Atlas Fire & Security was named Fire & Security Contractor of the Year at the Northern Ireland Electrical Awards. Pictured left to right are Stephen McConnell, MD John Nesbitt, Robert Creagmile and Graeme White.
Now in their third year, the awards celebrate the electrical industry in the region. Atlas Fire & Security designs, installs and maintains fire and security systems, besides specialising in energy efficiency, audio visual and the health sector.
The judges described the company as a leading light, saying: “Atlas Fire & Security demonstrated outstanding ability on a difficult and complex project at Belfast City Hospital that was one of the biggest fire installations ever completed in Northern Ireland. This showed excellent organisation skills as well as extremely strong technical knowledge. A perfectly presented entry, combined with strong customer testimonials made Atlas Fire and Security a very deserving winner.”
Atlas collected the award at a black tie event hosted by broadcaster Lynda Bryans at the Hilton Hotel, Belfast in front of nearly 300 guests.
According to the Fire Industry Association, the UK fire protection industry is worth around £3 billion, representing an annual growth rate of around 4pc a year over the last five years. Atlas reports that it’s expanding in customer base and workforce. Robert Creagmile, Sales and Marketing Director of Atlas, said: “It is an absolute honour to win this prestigious award. Our company has been going from strength to strength with significant growth in recent years and it is fantastic to see hard work and investment pay off.”
“We have a rapidly growing customer base in both the public and commercial sectors across Northern Ireland and are making real in-roads into GB with growth focused on delivering superior customer service alongside market-leading products and services. Significantly, we are the leading independent, open protocol supplier and maintainer here which means our solutions are tailored exactly to our clients’ needs rather than being tied to a particular technology.”
The workforce has grown almost three-fold in recent years from 16 employees in 2007 to 45. The firm moved to new premises on the Crumlin Road in Belfast to facilitate growth. This year the local company also received the Investors in People accreditation.
Major projects by Atlas include installation of one of the largest fire alarm networks in the UK at Belfast City Hospital, headed by Managing Director John Nesbitt. He said: “The project to replace the fire alarm system at Belfast City Hospital was very complex and it is one of the largest ever fire system installations in NI with over 15,000 devices. The turnaround time was extremely tight but it is down to the skill, commitment and hard work of our team that the project was delivered in a very tight timeframe and in one of the busiest hospitals in the UK.”
Other projects delivered by Atlas include the SS Nomadic tourism attraction in the Titanic Quarter in Belfast; and a bespoke fire and security system for recently opened Titanic Hotel at Liverpool’s Stanley Dock. The company provides fire and security solutions to all of Northern Ireland’s housing associations. Atlas has Gold accreditation in Fire & Security for the National Security Institutional (NSI). Visit http://www.atlasfs.co.uk/.
