Smoke detectors around the University of East Anglia’s (UEA) student accommodation have been replaced with Nittan’s Evolution EV-DP Dual Wavelength Photoelectric smoke detectors. This was for UEA to remove issues with false alarms caused by steam.
Some 4500 Nittan devices, including more than 2500 Nittan EV-DP smoke detectors, have been installed by Global Fire Services Ltd in the 24 accommodation buildings spread across the 320 acre Norwich campus.
The university was seeing around 20 false alarms a week caused by steam escaping from the bathrooms and activating the smoke alarms. Each alarm event has to be checked and verified by security personnel before Fire and Rescue Services will attend. A reduction in false alarms is thus not just convenient, but saves in cost and time.
UEA ranks among the best universities in the country for student satisfaction, with its accommodation provision a part of this. Reducing false alarms – and disruption – within living areas was regarded as having a role to play in the quality of the rooms.
Greg Smith, Director of Global Fire Services, says: “Originally the plan was to relocate the existing detectors further away from the bathrooms. Whilst this would provide the same level of fire protection, it would be quite a costly solution as it would not only involve moving the devices and cables, but also redecorating afterwards to cover up where the alarms had been previously. We were also concerned that the steam would affect these devices in the new location. As the existing alarms were coming to the end of their lives anyway, we recommended instead swapping to Nittan’s EV-DP smoke detectors which easily cope with steam.”
Nittan says that its Evolution EV-DP smoke detectors have been designed to reduce false alarms caused by non-combustion products such as steam, dust and aerosols. Unlike other industry standard (single optical sensor) smoke detectors on the market that claim to distinguish between smoke and non-combustion products, the EV-DP measures the actual particle size in the chamber via its combined IR and blue LED the makers say. As steam and dust are much larger particles than smoke, the detector won’t false-alarm.
This is the first time Nittan smoke detectors have been installed at UEA. An initial on-site demonstration by Global Fire Services in one of the student rooms compared manufacturers’ alarms with Nittan’s EV-DP alarms in a real setting. When steam was deliberately built up in the room to test and compare the alarms, only the Nittan EV-DP alarm stayed silent, whilst the existing one went into false alarm. However once even the smallest amount of smoke was introduced, the Nittan detector reacted and went in to alarm as intended.
Global Fire Services replaced the smoke alarms in the student rooms with the EV-DP detectors in the summer holidays. The installation was completed ahead of schedule. The existing wiring and panels were used.
A year on on and, according to Steve Edwards, Electrical Design Engineer, Estates and Building Division at UEA, there have been no false alarms due to steam. “All accommodation blocks now have Nittan alarms installed, with further alarms being fitted in to 531 bedrooms. Security is very satisfied with the results.”
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