Apollo Fire Detectors News - www.apollo-fire.co.uk

Leading fire protection product manufacturer Apollo Fire Detectors Ltd. has recently launched several new bells, sounders and beacons suitable for marine applications. Designed especially to suit any signalling need in a marine environment, Apollo’s new products range from simple bells to separate or combined alarm sounders and flashing beacons, with a variety of input voltages and audio/visual output levels offered.

New bells, sounders and beacons for marine applications from Apollo Fire Detectors

New products for the marine market include the Marine version of the fire market’s favourite Roshni Low Profile (RoLP) Sounder, the Marine Flashni combined Sounder Beacon, the patented low-current Electronic Solenoid Bell, the Marine 6 Inch Motorised Bell 24V DC, Marine Solista Maxi LED beacon, and the IP66 rated Marine Asserta 110dB-120dB sounder and sounder beacon variants.

One of the most trusted fire protection manufacturers, Apollo is renowned for the reliability of its products and leads the field in providing a product lifetime guarantee. For the potentially dangerous and hard-wearing marine market, the added value of this assured level of quality is obvious.

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The Open-Area Voice Sounder and Sounder Beacon are designed to provide clear instructional messages within a fire system, offering six distinct messages and seven volume levels. The devices can be used in applications to ease confusion for the public, instructing them in a concise and intelligible manner on what emergency action should be taken in case of a fire.

New Open Area Voice Sounder and Sounder Beacon added to Apollo's Discovery Range

Both products offer high volume and enhanced capability of up to 15 tone/message pairs, which reduces the risk of audible alarms being ignored.

Richard Bramham, Marketing Director for Apollo, explains: “With the pressure of modern lifestyles and the constant changing of fire regulations, voice sounders are becoming increasingly common. This is particularly the case for public buildings, tourist attractions and shopping centres, where visitors are likely to be unaware of the specific fire signals.”

The new products, which only operate with the Discovery protocol, offer a number of practical benefits including:
• 6 messages and 7 volume levels
• Software-defined group addressing with up to 16 group addresses
• Alarm switching by individual device, by group address or of all devices on loop
• Independent control of sounder and beacon
• Isolator status information
• Set-up and testing of devices at point of installation
• Optional noise pollution feature; automatically silences after 20 minutes
• Class change bell tone
• Red or white options

To listen to the voice alarm messages and download the latest technical literature, please visit www.apollo-fire.co.uk.

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Warren Rees has been appointed by leading fire detection product manufacturer Apollo Fire Detectors Ltd. as the new Managing Director with regional responsibility for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Warren will work under previous MD Danny Burns, who is now Divisional Managing Director for the Apollo global group of companies with offices in the UK, USA and China.

Warren Rees is the new Managing Director EMEA of Apollo Fire Detectors Ltd.

Warren, who joins Apollo from sister Halma company Crowcon Detection Instruments Ltd., is a graduate in Applied Mathematics with extensive experience of both successful business management and the fire industry. He has previously held the position of Managing Director at Fire Fighting Enterprises Ltd., and before that at Cerberus UK – where he first encountered Apollo in a professional environment, as a competitor.

Talking about his appointment, Warren said: “Apollo has an enviable reputation for industry-leading product development, exceptional customer service and business growth, and I am excited about the opportunities we will have to both continue and build further on these proud traditions in the future. Apollo is clearly a company with the people, facilities and values to back up its reputation, and I’m delighted to now take on the challenge of taking us to the next step – both as a business, and for our customers’ benefit.”

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Northern Ireland’s award winning Ulster Museum has been equipped with a new Apollo-based fire detection system as part of a £17.5 million refurbishment programme. Eurotec Safety Services, who have been representing Apollo for more than 20 years, won the contract for the supply and commissioning of the fire system.

Apollo Fire Detectors used to protect Ulster Museum

Ulster Museum is acknowledged as one of the UK’s finest, having won the Art Fund Prize in 2010 for the museum within the UK that best recognises and stimulates originality and excellence. The museum is home to a number of collections that represent Northern Ireland’s history, varying from fossils and archaeology to world cultures and art. Two of the museum’s prize pieces are Takabuti, a seventh century BC Egyptian Mummy, and Peter the Polar Bear. Peter shot to fame when the museum’s night watchman reported hearing unusual noises coming from the preserved and stuffed bear. The museum also houses the most complete real dinosaur fossil on display in Ireland in the form of the Edmontosaurus skeleton and some of the finest examples of Celtic design from the Iron Age period.

