C-TEC (Computionics Limited)

C-TEC’s revolutionary new evacuation alert system, EVAC-ALERT, has been specified for a new purpose-built residential building in London.Located in the Elephant and Castle area of the London Borough of Southwark, Joyce Newman House is an 8-storey block of 40 spacious living spaces commissioned by Leathermarket JMB, Southwark’s largest resident-managed housing organisation. The affordable-housing development also features landscaped gardens, an interactive playground and a communal kitchen garden for residents to grow their own vegetables.Specified and supplied by Churches Fire & Security working alongside Blu Electrical Installations Ltd, C-TEC’s EVAC-ALERT has been designed to comply with the new BS 8629, which recommends evacuation alert systems be installed in all new blocks of flats over 18 metres to assist the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) in evacuating part or all of a building in an emergency.The system consists of a 2-loop control panel connected to a host of single and multi-way interface units, self-testing sounders and visual indicators. Simple and intuitive with manual controls to allow firefighters to easily operate the evacuation alert devices located inside flats on a zone by zone or floor by floor basis, the panel is stored in a secure vandal resistant cabinet which can only be accessed by the FRS using a special copy-protected key.David Collins, Project Manager at Churches Fire & Security, said: “Evacuation alert systems ensure firefighters can alert occupants in a building of the need to evacuate if a fire gets out of control. The EVAC-ALERT system we’ve specified provides peace of mind for residents and, crucially, also demonstrates that building management have taken every precaution possible to protect the people residing in the property. Our client is delighted with the system.”Certified to all relevant EN54 product standards, EVAC-ALERT is powered by C-TEC’s CAST protocol and fully compatible with ENVISION, its powerful new cloud-based remote access data management software which can be used to provide duty holders with a verifiable audit trail of system activity and device testing.

EVAC-ALERT, C-TEC’s powerful BS 8629 compliant evacuation alert system is protecting seven high-rise residential tower blocks in the heart of London. Guinness Square in Southwark and the Houses of Aubin, Clemoes, Maitland, Sherratt, Southgate and Sweeting in Brixton’s Loughborough Park are all managed by The Guinness Partnership, a 130-year-old charitable organisation that prides itself on providing high quality homes to improve people’s lives. The upgrading of the life safety systems was deemed vital to ensure the protection of residents living in the properties.Orestone Controls, the BAFE SP203 and SP207-accredited specialist systems integrator, was tasked with equipping the blocks with fully BS 8629 compliant evacuation alert systems to assist the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) in evacuating part, or all, of a building in an emergency.  Ryan Mullen, Orestone’s CCO said: “Demand for evacuation systems is at an all-time high due to a combination of improved fire safety standards and new legislation. We’ve particularly noticed an increase in enquiries and orders since the new Part B of the Building Regs came in last year, as this says they must be installed in all new high-rise residential buildings over 18m in England. The new HSE ‘Be Ready’ campaign will also no doubt trigger new contracts with local councils and private companies over the next six months.”Ryan said: “We chose to specialise in EVAC-ALERT primarily for the ‘handholding’ service C-TEC provides, namely the first-class technical support that is so important on life-safety system projects. From the very first demonstration of EVAC-ALERT at our offices, to where we are today, C-TEC has supported us and our relationship has gone from strength to strength. We are experts at installation, highly conversant with the standards and because of this we have had to expand our fire division again with additional dedicated engineers to deal with growing demand. We have also started to work for other Housing Associations including GreenSquare Accord on some of their high-rise buildings.”As BS 8629 is a relatively new standard, C-TEC is very keen to ensure to educate people about its requirements. Throughout a project, the company is there to make life easier for the client, be that the consultant, the installer, the owner or building management company and they can assist with plans, technical drawings and the loop calculations required.By using the unique evacuation alert system software created by C-TEC’s R&D team and undertaking an assessment of a building, Orestone calculated exactly which devices are required. Special requirements for, say, elderly, vulnerable and disabled residents, were also taken into consideration. For example, visual indicators, vibrating pillow pads, etc. C-TEC also provided free advice and training on commissioning, cause and effects.  Ryan said: “Our engineers are constantly expressing how simple and intuitive EVAC ALERT is to install. The wiring is very straightforward and the flat interface units give you confidence that any short circuits will be isolated protecting the integrity of the loops. There’s no doubt that the system’s simplicity has allowed us to achieve minimal disruption to residents and work around their busy lives as we can be in and out of each flat in under an hour.  “Customer satisfaction is very important to Orestone and we consistently score five out of five on reviews. We take time to engage with residents and explain how the systems we are installing are designed to protect them. At Guinness Square we even held a joint open day with The Guinness Partnership to showcase the technology to residents, which the London Fire Brigade also attended and which was very successful.”The systems in each high-rise typically consist of 2-loop control panels connected to a host of single and multi-way interface units, self-testing sounders and visual indicators. Simple and intuitive, with manual controls to allow firefighters to easily operate the evacuation alert devices located inside flats on a floor-by-floor basis, the panel is stored in a secure vandal resistant cabinet which can only be accessed by the FRS using a special copy-protected key.Peace of mind that there is a Plan B if everything else goes wrong is crucial in the current climate, not just for owners and residents, but also for the fire service. By installing an evacuation alert system, building management can be confident that every precaution possible has been taken to protect the people residing in the property.EVAC-ALERT is powered by C-TEC’s CAST protocol and is fully compatible with ENVISION, its powerful new Cloud-based fire alarm remote access, service and site management software package which can be used to provide duty holders with a verifiable audit trail of system activity and device testing. 

