HESIS Fire and Security - Experts & Thought Leaders

St. Mary’s is a brand new student village at Bangor University, comprising nearly 900 rooms alongside a range of cutting edge facilities. HESIS Fire & Security used technology from Gent by Honeywell across the site to ensure that it has the very best fire detection solution in place. Situated next to the Menai Straits at the foot of the Snowdonia National Park in north Wales, Bangor University has a long tradition of academic excellence. With over 12,000 students and 2,000 members of staff, Bangor University is made up of five colleges housing 22 academic schools, as well as over 50 specialist research centers. As part of its ongoing development program, it aims to provide students with the very best places to live and work and the St. Mary’s student village is the latest addition to its accommodation portfolio. Gent fire detection system Liverpool based HESIS Fire & Security was selected to carry out the fire detection system based work With 10 individual buildings including en-suite studio apartments and townhouses with nearly 900 rooms, St. Mary’s also has a café bar, shop, laundrette, common rooms, and sports and fitness facilities on-site. With a strict deadline for completion, the mechanical and electrical contractor on the St. Mary’s project needed to work with a life safety specialist that could deliver a quality installation on time using state-of-the-art technology. Liverpool based HESIS Fire & Security was selected to carry out the fire detection system based work and the company’s Account Manager, Rob Beck, said “We were delighted to be awarded this prestigious project and knew that we could exceed Bangor University’s stated requirements. We have worked closely with Gent for the last five years and we were recently awarded Gent Technology Centre status, demonstrating our resource and capability to design, supply, and commission and service the company’s fire detection and alarm systems to the very highest standards.” Networked Vigilon control panels The solution specified by HESIS Fire & Security is based around Gent’s industry leading Vigilon system. Vigilon combines powerful software in the control panel and intelligent loop powered devices to deliver a flexible, easy to use system. Its modular concept makes systems simple to design for any building and algorithms are used to match the pattern of activity in the sensor with data from test results stored in the panel memory. St. Mary’s utilizes nine networked Vigilon control panels with 10 repeater panels across the site. In addition, over 1,800 devices, including sounders and beacons (VADs) are installed, which signal back to the main security office at Bangor University. Uniquely, the detector heads have been programmed so that instructions are given in Welsh first and then English. Gent S-Quad S4-711 Dual Optical Heat Detector HESIS Fire & Security decided that the Gent S-Quad S4-711 Dual Optical Heat Detector would offer the best level of reliability and prevention of unwanted alarms. Martyn Keenan, Business Manager (North West) at Gent, explains, “S-Quad was the first intelligent loop powered multifunctional device to include a sensor, sounder, speech and visual alarm, and its extensively patented technology has an unrivalled ability to prevent unwanted alarms.” Incorporating four separate sensing elements – heat, carbon monoxide, and dual angle optical forward and backward scatter, the fully EN 54-23 and EN 54-3 compliant S-Quad combines local processing in the sensor and the panel to achieve an immediate response to genuine fires. Visual alarm devices To provide an additional level of safety, visual alarm devices (VADs) were also installed Asked why these were considered the most suitable option for the accommodation areas, Rob Beck replies, “Students are renowned for having very sociable and busy lifestyles, and it’s not uncommon for fire alarms to be activated by mistake as a result of bread being left too long in a toaster, or pans burning on the cooker hob or even steam from the integrated shower rooms. Therefore, in the event of something like this happening the S-Quad dual angle optical multi-sensors allow identification of the particle source, filtering potential unwanted alarms due to steam and dust etc.” The Equality Act makes it the responsibility of all organizations to ensure that access to buildings and services is available to everyone, regardless of any physical disabilities. Therefore, in order to meet this obligation and to provide an additional level of safety, visual alarm devices (VADs) were also installed to offer an appropriate signal by emitting a bright red or white light. Due to a number of delays caused elsewhere during the project, HESIS Fire & Security had to complete the installation and commissioning program in a considerably reduced time scale. Beck comments, “It was tough and there was a lot of pressure on us to meet the handover.” Flexible and versatile fire safety equipment He adds, “However, as well as a lot of long days, our mission was successful thanks to the ease of use, flexibility and versatility of the Gent equipment. This ensured that the commissioning process in particular was very smooth.” For Ken Griffith, Head of Residences and Head Warden at Bangor University, the installation of the new fire detection system has been a resounding success. Ken concludes, “St. Mary’s represents the very best in student accommodation and will enhance the reputation for excellence that we have developed over the years. Student safety is a vital part of our day to day activities and I’m convinced that we now have the very best technology in place to prevent the potentially devastating consequences of fire and smoke.”

