ADT updates fire safety systems at school

St Mary's School, an Independent girls’ school in Dorset, has successfully updated all its fire detection measures with design help and guidance from ADT Fire & Security.

The upgrade will ensure the site is protected by a reliable and robust digital system. St Mary’s School in Shaftesbury educates boarding and day pupils from the ages of 11-18.

The school occupies a varied 55 acre estate centred around a large 4 floor Victorian country house, now enhanced by a modern complex of bespoke buildings including a sports hall, swimming pool, and music school as well as classrooms, a library and the stand-alone sixth Form House.

The school’s management and Bursar’s office sought guidance from ADT Fire & Security in the confidence that the respected manufacturer would be able to assist them with achieving a seamless upgrade. Following extensive consultation, and a satisfactory design solution being arrived at, the contract was awarded to Bristol based DIAL Electrical Services Ltd.

The new digital MZX system installed within the teaching, residential and other areas of St Mary’s is very much purpose designed to the establishment’s needs: featuring a total of 5 networked control panels. There are 3 in the main building, with a repeater panel in the area of the Bursar’s office, plus further control panels in the separate Sixth Form House and indoor swimming pool. As well as the ubiquitous break-glass alarms, the system makes use of ADT Fire & Security’s combined heat and smoke detectors.

ADT’s Technical Representative on the project, Adam Davison, comments: “This is a Class L1 system, offering automatic smoke detection across all parts of the building; while there are also a large number of CO (carbon monoxide) detectors throughout the accommodation areas.

“We worked closely with the school and the specialist electrical contractor, DIAL, in order to minimise disruption to the life of the school. For although changing from the original Minerva, analogue system to a digital one in the MZX system, does not automatically require new wiring, St Mary’s had almost all old M1 copper cabling, which was overdue for replacement. The new digital system offers easy install and straightforward commissioning, meaning the work went very well and further phases are pending for the remaining outbuildings.”

The modularity and growth potential of the system to incorporate major new developments was a key requirement. It will enable the school to seamlessly add its new Academic Facility, which is currently under construction and the art and photography complex where building is planned to start in June 2013.

Furthermore, since the completion of the new fire detection and alarm installation, ADT Fire & Security has been providing a quarterly maintenance service to St Mary’s.