As part of the refurbishment, a new extension was added to the original museum, which is a listed building. The central feature of the new extension is a 23 metre high atrium area which houses the giant ‘Window on our World’ display tower. This state-of-the-art attraction rises up through the museum’s four levels and houses the most iconic objects from across the museum’s diverse collections. As well as containing many exhibits that are of high financial and sentimental value, the recently refurbished museum also boasts three new learning zones, 33 galleries and exhibition spaces and a restaurant.

Ulster Museum is protected by fire detectors from Apollo Fire Detectors Ltd.

There were a number of factors that had to be taken into account when designing the fire detection system. Given the diverse nature of the facilities, the client required a fire system that was reliable in a range of different environments. In addition there was a need to be able to protect a large number of visitors of all ages, many of whom would not know the building layout or fire evacuation drill. As well as being able to protect a large number of people in a challenging environment, a reliable voice controlled evacuation system was necessary in order to communicate with those who are unable to understand the traditional alarms, whether due to a disability or because of language barriers.

Approximately 500 Apollo analogue addressable XP95 detectors were specified to meet the main fire protection requirements, with the system based around a Kidde Vega panel that controls 24 zones. The specification required a large number of interfaces to be incorporated into the system, for example to control the display lighting, audio and visual display features and the museum lifts in the event of an emergency.

Geoff Dougan, of Eurotec Safety Services, said:
“Apollo’s XP95 range gave us the product choice and flexibility to meet the specifications of this application. It is well proven in the field and the reliability of Apollo systems is one of the main reasons why we have been using their products for more than 20 years.”

Within a year of re-opening following the refurbishment, Ulster Museum had welcomed 500,000 visitors, making it Northern Ireland’s busiest visitor attraction.

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Fire detectors from Apollo’s Discovery, XPander and XP95 ranges have been chosen to protect West Sussex County Hall, Chichester, the headquarters of West Sussex County Council. The contract for the design, supply, installation and commissioning of the fire detection system was awarded to Southern Fire Alarms Ltd, acting as a specialist sub-contractor to the main contractor, Willard Electrical Services (1981) Ltd. 

Fire detectors from Apollo’s Discovery, XPander and XP95 ranges have been chosen to protect West Sussex County Hall, Chichester, the headquarters of West Sussex County Council

West Sussex County Council headquarters consists of a main five-storey building and seven satellite buildings. One of these is Edes House, a Grade I listed building that was built in 1696. The Georgian building was bought by the County Council in 1916 and used as council offices until the building of the present county hall in 1936. Today, the house is still used for County Council meetings during the day and is open for a variety of artistic, ceremonial and cultural activities at other times.

Other buildings at the headquarters are host to the council chambers and administration buildings, the County Council Emergency Management centre in the basement of the main building and a main server room. Each of these locations had very different requirements and Southern Fire Alarms Ltd recommended an Apollo-based detection system that was designed to meet L2 standards as required by West Sussex County Council.

Fire detectors from Apollo’s Discovery, XPander and XP95 ranges have been chosen to protect West Sussex County Hall, Chichester, the headquarters of West Sussex County Council

More than 700 Apollo devices were installed alongside an existing fire alarm system, which needed to be retained until the new system was tested and commissioned. Advanced Electronics MX4000 panels are used to control the new fire alarm system. David Fell, System Sales Consultant at Southern Fire Alarms Ltd, explains: “For this installation we had a number of situations where specialist devices were required and Apollo was able to meet our demands. West Sussex County Council required an open protocol system. Apollo technology was chosen as it offers a great deal of flexibility when considering maintenance and, if required, spare parts are easily available.”

The fire detection system had a number of specific requirements, which Apollo technology was able to meet. For example, fire detection was required in the building’s attic spaces to supplement the existing smoke detection. Apollo’s Discovery carbon monoxide detectors were chosen to operate where the ceiling construction consists of multiple beam structures. As well as being able to operate in one of five response modes, Discovery detectors also incorporate drift compensation, which reduces the likelihood of false alarms as the detector can adapt to dirty or dusty environments.

The council chamber, Chief Executive’s office and entrance halls presented a very different fire detection challenge. The installation of hard-wired devices would have caused unacceptable damage to the decorative design on the walls and ceiling, so Apollo’s XPander range of wireless detectors were chosen. Designed for use in areas where hard-wired fire detection is impossible or impractical, XPander devices are also a good option for listed buildings, which may have strict rules regarding alteration to the original fabric of the structure. In these circumstances, channelling and wiring for traditional fire detection can cause damage to the interior during installation.

