New fire detection system makes waking watch patrols unnecessary
A new cladding fire detection system from Cannock-based Intelliclad, that removes the requirement for waking watch patrols, has been installed at a residential development in Croydon.
Intelliclad is pioneering a new level of building safety by installing alarms into the combustible external façade of high-risk buildings to detect early symptoms of a fire, potentially saving residents thousands of pounds a month in waking watch bills until remediation work is carried out.
A 38 apartment building in Croydon, south London was the first building in the UK to have the new Intelliclad system installed in a bid to boost residents safety as the wait for cladding remediation works continue.
By having this installation carried out alongside implementation of Intelliclad’s internal fire alarm system – which conforms with BS 5839-1 L5 guidance – the building has been able to remove the need for Waking Watch. The cost of installation was covered by the government’s Waking Watch Relief Fund.
Ryan Brough, Head of Operations at Intelliclad, said: “We have been working on Intelliclad since Grenfell, to try and stop a such a tragedy from ever occurring again. Recent research suggests 60% of high-rise façade fires since 2010 have started externally, so we believe the system we have developed is the strongest solution on the market, and the best option to replace the waking watch.
“By installing internally to BS5839-1 L5 as per the NFCC guidelines, and externally in conjunction with research on the behaviour of a fire when it is subjected to a combustible façade, Intelliclad provides leaseholders and buildings owners with the highest level of building safety whilst they wait for remediation of the façade to take place.”
The new building safety system has been tested by the Fire Protection Association on a specially constructed 10 metre wide and 9 metre high cladding at the Fire Service College. The sensors were activated six minutes and 33 seconds prior to cladding being breached by fire on the first test and 9 minutes, 47 seconds prior on the second.
Intelliclad smoke and heat detection sensors are integrated into the external façade. The smart system can alert residents of a fire via sounders and a smartphone app before a fire has a chance to take hold, as well as activating a building’s main fire alarm system .
More Intelliclad installations are due to take place in Plymouth and Bournemouth.
