Apollo Fire Detectors News - from Halma PR - visit www.apollo-fire.co.uk

Apollo Fire Detectors is looking forward to welcoming many of its friends, colleagues and customers onto its stand (New Hall, Booth A126-130) at the 2009 China Fire Exhibition. The country’s leading fire exhibition is being held at the National Agricultural Exhibition Centre in Beijing from 16 – 19 October and attracts visitors from around the globe in addition to those from China and Asia.

Apollo offers 40 products which are fully compliant with the updated CCCF standard. On display will be a range of products from their Discovery® and XP95® analogue addressable ranges, Orbis® conventional range, as well their XP95 and Orbis intrinsically safe ranges. Throughout the show, the company’s team of experts will be on hand to offer product knowledge and advice on choosing a fire detection solution to satisfy customer requirements.

To coincide with the exhibition a new Chinese language website will be launched which will contain details of Apollo’s product offering, latest news and downloadable literature.

Mike Lam, Apollo’s Marketing Director for China, says, “We regard China Fire as a premier event in the industry calendar, which is why we return year after year. China is an important market for Apollo and is fully supported with representatives in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The exhibition gives us a chance to speak to our customers face to face, which is an essential part of developing our relationship with them and finding out their requirements.”

China Fire – 13th International Fire Protection Equipment Technology Conference and Exposition
National Agricultural Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China
16-19 October, 2009
New Hall, Booth A126-130

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A new educational centre in the Scottish Borders, which combines further and higher education facilities on a single campus, is being protected using Apollo intelligent fire detection technology. The co-location project is the first of its kind in rural Scotland and offers a unique learning and teaching environment to thousands of students.

The £31.4 million Scottish Borders Campus brings together the Borders College of further education and the internationally renowned Heriot-Watt University at a site in Netherdale, Galashiels. This enables the College and the University to benefit from a range of shared facilities while still retaining their own distinct identities. The co-location includes major refurbishment of existing buildings as well as the construction of additional facilities, such as training areas, a new library and learning resource centre, enhanced IT facilities and student social areas.

The two and a half year development programme required a lot of forward planning and was carried out over a number of phases. SAFE Systems, based in Galashiels, won the contract to supply, install and commission a site-wide networked fire detection system for the main buildings, plus stand-alone systems for remote buildings with specific requirements, like the halls of residence.

“The client specified an open protocol system designed to L1 standards,” says Graeme Millar, Senior Fire Engineer with SAFE Systems. “We had used Apollo intelligent fire detectors two years ago to resolve problems with false alarms at this site for Heriot-Watt University and were happy to recommend Apollo technology again.”

In total, SAFE Systems installed 11 Advanced Electronics control panels and 2,427 Apollo intelligent fire detection devices in a two-phase programme of works.

The networked system is based on Apollo’s XP95 range of fire detectors and covers the main teaching blocks, the new library, the laboratories and the world-famous School of Textiles. It is also equipped with a number of interface units that enable it to interact with other building control systems including gas shutdown, plant shutdown, access control and PA systems.

In addition, there are five stand-alone systems fitted in remote buildings such as the Technology building, High Mill building and the halls of residence, as well as the Netherdale Rooms which house the archives. For this last application, SAFE Systems recommended the use of Apollo Discovery devices. These can be set to different sensitivity settings depending upon the local environment, reducing the likelihood of nuisance alarms while ensuring very accurate detection of fire. As all Apollo intelligent devices use the same open digital protocol, there were no compatibility issues between the main XP95-based system and the Discovery-based system.

Graeme Millar concludes: “The decision to use Apollo at this site certainly paid off. The open protocol gave us the degree of flexibility we needed to meet multiple requirements across the campus buildings, while the choice of compatible interfaces and ancillary devices helped us to link the new fire detection system to other critical equipment quite easily. In essence, Apollo fire detection technology has enabled us to meet the client’s requirements and complete the project on time.”

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As part of its ongoing strategic development, Apollo Fire Detectors Limited has created a new marketing role at Board level. Richard Bramham has been appointed as Marketing Director for the company with effect from 15 June 2009. His appointment follows the internal promotion of incumbent Sales Manager Gary Craig to Sales Director earlier this year.

Richard brings more than 20 years senior management experience to the position, including 16 years with Farnell Electronic Components Limited for whom he launched operations throughout Southeast Asia and China, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong. Immediately prior to joining Apollo, Richard was Group Marketing Director at Deutsch – the world leader in interconnection solutions for OEM applications – where his responsibilities included e-commerce development, branding and global account management.