EVAC-ALERT, C-TEC’s new evacuation alert system, is now in operation at Delaney Heights, a radically renovated tower block in Salford.With 119 affordable rent apartments featuring floor to ceiling windows and stunning city views, the building cost over £9M to refurbish and is named after Shelagh Delaney, Salford’s famous playwright and the author of ‘A Taste of Honey’.The EVAC-ALERT system installed there comprises a powerful 3-loop panel connected to single and multi-way flat interface units, self-testing sounders and Equality Act-compliant visual indicators and vibrating pillow pads, all designed to fully comply with BS 8629, the code of practice for evacuation alert systems.Darren Moulding, Director at Supersafe, the BAFE SP207-registered specialist fire company that completed the project for The Guinness Partnership, said: “Optimum fire safety protection and the correct evacuation procedures are critical in residential buildings to protect people and property.“Currently there’s a huge demand for evacuation alert systems as Part B of Building Regs states they must be installed in all new residential buildings over 18 metres high. “EVAC-ALERT’s flexibility means it’s very easy to customise to create a cost-effective BS 8629-compliant solution for any high-rise to give owners and residents peace of mind.“We particularly liked the fact we could test every single sounder independently from the panel and that the entire system was powered up and running perfectly from the word go. Our client was very impressed during handover and, as a company, we would highly recommend EVAC-ALERT.”Joanne Stokes, Building Safety Resident Liaison Officer at The Guinness Partnership said: “Myself and Robert Murphy, our Clerk of Works were more than happy with the installation of the evacuation alert system. Supersafe’s customer service skills are second-to-none and communication with myself and our customers was first-class and kept the project firmly on track. I look forward to working with the Supersafe team on future projects.”EVAC-ALERT is powered by C-TEC’s CAST protocol and fully compatible with ENVISION, its powerful new cloud-based remote access data management software which can be used to provide duty holders with a verifiable audit trail of system activity and device testing.

