Ealing Council has agreed a partnership with one of Europe’s leading smoke, heat and carbon monoxide (CO) alarm suppliers, FireAngel, in conjunction with CEF, to deliver one of the largest IoT roll outs of its kind currently available in the UK.
As part of the groundbreaking contract FireAngel Spec Connected (pictured above) will be supplied, which will cost-effectively provide Ealing Council with a remote monitoring solution that ensures maximum levels of fire and CO detection for its tenants.
Ealing Council will oversee the supply and installation of over 122,000 smoke, heat and CO alarms across an initial 14,000 of 17,000 properties located throughout West London, whilst also benefitting from FireAngel’s patented Predict technology, which will highlight trends and high-risk patterns of behaviour to prompt earlier intervention before an actual fire event.
The new agreement will significantly improve the way in which Ealing Council monitors and manages its entire housing stock, eliminating the requirement for gaining physical access to a property, as all of the required device data is transmitted wirelessly in real time via a secure cloud network.
Historically, Ealing Council has specified an LD3 Category mains-powered system from another supplier, which will be replaced with FireAngel’s advanced Specification Range, upgrading the level of protection provided throughout each property to an LD1 Category specification, in accordance with BS 5839-6.
As part of Ealing Council’s continuous commitment to reviewing and improving the levels of protection it provides its tenants, whilst also acting in line with the release of the Draft Building Safety Bill, councillors reviewed its Fire Safety Policy to ensure fire safety equity for all tenants.
Remote monitoring
After an initial trial period, the Specification Range was chosen due to its remote monitoring capabilities and compliance with an LD1 Category specification, which subsequently future-proofs all properties against any regulatory changes in the years ahead.
Paul Cook, Interim Health and Safety Manager at Ealing Council, said: “After an initial review of Ealing Council’s Fire Safety Policy, it was clear a fire safety system that provided transparent and continuous monitoring of each alarm in every property would enable the council to increase the level of protection provided, while simultaneously streamlining maintenance processes to quickly identify any potential risks.
“I was really impressed with the investment FireAngel had and continues to make with regard to its connected technology. This is an area that will continue to evolve and improve and we are confident that by partnering with FireAngel we will be providing our tenants with the highest standards in fire protection. We are making a real step change in how we protect our tenants and are one of the first social housing providers in the UK to adopt these revolutionary IoT technologies, in partnership with FireAngel.”
Streamlined processes
The battery-powered Specification Range smoke, heat and CO alarms, supported by a the company’s Connected Gateway, will be installed in each of the initial 14,000 properties, with the alarms exclusively supplied by CEF through the Procurement for Housing framework.
Together the partnership have together developed a bespoke recyclable cardboard ‘kit pack’ that contains no plastic waste, significantly reducing the amount of packaging materials the installer needs to dispose of when during the installation process. The packs contain battery-powered Specification Range of smoke, heat and CO alarms, which will be installed across Ealing Council’s housing stock in line with an LD1 Category specification.
As the alarms are wirelessly interlinked across a secure private network, the technology will allow the council to easily monitor and manage the status of the alarms in real time, highlighting any potential issues as and when they occur. The Predict technology will also enable Paul and his team to remotely understand the trends and levels of risk each property presents and as tenant needs change.
The installation process has also been streamlined through the development of an innovative commissioning system, which includes photographic records, auditing facilities and the automatic production of certifications.
IoT roll out
James King, Director of Trade for FireAngel, said: “We are extremely proud to be supporting Ealing Council in one of the biggest IoT roll outs of its type currently available in the UK. Over the last seven years, FireAngel has spent in excess of £8m on its IoT strategy to deliver connected fire safety technologies that revolutionise asset management for housing providers.
“We are looking forward to working closely with Ealing Council throughout the installation and implementation stages to provide its tenants with enhanced quality of service and support with regard to fire safety.”
The Specification Range enables continuous monitoring of fire and CO safety devices within domestic properties via a central, secure cloud-based system. Featuring Smart RF technology, the range of mains and battery-powered alarms supports the interlink of up to 50 devices together on a wireless network by fitting a Smart RF module.
The devices include smoke, heat, CO alarms and assisted living solutions, which can be interlinked via a private network so that when one alarm sounds, they all sound. This also immediately notifies tenants of a potential fire or CO event, providing a faster response time that allows individuals to safely and quickly exit the property.