Richard is now keen to bring his skills to bear at Apollo. He says: “Apollo is a company with clear business goals and real ambition, but also with a very strong sense of customer loyalty. It is currently making the exciting transition from being a UK-based manufacturer with worldwide sales to a truly international player with global presence.

“This transition requires a careful balance between committing the resources to establish a direct presence in strategic territories such as the Middle East, China and the US while continuing to uphold the levels of customer support that have made Apollo so successful to date. Marketing will play a key role in ensuring that the Apollo brand continues to represent innovation and reliability as the company grows, and I am looking forward to spearheading the strategy to take this forward.”

A comprehensive review of the company’s marketing and communications, embracing elements such as customer relationship management systems, online presence and e-marketing, is currently under way.

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The longest pleasure pier in the world is looking forward to a fire-free future thanks to Apollo.

Southend-on-Sea Pier is more than one mile in length and famous for a variety of reasons, not least of which is its dedicated railway that carries visitors from the shore to the Pier Head. Built in 1830, the Pier has survived boat crashes and two world wars, as well as standing up to the wind and waves for almost 180 years. It has also suffered a number of fires during its history, the most recent of which occurred in 2005 and destroyed the Pier Head.

A major restoration programme is aiming to fully restore the Pier and upgrade the associated amenities. As part of this programme, modern fire detection equipment was specified for the buildings on the foreshore. The foreshore area includes the public entrance, train station and workshops, the administration offices, a museum, tourist information centre and amusement arcades.

Prince Safety And Security Systems Supplies Ltd won the contract to supply fire detection and support services for this complex. The company recommended Apollo’s Discovery range of intelligent fire detectors, which includes a multisensor with programmable settings that enable the sensitivity settings of the device to be matched to local environments.  Prince Safety And Security also supplied the compatible control panel, manual call points and Apollo sounder beacons.

The fire detection and alarm system was installed and commissioned by Southend-On-Sea based Blake Fire & Security Systems. Arranged over two loops, the Apollo equipment is connected to an Ampac FireFinder control panel. The fire system is also capable of interfacing with other critical plant and access control systems.

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It isn’t every day you need to specify a fire detection system for an industrial complex inside a mountain – but that was the challenge facing International Power, owners of Dinorwig Power Station near Snowdonia National Park in North Wales.

Built in 1984, Dinorwig hydro electric power station offers one of the fastest response times of any power facility in the world, generating 1,728MW from standstill in just 90 seconds. Virtually all the critical plant at Dinorwig is situated underground.  Some of the main areas requiring fire protection are also on a massive scale: the machine hall, for example, is 180 metres long, 23 metres wide and 51 metres high.

International Power developed a specification that would:
• deliver a networked fire detection system to cover overground and underground areas of the power station sited several kilometers apart;
• be based on an open protocol;
• include aspirating fire detection.

Working in partnership, Apollo Fire Detectors Limited and Kentec Electronics Limited were able to demonstrate that a fire detection system based on Apollo’s open digital protocol would fulfil International Power’s unique requirements.

System specification
The new Dinorwig fire detection system is based around 12 Kentec Syncro analogue addressable control panels – eight of which are installed underground. Three graphic panels based on Kentec’s GUIDE system provide a single point of co-ordination for all alarms and are positioned in the pressurised main control room underground, the administrative offices, and at the main gatehouse.

More than 1500 Apollo XP95 fire detectors and ancillary devices are incorporated in the new fire system. Optical smoke detectors are used in the main areas and approach tunnels, with heat detectors protecting rest rooms and kitchens. In excess of 450 addressable sounders and sounder beacons alert staff to an emergency and around 250 manual call points enable employees to raise an alarm.

An aspirating system has been fitted in the main cavern so that air turbulence will not affect the system’s ability to detect fire. Water spray and gas extinguishing systems are also installed in the transformer rooms at the power plant. Approximately 100 Apollo interfaces enable this equipment to link in to the main fire detection system.

Andrew Taylor of International Power comments: “We were able to use standard fire detectors from Apollo’s range to achieve the reliability levels we required in our subterranean environment. This helped to control costs and timescales on the project.

“The inclusion of aspirating fire detection could have been an issue, but the choice of an open digital protocol, plus the existence of an Apollo interface to link this in, avoided any compatibility problems.”

