FlamePro, a renowned British manufacturing specialist of life safety garments and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for firefighters, has been awarded a £4 million contract by Capita, to provide its firefighting PPE for the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD), across the next decade. Firefighting PPE tender The competitive tender, part of Capita’s contract with the MOD, saw four different PPE providers bid for the contract, with FlamePro being appointed to provide its full ensemble of Personal Protective Equipment, alongside a total garment care package. FlamePro was awarded the Ministry Of Defence’s PPE contract, due to its high-quality products FlamePro was awarded the Ministry Of Defence’s PPE contract, due to its high-quality products and the company’s dedication to providing support and expertise on Personal Protective Equipment care, use and maintenance. The contract includes a multi-million pounds initial roll out, with a total value of £4 million over 10 years duration. New fabric technologies and designs Nathan Bricknell, the General Manager at FlamePro, said “We’re absolutely thrilled to have been awarded this contract with Capita. It marks a key milestone for the company. Over recent months, we’ve worked with our partners to develop brand new fabric technologies and designs, including a 3D woven structure and new moisture barrier membrane, to ensure our PPE is the most advanced on the market.”  Nathan Bricknell adds, “Our brand new structural fire suit has set a new benchmark across the whole industry. This, teamed with our shorter-than-average lead times, stands us in great stead to deliver top-quality products and service on this contract.”

Marioff announced it has signed a contract with Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) in Rauma, Finland, to deliver HI-FOG® high pressure water mist fire suppression systems to four new Pohjanmaa-class multipurpose corvettes, part of the Finnish Navy’s Squadron 2020 project. RMC, one of the foremost shipbuilding companies in Europe, is building the ships for the Finnish Navy. Marioff, a foremost developer of water mist fire protection technology, is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, the foremost global provider of healthy, safe, and sustainable building, and cold chain solutions. Fire Protection Solution “We are very proud to be selected as the fire protection solution provider for the Pohjanmaa-class vessels and provide our extensive experience in water mist fire protection technology for the benefit of this project,” said Juha Ilvonen, Managing Director, Marioff. “The HI-FOG system is a perfect solution for naval vessels, and we are delighted to continue our long-term relationship with Rauma Marine Constructions and the Finnish Navy.” Operational Safety EPU HD is designed to meet very demanding specifications and extreme operational conditions The operational safety of the Pohjanmaa-class corvettes will be ensured with Marioff’s Heavy Duty Electric Pump Unit (EPU HD) based HI-FOG system. The EPU HD is designed to meet very demanding specifications and extreme operational conditions. Throughout this project, Marioff is closely cooperating with all stakeholders to provide a tailored solution based on its long experience in protecting surface and subsurface vessels and their crews from fire. Corvettes Squadron 2020 is a Finnish naval project to replace aging war ships with four new corvettes. The new multipurpose corvettes will be capable of engaging in warfare with surface combatants and submarines, taking anti-aircraft measures, and commanding maritime operations. The ice-breaking warships are expected to be delivered to the Finnish Navy by 2026 and operating by 2028.

A fault-tolerant network of Axis EN fire panels from Advanced has been installed at one of Crete’s newest and most exclusive beachfront hotels. Based in the coastal town of Ierapetra in Crete, the Robinson Club is designed around neighborhoods of hotel rooms across a 150 acre-site. This unique layout meant that the fire system specified needed to deliver seamless detection and notification of a potential fire to the hotel’s staff and guests, who could be located anywhere across the 340 rooms and suites, multiple restaurants, spa facilities, and conference rooms. Design, Supply, And Installation Responsible for the design, supply, and installation of the fire detection, extinguishing system, and firefighting equipment at the 5-star Robinson Club Ierapetra were Advanced partners, Zarifopoulos. In total, Zarifopoulos installed 14 of Advanced’s Axis EN fire alarm control panels on a high-speed, fault-tolerant network alongside over 900 notification and detection devices including detectors, call points, and sounders. Spilios Alexopoulos, Commercial Director at Zarifopoulos, referring to the state-of-the-art system as well as the special attention that has been paid to the fire protection of the luxurious Robinson Club Ierapetra, commented: “Its widespread nature required a high-speed network of fire alarm control panels to ensure instant notification of a fire event. As a long-term partner of Advanced, we knew the company’s solutions offered the high levels of performance and reliability required, combined with ease of use and installation.” Axis EN Fire Panels Axis EN is EN54 parts 2, 4, and 13 approved and its panels can be used in single-loop, single-panel format or easily configured into high speed, multi-loop panels in 200 node networks covering huge areas. Advanced products’ ease of installation and configuration as well as the range of peripherals available make it customizable to almost any application. Panels Performance Vladimir Zrnic, Regional Sales Manager for Southern Europe, said: “In large-scale sites, such as the Robinson Club, Ierapetra, it’s vital to ensure that the panels, when networked, will sustain adequate performance levels. As the number of panels and peripherals on a network increase, some systems can slow down dramatically, compromising safety and reliability.” “Advanced’s fire panel networks are widely regarded as some of the most robust and resilient in fire situations. Axis EN panels can be configured into networks of up to 200 panels in standard or fault-tolerant configurations, while sophisticated cause and effect and intuitive, easy programming of rules make implementation effortless.”

