New Cross Hospital - fire detection system upgrade

Project overview

The consequences of a fire or false alarm in a hospital 

environment could be life threatening for patients due to 

the difficulties and dangers of an emergency evacuation. 

The upgrade enables New Cross hospital to benefit from 

a modern, intelligent, fully addressable fire detection system that allows prompt and reliable detection of fires, helping to protect patients, staff and visitors. 

Product and services applications 

• MZX Technology® upgrade programme
• Detectors and sounders
• Break glass points
• Hand-held deaf alerter
• VHF radio transmitter

Customer needs

Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital is the largest hospital in the Black Country with over 40,000 visitors a week and consists of a mix of old and new buildings. Johnson Controls have been entrusted with the safety on site for over 20 years and is working on site on the complex upgrade.

Johnson Controls solution

Johnson Controls is upgrading three Minerva based fire 

detection systems to the latest digital MZX Technology®

at the hospital. The upgrade to the digital MZX based fire 

detection system includes over 15 MZX networked panels, 

over 9,500 detectors, 3,600 sounders and 1,240 break glass points.

The new digital based MZX system ensures that in the event of a fire, sounders are automatically activated and a number of predetermined doors close – isolating the fire 

and protecting escape routes. Johnson Controls have also installed the Deaf Alerter system that comprises a VHF radio transmitter and aerial which is connected to the hospitals existing fire alarm system. This responds instantly to an alarm and sends a message to the small hand-held Deaf Alerter, which flashes and vibrates to attract attention of the users. Continuing until the user is safely out of the building.

“The service from Johnson Controls has been excellent,” 

commented Brian Sweet, Electrical & Electronics Manager 

at New Cross Hospital. “The Johnson Controls team spent 

on average 16 hours a week onsite upgrading the existing 

systems, maintaining those in place and liaising with the 

estate managers. Needless to say for such a large and 

complex site having an effective fire detection system in 

place at all times that helps reduce the risk of false alarms 

and ensures early detection of a fire is imperative and 

Johnson Controls provide the technology and the support 

that we can rely on.”