Although the power station is highly complex in its fire detection requirements, the evacuation principle is simple: one alarm, all out – except a few essential staff in the control room.

In addition to International Power staff, the site is subject to regular tours for the general public so evacuation procedures needed to accommodate people who are unfamiliar with the site layout. The new fire system meets modern standards by providing reliable noise dispersal, with loop powered sounders and sounder beacons in the machine hall where noise levels may prevent audible alarms being heard.

Conclusion
The fire detection system at Dinorwig now offers comprehensive coverage across the entire site. Thanks to Apollo’s open digital protocol, the point fire detection, aspirating detection and extinguishing systems are fully integrated. Kentec’s sophisticated graphics controls provide a user friendly interface that enables routine maintenance issues and sources of alarms to be pinpointed and responded to effectively.

Andrew Taylor concludes: “The new fire system certainly gives us peace of mind that Dinorwig power station is protected from fire hazards and that we can get everyone out should an incident arise.”

Notes

1. First Hydro Company is part of a joint venture between International Power plc & Mitsui & Co Ltd.

2. CDM Regulations – the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations came into force in Great Britain on 6 April 2007 with the aim of simplifying and clarifying the delivery of improved standards of health, safety and welfare. They place duties in relation to management arrangements and practical measures on a range of construction project participants, including clients, designers and contractors.

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The FA Cup made an appearance in Havant recently as part of a week-long football fundraising extravaganza at the headquarters of the world-leading fire detector manufacturer, Apollo Fire Detectors Ltd.

Organised through Apollo’s sponsorship of Portsmouth Football Club to raise money for the Australian Bushfire Appeal, the fundraising kicked off on Thursday 26 February with Apollo’s 450 employees being given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have their photo taken with the FA Cup. For a modest £1 donation, they received a colour print of the occasion and were also entitled to wear their Portsmouth FC colours at work for the day.

And the football-themed fundraising activities didn’t stop there. A coveted pair of tickets to the Portsmouth vs. Chelsea Barclays Premier League match (which took place on Tuesday 3 March), plus a signed Portsmouth FC shirt, were also up for grabs in a prize draw. To be in with a chance of winning, employees were asked to donate good condition household items and equipment, clothes, sheets, blankets, towels, children’s toys, and books, which will be sent to families affected by the fires in Australia.

In addition to the donated items, a total of £246 was raised by employees, which was rounded up by Apollo to make a grand total of £500.

Chris Elkins, Operations Director at Apollo, comments: “Charity opportunities are a very important benefit of our sponsorship package with Portsmouth FC. On this occasion, the popularity of the club, its kind donations and its connections with the FA have allowed us to raise £500 for a very worthwhile cause. It is also a charity very close to our hearts, as one of Apollo’s key customers, Ampac, is based in Australia with offices and staff based only 60km from the devastating fires in Victoria.”

Apollo Fire Detectors is Portsmouth FC’s Official Fire Solutions Partner and, since the start of the 2008/09 season, has been a proud sponsor of Fratton Park’s East (away) Stand, which is now known as the ‘Apollo Stand’.

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Apollo’s new mains switching input/output unit, designed for mounting on a DIN-rail, provides a voltage-free, single pole change-over relay output with a contact rating of 250V AC @ 5Amp and 48V DC @ 2Amp. It also has a monitored switch input that is designed to supervise one or more normally-open switches connected to a single-pair of cables.

The device is supplied in a DIN-rail housing which can be clipped onto a standard 35mm DIN-rail (DIN 46277). (DIN-rail enclosures and end-stops are available from Apollo). Connections are made via plug-in terminal blocks which accept wires up to 2.5mm2. The unit has dimensions of 110 x 107 x 20mm and weighs just 95g. It has been designed to comply with EN54–18.

The mains switching input/output unit is loop-powered and can only operate with control equipment using Apollo’s XP95 or Discovery protocols. Application examples include air sampling units, mains power shut-down on machinery, automatic door retainers, smoke dampers and gas valves.

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Apollo Fire Detectors Ltd has been granted the Royal Warrant by Her Majesty The Queen in recognition of its official supplier status to the British Royal Household.

Granted to individuals or companies who have supplied goods or services for at least five years to HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Prince of Wales, Royal Warrants are widely regarded as demonstrating excellence and quality, and are highly prized.