Hush Pro, C-TEC’s revolutionary BS 5839-6 Grade C domestic fire detection and alarm system, is now protecting three iconic tower block developments in Manchester.Located in the centre of Piccadilly, Oxygen Towers is a striking set of three new 31-storey, 16-storey and 10-storey buildings consisting of 345 stylish 1, 2 and 3-bedroomed apartments and 12 spacious family townhouses. Designed to provide the ultimate living experience, the futuristic ‘vertical village’ combines luxury accommodation with fabulous five-star leisure facilities including a swimming pool, cinema, gym and spa. The stunning development also features lush garden terraces and rooftop gardens.Selected for its cutting-edge technology and capacity to align with the building’s fire strategy, Hush Pro integrates with the site’s BS 5839 part 1 landlord system to offer higher levels of fire protection than the Grade D unmonitored battery alarm systems typically used in domestic installations. As a fully-monitored BS 5839-6 Grade C system, Hush Pro reports open and short circuit faults and operation faults back to the fire panel and even allows management and maintenance companies to remotely monitor the system. Each of the flats features an easily accessible low-level Hush Pro Controller connected to a series of Hush Pro smoke detectors, base sounders, multi-sensors and heat detectors all seamlessly interfaced to a powerful network of C-TEC 4-loop ZFP addressable fire control panels to provide all-encompassing fire and fault monitoring of the system. If, for any reason, part of the domestic fire alarm is compromised, this will immediately be reported to the building management team to allow them to action the fault and re-instate full fire detection coverage to the flat.Said Dan Perry, Projects Manager at Solid State, the specialist fire and security company involved with the design and delivery of the project: “As well as enhancing the fire safety management, property and life protection of the buildings, a key factor in our client’s decision to invest in Hush Pro was the system’s ability to notify building management in the event of a real fire and, at the same time, its potential to virtually eliminate false alarms.”“Hush Pro’s unique capacity to differentiate between Fire Level 1, usually a false alarm reported locally in the dwelling, and Fire Level 2, almost always a real alarm activated outside of the dwelling, reduces false fire alarms, unnecessary call-outs and the risk of a real fire alarm being ignored. As our client requires immediate notification in the event of a fire but also first-class false alarm management, Hush Pro is ideal.”“Also of vital importance to our client is that, as the project consists of private balconies with an open plan flat arrangement, Hush Pro is the only fire alarm solution that can actually meet the requirements of BS 9991 Annex D3.”Said Jason Lawler, 24-7’s Group Director and the person responsible for delivering the electrical and mechanical systems for the project: “Hush Pro is an outstanding solution. The system provides residents with easy-to-use detection, alarm, silencing and test facilities so they can test their own devices, be alerted to system faults and hush any false alarms at the Hush Button which is positioned at light-switch level for safe and easy access. Hush Pro’s powerful false alarm management capability will also prove invaluable at the site.”Said Dan: “Client satisfaction is incredibly important to Solid State so we were delighted to be able to specify a robust and fully-compliant integrated BS 5839 Part 1 and Part 6 fire alarm solution for Oxygen Towers. With its capacity to provide high levels of fire protection yet also minimise costly and disruptive false alarms, Hush Pro is fast becoming the system of choice for fire strategy engineers and consultants dedicated to enhancing fire safety in high-rise residential and specialist housing projects throughout the UK.”

American software giant Adobe has opted for C-TEC’s innovative SigTEL disabled refuge system at its impressive UK Headquarters in Maidenhead, Surrey.With its powerful controllers and extensive arrangement of fire telephone and disabled refuge outstations, the system is central to protecting the state-of-the-art UK offices of one of the world’s most successful software and technology-based companies. However, according to David King, Installation Manager at Niscayah Group, the company that completed the project at Market House, the installation was far from straightforward as the building already had a SigTEL disabled refuge system installed on one floor which needed to be connected to new equipment so to create one large system for the entire four-storey building.Said David: “The challenge was to interface an additional Master Controller and various outstations to the equipment already in operation. To achieve this we temporarily suspended the system and used C-TEC’s new EVC423 software to completely reprogram it once the new Controller and outstations had been installed.”Although specifically designed for the programming of larger SigTEL systems, C-TEC’s new EVC423 is also excellent for programming smaller disabled refuge/emergency voice evacuation systems.Said David: “The software proved to be a lifesaver on this particular project as it enabled us to program the entire system from scratch very quickly reducing system downtime. The fact that you can edit outstation/extension names using a PC makes programming so much quicker and easier”As a result, Market House now has a fully operational disabled refuge/emergency voice evacuation system. In an emergency situation, the system will enable clear two-way communication between building management and people located in the refuge areas to, firstly, assist rescue teams in finding people and, secondly, to let stranded people know that help is on the way.Based in London, Niscayah Group is a subsidiary of Swedish-headquartered Niscayah AB (formerly known as Securitas Systems AB). Specialising as an integrator, the company offers complete fire and security solutions for customers with high demands for security and efficient solutions.