Panel-free protection

To comply with the existing BS 5839 Part 6: 1995 Grade C regulations or the earlier 12/92 circular, which is still influential with many local environmental health officers, electrical contractors seem to have little choice other than 24 V panel-based smoke alarm systems. But it's been obvious for some time that this is not the best solution. Apart from the high costs incurred by landlords, such systems throw up all kinds of issues, not least of which is that of false alarms in one property affecting the whole building.

The problem is that BS 5839 Part 6 and 12/92 are out of touch with reality. They don't take into account new developments in technology. Worse, they take a blanket approach to protecting HMOs, with one set of rules expected to cover widely differing properties. Further, issues such as maintenance and security seem to be swept aside. The landlord loses out because they have to buy an expensive system; and tenant safety may be compromised because the system recommended is not suited to the particular building.

No-one is suggesting that we should offer less than optimum protection in HMOs to save money. The risk of death from a fire in an HMO is eight to ten times greater than in a standard dwelling. Safety must remain the paramount consideration. But what if it were possible to create a non panel-based system that would offer equal or greater safety, reduce false alarms, cut costs, and still provide a healthy margin for the contractor? Wouldn't this be a better alternative, despite not strictly adhering to BS 5839 Part 6?

Such systems are now being developed and challenging the assumptions of the Standard, making the need for further revisions urgent. One such system has been developed by Aico. Modifire is designed to provide a simple, low cost, yet flexible alternative to a panel-based system in BS 5839 Part 6 1995 Grade C applications. It features interconnected, mains-powered smoke and heat alarms with manual call points and an element of central control. But there's no panel.

In a typical Modifire application the property's communal areas have a separate system of interconnected Ei Professional smoke and/or heat alarms. These are linked to a minimum of one manual call point on each floor. Sounders can be connected to the system to operate in the individual dwellings if greater audibility is needed. Other devices, such as alarm locator switches, high intensity strobe warning lights and fire door closing devices can be added as required.

Heat alarms are sited in the dwellings and interfaced with the communal system to sound a common alarm in the event of a real fire. Heat alarms are preferred to smoke alarms as they are less susceptible to nuisance alarms.

Such a system can be installed in a suitable HMO by any competent electrician using pvc wiring, with no need for expensive fireproof cable. Because it's fully modular, only necessary items need be included on the system and it can be altered and developed to meet the changing needs of the premises with minimal cost, disruption and effort.

Tried and tested
This may sound good in theory, but what happens when you try to apply such a system in practice? This year, Shepherd's Bush Housing Association opted to install Modifire systems in suitable HMO properties after experiencing problems with panel-based systems.

The London-based housing association looks after 3000 properties, including a number of Victorian terraced dwellings converted from houses into flats. In these converted properties the Association encountered quite serious difficulties with the panel-based smoke alarm systems they were being advised to install.

"Fitting an expensive and complex panel-based system in these properties is definitely over specifying," says reinvestment manager Scott Kay. "It's overkill, and far in excess of the level of protection a general needs building requires. Special needs buildings are a different issue, but for general needs, a panel-based system is far too much.

"The problem is that, as far as we were aware, there was nothing in-between a mains-powered smoke alarm and a panel system. The former is inadequate, the latter too extreme.

"Panel-based systems cost us a fortune to purchase and install and are extremely expensive to maintain. However, we think they actually give a poorer level of protection in many cases. For a start, if one person burns his toast, the whole system goes off and everyone gets evacuated. They're very prone to false alarms in our experience. Then the fire brigade turns up and we end up getting fined time after time.

"The panel is also a focus for vandalism, and damage can be very expensive to put right. Then there's the reset issue. Most panels reset either with a key or a code. With tenants moving in and out, keys can get lost, codes faded or torn off walls, and there are all kinds of problems.

"Access issues are problematic too. To service our panel systems, we have to contract out to specialist fire companies, and they have to be able to gain access to all the flats on a system simultaneously.

"The thing that worried us most of all though, was that if a whole system goes down in a property, no-one seems to notice or inform us. Our tenants can think they're being protected when they're not. We take tenant safety very seriously and this really concerns us," Kay concludes.

The housing association turned to Aico for help as the firm had been chosen as the Association's official supplier of mains-powered smoke alarms when it decided to upgrade from battery units three years ago. Aico suggested that the Modifire system might provide a lower cost and more efficient solution. A demonstration was requested and a meeting arranged with Hammersmith & Fulham's environmental health department and the local fire officer to assess suitability.

As there was no specific recommendation for such a system in HMOs, the environmental health department was unable to endorse it, but gave a verbal agreement not to issue Environmental Health Notices in properties protected by Modifire. The fire officer did fully endorse the Modifire system for use in such properties. This was good enough for the Association, which set about installing its first Modifire system in 2000.

The Modifire system has typically been installed in three- to four-storey Victorian terraced houses that have been converted into flats. These comprise an EI166 optical mains-powered alarm on each communal landing, interconnected with an EI164 heat alarm in the hallway of each flat.

The flats are separately protected by an optical smoke alarm in the hall and a heat alarm in the kitchen. Alarms for the deaf have been installed in properties as needed. The communal system will not sound unless smoke is detected in the communal hallways or significant heat is registered in individual flats. In this way, false alarms and mass evacuations can be minimised.

"We've had no problem with our Modifire systems at all," says Scott Kay, "and they've saved us a fortune. Typically, a Part one-based panel system for a three-storey property was costing us around £5000. We can protect a property with Modifire for just £1500-2000. And then there's the savings on specialist servicing to consider. With these alarms, we can have any maintenance done under our gas maintenance contract.

"Of course, we wouldn't consider fitting a Modifire system if we didn't feel that it gave our tenants the same quality of protection as an L2 panel-based system. In fact Modifire is giving us a better quality of protection. There are no vulnerable parts to it, as with a panel system. There's no target for vandals to fix on. It has visual indication that it's working, unlike the panel systems, and if anything does fail, it gives tenants an audible warning that is so annoying they'll soon report it! Modifire gives us just the right level of protection that we need."

Based on this case history, it seems that modular systems like Modifire can provide a perfectly good alternative to panel-based systems in certain circumstances. Plus, such systems open the market for a wider range of electrical contractors, as they are quick and easy to install.

Systems such as Modifire are not a blanket replacement for panel-based systems and each application has to be carefully considered. At present, the regulations covering fire protection in such properties have not caught up with this technology. The recommendations to use only panel-based systems were drawn up before such systems were developed.

Until the regulations catch up the precise status of such systems remains a grey area in terms of approval, but the reaction of the authorities consulted in the instance of Shepherds Bush are particularly interesting and revealing.