Care homes are a type of residential care that provides around the clock care for elderly or infirm people. Care homes, or nursing homes, typically provide permanent residence for those that need regular care, but also, in some situations, provide short-term rehabilitative stays following surgery, illness or injury.
Care homes can have high levels of occupancy and receive high-volumes of visitors every day. Many of a care homes occupants are incapacitated or only able to move slowly or have limited mental agility. Therefore, it is essential that up-to-date, effective and reliable fire detection is in place to allow residents, personnel and visitors plenty of time to evacuate safely.
What are the Challenges?
Additional to the challenges that are presented with most types of residential property such as HMOs or hotels, care homes have their own, distinct set of challenges. In particular, maintaining a fire detection system to ensure ongoing, reliable detection can be difficult. Residents can be unsettled easily, and too much disruption can put a lot of strain on their wellbeing.
- Cabling
The cabling required to replace or upgrade detectors, manual call points and sounders in private rooms means that residents may need to be relocated until work is complete. - Aesthetics
Electrical conduit is unsightly and can disrupt the aesthetics of what should be a peaceful and homely environment. - General disturbance
Having workmen and unfamiliar faces onsite can cause disturbance to vulnerable residents. Dust, dirt and noise from channelling cables can also cause unnecessary stress.
What is the Solution?
Hybrid fire detection can provide a cost-effective and reliable fire detection solution for care homes. Combining wireless and hardwired fire detection technology, a hybrid fire alarm system is easy to install, maintain, extend and upgrade.
Wireless devices can be used where necessary to minimise disruption and hardwired devices can be used in back-of-house, hallways and other areas where access is easier and aesthetics are less of a priority.
Wi-Fyre
Wi-Fyre, Eurofyre’s hybrid fire detection solution, allows hardwired and wireless devices to coexist seamlessly. Wi-Fyre can be installed as part of a new fire alarm installation or to upgrade an existing system. With 6 modes of user-selectable operation, Wi-Fyre can integrate with almost any fire detection solutions:
- Conventional
- Addressable (Collective)
- ProFyre 2-Wire Addressable
- ProFyre Addressable
- Standalone
- Reflective
How Wi-Fyre Works
At the heart of the Wi-Fyre system is the Wi-Fyre transponders. Wi-Fyre transponders allow the system to communicate with Wi-Fyre wireless devices and are installed into a fire alarm system’s wiring via a compatible interface.
Each Wi-Fyre transponder can communicate with up to thirty wireless field devices such as manual call points, sounders, detectors and input/output devices.
A wireless survey must be conducted using a Wi-Fyre wireless survey head to test the signal between the device and the transponder to ensure that it is strong enough for the system to operate effectively.
For more information about Wi-Fyre, please feel free to give us a call on +44 (0)1329 835024 or email info@eurofyre.co.uk where we would be happy to answer any questions.
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