As a ‘Warrant Holder’, Apollo Fire Detectors may display the Royal Arms of HM The Queen and the legend ‘By Appointment’ on their products, premises, stationery and advertising.

“Royal Warrant Holders are united by their commitment to the highest standards of service and excellence,” comments Danny Burns, Managing Director of Apollo Fire Detectors. “We are very honoured to receive this prestigious accolade and will continue to uphold the exceptionally high standards the Royal Warrant represents.”

Apollo is no stranger to Royal approvals, having been the first company of its kind to hold three consecutive Queen’s Awards for Export Achievement. It now exports to more than 120 territories and its comprehensive range of products is certified to all key international standards. Apollo holds in excess of 3,000 product approvals worldwide as well as a number of internationally recognised quality and environmental awards.

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Unit can drive higher powered sounders or up to five times as many conventional sounders

Apollo Fire Detector’s new DIN-Rail Sounder Controller has an increased current capacity – from 1A to 5A – allowing it to drive more powerful sounders or up to five times as many conventional sounders or visual warning devices. This capacity is particularly useful under the Disability Discrimination Act, which requires sounders with a higher sound output. It is also ideal for use in areas with high background noise such as factories, petrochemical plants and offshore platforms. The device complies with the Construction Product Directive (CPD) (89/106/EC) and meets the EN54-18 standard.

As well as driving a zone of externally-powered sounders and/or visual warning devices, the Sounder Controller reports their status back to Apollo-compatible analogue control equipment. In normal operation it returns a pre-set analogue value of 16, but in the event of an open or short-circuit fault, or a fault in the external power supply, the unit returns a pre-set analogue value of four.

The device allows warning devices to be operated continuously or to be pulsed one second on, one second off, and can be operated individually or in groups. Whichever address mode has been applied, it can be synchronised when in pulsed operation. An opto-coupled input is also provided which monitors the state of the external power supply.

The Sounder Controller also has the facility to monitor the presence and polarity of the external power supply to the sounders. This is achieved through a circuit which includes an input to monitor a volt-free, normally-open contact. A wire link must be fitted if the fault contact is not used. The unit will only operate with control equipment using Apollo’s XP95 or Discovery protocols and its features are only available when the device is connected to a panel with the appropriate software.

The device is supplied in a housing which simply clips onto a standard 35mm DIN rail (DIN 46277). Connections are via plug-in terminal blocks which accept wires up to 2.5mm. Two LEDs (red and yellow) are visible through the top of the enclosure: the red LED pulses or is illuminated to indicate that the sounders are, respectively, pulsed or switched on continuously, while the yellow LED is illuminated when a fault condition has been detected. If the fault LED is not required or the extra loop current to illuminate it is not available, it can be disabled with the eighth segment of the DIL switch.

Loop powered and operating at 17-28V DC, the Sounder Controller requires a local power supply of 12-35V DC to power the external load, up to 5A. A polarising diode is required with each alarm device, as the sounders are operated by voltage reversal, provided by a double-pole change-over relay. The sounder circuit is protected by a quick acting miniature fuse (TR5) rated at 5A.

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World class fire detection from Apollo Fire Detectors has been specified for a new £43 million commercial development in London’s West End. Once completed, 8 Fitzroy Street, W1 will become the London base of Ove Arup, the global firm of designers, engineers, planners and business consultants.

The contract to supply the building’s fire system, which is being installed in two phases, was awarded to Titan Fire & Security. Tony Tutton, Business Development Manager, says: “Ove Arup is a very important client for us and the project had very strict requirements.  A fire system based on Apollo’s Discovery range was specified which provided a flexible and fully compatible solution.”

The Discovery range allows for the provision of different levels of sensitivity depending on the needs of the space to be protected. This is possible because Apollo Discovery fire detectors feature five panel-selectable sensitivity bands that make them particularly adaptable to a wide range of environmental conditions. To help to protect against unwanted alarms even further, devices in the Discovery range are also equipped with inbuilt drift compensation. They are LPCB approved to EN54 in every one of these modes.

Phase two is now complete and when phase three is completed in 2009, the fire system at 8 Fitzroy Street will comprise almost 600 Apollo devices, including Discovery smoke, heat and flame detectors, manual call points and interfaces. Warnings are provided using a combination of Apollo sounder bases and sounder beacon bases. The fire system is controlled using two four-loop Morley ZX5e panels.

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