Electrical Contracting News (ECN) July 2017 | Page 39

FIRE DETECTION & SAFETY
SPECIAL
FEATURE
Fire crews may no
longer respond
to certain calls
originating from
automatic fire
alarms in shops,
offices or factories.
CONNECTED THINKING
The promise of smart technology is all about making life easier. It’s a proposition that you can only answer
when you consider your own use of social media. It’s then you quickly recognise that intelligent connected
products like smartphones and tablets have dramatically changed your work/life experience with a
striking effect unimaginable in the recent past. Kevin Mears, product manager at Kentec Electronics,
outlines the vast potential this advanced online connectivity brings you for a more efficient workflow.
F
ire and Rescue Service
false alarm call outs
are extremely costly in
terms of time, money,
and disruption to
occupiers. Yet, most
of these could be
efficiently minimised
by remote diagnostics that fully exploit
the power of the Internet and mobile
communications, with predictive
monitoring and servicing by fire alarm
maintenance and service providers
allowing potential problems to be resolved
before they arise.
Experts estimate that having life safety
systems more comprehensively managed
by remote monitoring and interrogation
could eliminate some 35 per cent of all fire
emergency call outs to premises.
Fresh perspectives reap
significant benefits
The team leader of a recent five-
year project, who pioneered remote
troubleshooting techniques for system
monitoring and diagnostics that
generated over £2m savings a year, says,
‘It’s a change in mentality, because we
can now pull up all the information and
July 2017 | 39