School now safe with ADT's fire alarm

ADT Fire & Security has upgraded the fire detection cover at Victoria Junior School from an analogue to digital addressable system with its advanced MZX Technology solution.

This advanced digital system provides smoke and heat detectors and sounder and sounder/beacon detector bases.

The design is applicable to the risk from both a fire detection and false alarm management approach and includes both audible and visual alarms to comply with the Equalities Act 2010. This all ensures that the school buildings in Feltham, Middlesex benefit from a reliable and efficient system with increased safety for all occupants, particularly the children.

With around 300 pupils and 44 different languages spoken, Victoria Junior is an ethnically rich, medium-sized, mixed-gender school. Situated in the town of Feltham in the London Borough of Hounslow, the school’s buildings are single-storey, and date from the 1980s.

A risk assessment was recently carried out at the school and the previous fire protection system (not supplied by ADT), was found to be inadequate. ADT Fire & Security had been invited, along with two other companies, to present the most appropriate fire detection and protection proposal for the school. Victoria Junior awarded the contract to ADT because its MZX addressable fire alarm offered the best value solution.

Gavin Winters, Head Teacher at Victoria Junior School said: “The ADT account manager explained the system very well and provided the most complete information and design solution. He made better recommendations compared to the other two companies which we took on board. The installation was carried out over the Easter holidays with minimum disruption and the installation engineer was fantastic as he was very unobtrusive. I would definitely recommend ADT.”

Victoria Junior School specified ADT’s fire alarm system for its excellent technical backup and support and for its working knowledge of the systems available. The new ADT control panels employ software with an open structure which allowing the system owner service choices.

The control panel selected for this project is part of the latest digital-based MZX Technology system family and offers greater functionality and advanced capacity in the number of field devices available on each loop, from 100 to 250, which makes for a more efficient and cost effective technology.  Triple technology detection devices (which detect smoke, heat and carbon monoxide gas (CO) from one device) were installed at key risk points, to provide a level of reassurance needed in a school where children’s safety is paramount.

The MZX field detectors typically have a minimum service life of 20 years before needing to be changed, twice the industry average, which offers a superb cost of ownership footprint.

Andy Charity, ADT Account Manager for Sunbury said: “The MZX fire alarm allows anyone, whether school staff or the local fire brigade, to read the display on the fire panel and identify precisely which alarm device has caused the alarm to activate. This allows for prompt investigation and evacuation if necessary. This minimises any delay in putting the school’s fire strategy into action.”