Based in the heart of Leicester, Beauchamp City Sixth Form has recently opened its doors for its first term to welcome 350 A-Level students, following a dramatic renovation of a city center office block, formerly home to BT. The new four-story college, opened by The Lionheart Academies Trust, presents classrooms, labs, and IT suites, as well as study spaces and a library which will give students “access to the latest academic research in their chosen areas of study”. To ensure fire safety as part of the transformation process, main contractors worked with Avalon Technology Group, which specified Comelit’s innovative Atena fire panels to operate across the site. Ensuring fire safety Principal of the sixth form, James McKenna, said of Leicester’s newest post-16 provision, “Beauchamp City Sixth Form is an incredible new asset for both Leicestershire and the wider region. There is a long history of scientific and technological achievement born in the Midlands and this sixth form will help a diversity of learners take their ambitions as far as possible.” “Of course, we needed to ensure we did this providing a safe environment for pupils to learn and staff to teach. Fire detection was essential right from the onset to accommodate the renovation work and ensure all facilities were safe. The teams worked together seamlessly to achieve our ambitions and we now have complete peace of mind across our fantastic building.” User-friendly solution Comelit’s Atena solution is a user-friendly touch screen addressable system Comelit’s Atena solution is a user-friendly touch screen addressable system, with the capacity to extend to 4 loops, supporting up to 1000 devices, due to its dual-processor technology. In total, four panels have been networked at the college to manage the overall system requirements. Finished in line with Comelit’s focus on aesthetics, its stylish design has the flexibility to expand with a facility or building requirement. Fire-safety and security Guy Stephens, Director Avalon Technology Group added, “This was a complex renovation to facilitate the integration of security and fire safety, whilst working with the main and electrical contractors to convert the empty office block into such an extensive education facility.” “For fire safety, we required simply to install systems that wouldn’t compromise on the technology component and could also accommodate the sheer size of the scheme, which required a total of 13 loops. Comelit not only achieved this objective but also with a focus on design, suited the modern college environment.” Fire Safe environment Mandy Bowden, Comelit Fire BDM added, “Beauchamp City Sixth Form really does break down the boundaries of delivering a new and unique approach to sixth form education in Leicester City. Even the design of the facility, transforming an office block into a modern-day college environment is dynamic and commands the highest attention to specification detail, especially when it comes to fire safety.” “Comelit Atena fire panels are specifically designed to enable an expansion of loop requirements to accommodate large facilities. With just four panels fitted across the building, we have been able to present compliant fire detection systems across all four floors, so staff and pupils can teach and learn in a safe environment. And there is still room for expansion to enable more to benefit from this ambitious new sixth form.”

In Kazakhstan, in the city of Shymkent, the municipal authorities launched a pilot project to install carbon monoxide detectors in private houses. The goal of the project is to help the socially disadvantaged as they are the ones most often affected by CO incidents. Ajax wireless fire detectors were chosen for the project. This month they saved the lives of three people, and, as a result, Ajax security system is planned to be mass-installed in thousands of homes. FireProtect Plus detector At the beginning of the year, the city digitalization department of Shymkent in a pilot project, together with the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the company ‘ProLife’, installed Ajax security systems in ten private houses for free. Each kit included an intelligent Hub central unit and a FireProtect Plus fire detector. The alarm system worked as follows: as soon as a dangerous concentration of CO accumulated in the air, the Ajax system immediately alerted the residents and sent an alarm to the security company. In the course of the project, several lives have already been saved. In early March, late in the evening, the ‘ProLife’ security company received an alarm from a FireProtect Plus detector installed in one of the homes. Detecting dangerous concentrations Only specialized detectors can detect dangerous concentrations of CO in the air As a result, they found that the carbon monoxide content in the house was 0.3% higher than normal; the cause was a gas leak in the tap of a stone oven. There were a mother and two children in the house, and this concentration of gas could have been fatal for them. Carbon monoxide is deadly for humans. At the same time, it is completely invisible; carbon monoxide has no color or smell, so it can’t be sensed. Only specialized detectors can detect dangerous concentrations of CO in the air and they would cost a fortune to install. First of all, the cable laying costs are prohibitive. Reliable wired solutions The Ajax security system is just as reliable as wired solutions, but its installation requires much fewer resources. Considering that not all residents of the houses could agree to the installation of cables, installing Ajax was the ideal solution for the municipality. At this point, the project involves the installation of another 1,000 hubs and 1,000 detectors that register smoke, temperature spikes, and dangerous CO levels. First, the detectors will be installed in low-income households. In the future, according to the Department of Emergency Situations, a similar alert system is planned to be installed in 30,000 residential buildings in Shymkent.