Cerberus provides robust fire protection for Oakman Inns hotel
The £1.8 million refurbishment of the Crown & Anchor in Abingdon-on-Thames and the addition of 19 boutique bedrooms includes fire protection using Siemens Cerberus Pro with ASA (advanced signal analysis) detectors to minimise false alarms. They are installed in all hotel rooms, restaurants and the function room.
Corridors are protected by Siemens optical smoke detectors. The system also uses Cerberus Pro fire-control panels.
The hotel was acquired by Oakman Inns and has been a landmark in the town since the 17th century.
One of the key aims of the project was to avoid false alarms triggered by, for example, steam from showers in the hotel bathrooms, while ensuring full compliance with regulations.
The age of the building means it has a number of narrow corridors to negotiate, making it important to ensure that residents can make a timely and safe exit the event of a fire.
The challenge was to find a robust and fast-acting alarm that would also protect against false alarms. The Siemens Cerberus system was recommended by FlameFast UK, which has worked on all Oakman Inns’ properties.
The system at the Crown & Thistle interfaces with electrics and gas in the kitchens to shut them off in the event of a fire — meeting the requirements of BS 7273 and ensuring compliance with the RRFSO (Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order).
ASA detectors eliminate the problem of false alarms because they are immune to deceptive substances such as dust, gas or steam from showers.
The fire control panel offers a degrade mode of operation if the processor fails.