The mechanical and electrical work has begun on the prestigious O2 Arena Development on London’s Greenwich peninsula, part of a £121m scheme which will see the development of a new InterContinental hotel, residential apartments building and conference center facilities. Balfour Beatty, the construction firm behind the Greenwich development, broke ground in a ceremony last month marking the start of works to regenerate the 7.6 acre site. The centerpiece of the development will be ‘The InterContinental London The O2’, a 19-storey, 452-room five-star hotel containing a massive 4,800 square meters of space for conferences and events. The development will also include The Peninsula Tower, a 23-storey building offering 100 serviced apartments with views across the Thames and South London. HESIS collaborates with HE Simm HESIS has worked alongside building services specialist, HE Simm for a project in November 2013 HESIS, a company that specializes in the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance for Mechanical & Electrical and Fire and Security across the UK, won the contract to provide the fire and security systems across the entire site. HESIS has worked alongside building services specialist HE Simm, when they became involved in the project in November 2013. Barry Juggins, Managing Director, HESIS said, “We became involved in the initial stages when HE Simm was bidding for the scheme. Since then, we have worked very closely with them and offered a proactive approach to the design which was seen as a huge positive, particularly in a scheme of this size. This is one of the largest installations we have undertaken and we are delighted to be working on such a prestigious project.” Gent Fire Detection and Alarm solution (FD&A) HESIS has selected a Gent by Honeywell fire detection and alarm (FD&A) solution to be installed throughout the three buildings. The company is part of the Gent 24 Network and was recently awarded Elite System Integrator status. This achievement means Hesis has been recognized as supplying, designing, installing and commissioning Gent equipment to the highest standards. Barry Juggins said, “The whole development is Gent throughout, with more than 2,000 devices being installed across the three buildings. The system was selected to meet the customer’s exacting brief – they are aiming to create the ultimate five star hotel and part of this experience will be ensuring that the guests are protected by the market leading technology.” Fully integrated Fire and Detection system The specific FD&A solution incorporates a fully integrated system that includes loop Vigilon panels and Gent’s innovative S-Quad sensing technology. The S-Quad range of multifunction devices includes sensors with sounder, speech and EN54-23 certified visual alarms. This allows the maximum flexibility for designers providing cover for a building. The advanced sensing technology is enhanced with a device that can alert building occupants with a highly visible visual alarm and a recorded voice message to ensure all occupants are alerted to an emergency. Barry Juggins continued, “There will be S-Quad devices with speech throughout the hotel and apartments, with a full Gent PA/VA system in the Conference Centre. We have opted for dual optical and heat detection in the bedrooms to avoid unnecessary false alarms, due to the particular environmental conditions. Gent Air Sampling detection (ASD) systems We will also be utilizing the Gent Air Sampling detection systems in the voids above the conference centre and the fixed ceilings" He adds, “We will also be utilizing the Gent Air Sampling Detection (ASD) systems in the voids above the conference center and the fixed ceilings, as they will provide the earliest detection and will be much easier to maintain in the future. We’re confident that the elements of speech messaging and reduction in false alarms will undoubtedly add to the quality feel and customer experience.” The hotel has been designed to be sustainable to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standards and has been built on land reclaimed from previously polluted soil and will have the latest sustainable features such as ‘green’ roofs and surrounds to harvest water to reduce demand on the mains supply. Innovative building technologies Construction for the project will be carried out in just two years, helped by the innovative building techniques, and the installation for the FD&A system is due to is completed at the end of this year. Barry Juggins concluded, “The scheme has been fairly straight forward, the main challenge is the fact that it is three separate builds, the hotel, conference center and apartments, all running concurrently and completing at the same time. The hotel is set to open in the summer 2015 and visitors, residents and employees will be safe in the knowledge that they are being given the ultimate form of protection by the most robust Gent FD&A solution.”

HESIS becomes part of 59 companies in the UK who have been approved to supply Gent equipment Leading Merseyside firm HESIS Fire and Security has been recognised for its extensive capabilities and considerable experience in the fire industry having become an approved partner of Gent by Honeywell. Gent has been a market leader in the manufacture of fire detection and alarm equipment since the 1930s. In 2005, it was acquired by Honeywell, a company based in Morristown, New Jersey, USA, with more than 109,000 employees in 95 countries. The Gent 24 Network of Approved System Integrators are independent fire specialist companies who have been selected, trained and approved based on their excellent knowledge and experience in the fire industry. As part of this network, HESIS Fire and Security, joins only 59 other companies in the UK who have been approved to supply Gent equipment and carry out design, installation, commissioning and maintenance operations to the highest standards of workmanship. John Byrne, Operations Director, said: “We are delighted to have joined the select group of fire specialists in the Gent 24 Network. Our new status as a member of this prestigious network underlines the technical excellence of our staff and our consistently high service levels throughout all aspects of the business.” Gent by Honeywell is synonymous with quality and innovation in the fire detection and alarm industry which makes it a fitting partner for us as we are committed to providing a first-class service to all our customers from design and installation right through to commissioning and maintenance. HESIS Fire and Security recently celebrated record growth in the first two quarters of 2012. Launched in 2007, HESIS Fire and Security has increased turnover year-on-year, achieving £1.7million at the end of July 2012. Martyn Keenan, business manager at Gent by Honeywell, said: “HESIS Fire and Security has been selected to join our Gent 24 Network of approved system integrators based on its extensive capabilities and considerable knowledge and experience within the fire industry.” The company fully demonstrated its professionalism throughout the approval process and we look forward to continued partnership long into the future.