Specialist fire detection was also required in the county hall’s generator oil store room. Due to the volatile nature of the room’s contents, care needed to be taken with the fire detection that was installed. Electrical equipment for use in such areas must be designed so that it cannot ignite a flammable mixture, so Apollo’s XP95 Intrinsically Safe (IS) detectors were recommended. The range has been specifically developed for use in hazardous areas.

XP95 interfacing devices were installed to connect the fire detection system to a number of the other building systems, including the air handling unit, gas shut off and access control. As part of the fire system specification, Southern Fire Alarms also provided a bespoke panel and Apollo sounders in case of a bomb alert.

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Apollo has updated and extended its XPander range of wireless fire detectors. Designed for use in areas where hard-wired fire detection is impossible or impractical, XPander devices are ideal for use in historical or ornate buildings where the décor is of utmost importance and would be ruined by the installation of hard-wired devices.

Apollo extends the Xpander range of wireless fire detectors, ideal for historical buildings

They are also a good option for listed buildings, which may have strict rules regarding alteration to the original fabric of the structure. In these circumstances, channelling and wiring for traditional fire detection may cause unacceptable damage to the interior during installation.

The extended XPander range includes two new products and now consists of an optical smoke detector, a multisensor smoke detector, heat detector types A1R and CS, a wireless base, a manual call point, a sounder and a sounder beacon, and Single and Dual Input/Output Units. The complete range has been granted the new wireless link fire standard EN54 Part 25, which is the standard for European-compliant radio products.

Apollo’s wireless XPander has been designed to be used in conjunction with a standard fire detection system. XPander has an updated 31-device loop interface and connects to an XP95-compatible control panel via an interface which is wired to the loop. No special adjustment or programming is required and the devices are recognised by the control panel simply as another detector connected to the system.

The detectors are multi-state in that they report normal, fire or fault states to the radio base, which transmits the information to the interface. The radio bases and signalling devices are addressable and use a pre-set analogue value to report via the XP95 protocol. In addition to ‘normal’ and ‘fire’ signals, the bases can also indicate a low battery, a dirty detector, detector tamper and low signal strength fault conditions.

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Apollo Fire Detectors Ltd has developed a new product that allows fire detection to be fully integrated into building management systems (BMS) without the need for complex bespoke solutions or the use of multiple interfaces.

OpenConnect from Apollo integrates fire detection with BMS

OpenConnect Gateway® is effectively a ‘plug and play’ device that can be incorporated into a fire control panel by the manufacturer. It takes the information from the control panel and relays it to the BMS using standard protocols such as BACnet™, Modbus® or LonWorks®. This brings system specifiers and end users all the benefits of inter-system communication; such as faster response times, co-ordinated strategies in case of emergency or failure, and pre-planned and pre-programmed evacuation procedures. Because it is an integral part of the fire control panel, it is also simple to install and reduces associated time and costs.

This integration solution has been developed in conjunction with Tridium and uses their well-established Niagra AX software framework, on which many building monitoring, automation and control applications are based. Apollo has also worked closely with leading fire panel manufacturers through its Panel Partnership and the OpenConnect protocol will be available to participating control panel manufacturers under licence. The licenced manufacturer will be able to develop their own software to incorporate this protocol and will provide a suitable physical connection between their panel and the OpenConnect Gateway. 

The new integration device is being made available in four base model options: 200 BMS points, 1,600 BMS points, 12,000 BMS points and 25,000 BMS points. For maximum integration, each OpenConnect Gateway includes as standard two Ethernet ports, an RS232 and RS484 port, a 15V dc input and two spare comms card slots.

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Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre and Wolston Correctional Centre, both located at Wacol in Queensland, Australia, have been equipped with a new Apollo-based fire detection system as part of an upgrade to the existing system. Ampac, who have been representing Apollo in the region since 1993, were responsible for designing and supplying the system, whilst Dayshelf Fire Systems were tasked with installation.

Apollo Fire Detectors products protect Australian women's prison

Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre is the only assessment and placement centre for female prisoners in South East Queensland. The centre accommodates up to 258 prisoners across two accommodation areas – secure and residential cells. The Women’s Correctional Centre includes a purpose built-area that can accommodate those women who have been approved to have their children reside with them in custody. Adjacent is Wolston Correctional Centre, which houses 600 male inmates.

There are a number of particular considerations that have to be made when providing fire detection in such a facility, including evacuation procedures. Apollo’s analogue addressable technology will allow an alert to be accurately located and verified, and an evacuation can be avoided if not needed.

