the performance of the fire alarm-systems during the refurbishment of the 15-storey Plaza offices in Liverpool. The system was upgraded floor by floor, with existing alarms remaining in operation while the new system was installed. A further complication was that as a phased evacuation system, all new works had to use voice evacuation to comply with current Building Regulations.
A cost-effective solution using a series of AVAC voice alarm system was designed, with one on each floor, as part of a networked fire-alarm system connected by the Firetec cabling for higher end applications.
This approach made it possible for standard sounder tones to be played through the voice-alarm speakers until the whole building was converted to voice evacuation.
The Plaza’s life-safety systems are now more robust, as the loss of a control panel affects only one floor or part of a floor. The entire site is now open protocol, so Bruntwood is not tied into costly maintenance contracts.