Ampac recommended Apollo’s XP95 system to meet the main fire detection requirements at the site. Dayshelf installed approximately 3,500 devices to meet the fire detection requirements, including more than 1,500 smoke detectors, 1,200 heat detectors and 500 interface units. The system is based around 46 networked Ampac control panels. The fire system has been integrated into the prison’s building management system using an Ampac controller interface card.

Due to the nature of the building, a phased replacement was necessary. Fire detection devices were changed as each panel was upgraded, which had to take place one at a time. The entire process took six months to complete.

Adam Lansdown at Dayshelf, said: “A false alarm at this facility could be dangerous, so the end client needed to be confident that the chosen fire detection was reliable and accurate. Dayshelf have grown to hold a majority share in the Gold Coast fire protection market and buy Apollo equipment from Ampac 95 per cent of the time.”

In addition to this large scale upgrade, Ampac are also pleased to announce the opening of a new Northern Territory Customer Service Office.

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Apollo fire detection technology has been chosen to protect M Shed in Bristol; an exciting and innovative new museum that tells the story of Bristol’s history. The contract to supply, commission and maintain the fire detection system was awarded to Multi Alarm GB.

Apollo Fire Detectors Protect M Shed Museum in Bristol

M Shed museum explores the city’s history from prehistoric times to the 21st century through extensive collections of objects, art and archives in addition to working exhibits on the harbourside, including steam trains and cranes. Situated on Bristol’s historic wharf, the museum is located in a 1950s transit shed, originally known as M Shed, which was designed to store goods imported into Bristol’s docks. M Shed is one of the few remaining buildings of its type in the country and has been redeveloped into Bristol’s only museum dedicated to the city’s history. This was possible thanks to an £11.6 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Covering 6000m2, M Shed has three permanent galleries named Bristol People, Bristol Places and Bristol Life; a rooftop gallery; a learning suite that is estimated to attract 20,000 school and community visitors each year; a maintenance and conservation workshop which opens onto the dockside allowing visitors to see the work going on inside; a café and gift shop.

The fire detection was the responsibility of Multi Alarm who recommended an Apollo-based system to meet the BS5839 L1 fire protection requirements. Around 350 Apollo Discovery devices have been installed to protect the museum, and these are controlled by a Multi Alarm 4 loop IFAX panel. The main point fire detection system interfaces with aspirating smoke detection which has been installed to protect the building’s large ceiling voids. In addition, the client required that the system was networked with the existing fire detection in the museum’s storage and refurbishment area next door, which is also based upon Apollo technology.

Derek Cooper, Surveyor at Multi Alarm, said: “A system was required that would allow mode changes to be made from the panel. This will enable the fire system to be adjusted to take account of activities in the museum workshop and working exhibits, such as steam trains, which may otherwise affect the reliability of the fire detection. We recommended Apollo’s Discovery detectors as they have been fully approved to operate in five different response modes.”

M Shed museum opened its doors for the first time on Friday 17th June 2011.

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Apollo has updated and extended its XPander range of wireless fire detectors. Designed for use in areas where hard-wired fire detection is impossible or impractical, XPander devices are ideal for use on construction or refurbishment sites.

Apollo extends its Xpander range of wireless smoke detectors

Traditionally fire detection systems are installed once the building is complete and the main services are installed, yet it is still important to protect the building from major damage by fire during fit-out and alteration.

XPander can be used as part of an extension to a fixed fire system, so is ideal where works are ongoing as an extension or where temporary structures are in place. Buildings undergoing fire system refurbishment can also benefit from wireless devices: in this case the wireless fire detectors are used to provide temporary cover until the old fire system is decommissioned and a new hard-wired fire system can be installed.

The extended XPander range includes two new products and now consists of an optical smoke detector, a multisensor smoke detector, heat detector types A1R and CS, a wireless base, a manual call point, a sounder and a sounder beacon, and Single and Dual Input/Output Units. The complete range has been granted the new wireless link fire standard EN54 Part 25, which is the standard for European-compliant radio products.

Apollo’s wireless XPander has been designed to be used in conjunction with a standard fire detection system, being able to protect areas that require wireless technology. XPander has an updated 31-device loop interface and connects to an XP95-compatible control panel via an interface which is wired to the loop. No special adjustment or programming is required and the devices are recognised by the control panel simply as another detector connected to the system.

The detectors are multi-state in that they report normal, fire or fault states to the radio base, which transmits the information to the interface. The radio bases and signalling devices are addressable and use a pre-set analogue value to report via the XP95 protocol. In addition to ‘normal’ and ‘fire’ signals, the bases can also indicate a low battery, a dirty detector, detector tamper and low signal strength fault conditions.

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