An escalator is a moving staircase that is used to carry people between the floors of a building and often used where a lift or elevator would be impractical.
Elevators are capable of moving large numbers of people at once and can be placed in the same physical place as a stair case. They can be used to guide people towards main exhibits and special exhibits making them a practical solution for applications such as department stores, shopping malls, airports, transit systems, stations and many other public buildings.
Escalators are made up of a motor-driven chain of individually linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal. During mechanical breakdown escalators can be used in the same way as a normal staircase.
What are the Risks?
There are a number of fire risks associated with escalators. Their moving parts, power cables, electrical controls, motors, dust collection trays and truss rollers all present a number of challenges when protecting an escalator from fire.
Increased heat or flames from mechanical or electrical breakdown could easily ignite gathered dust or mechanical grease causing fire to spread rapidly.
These moving platforms can carry millions of people a day, putting them under tremendous load. With their wide use in public spaces it is imperative that escalators are well maintained and are protected by a suitable and reliable fire detection system. If a fire does break out, and is not dealt with in a timely fashion, the consequences could be devastating to the building, businesses, stock and, most importantly, life.
What is the Solution?
In many countries the use of linear heat detection in escalators is required by law.
FyreLine Linear Heat Detection can provide a robust and reliable solution for protecting escalators (or any moving platform) from fire. FyreLine Linear Heat detection offers continuous detection that is capable of identifying a buildup of heat or fire in the mechanical workings of an escalator and can provide an accurate location of an incident.
FyreLine Linear Heat Detection is a cost-effective solution and is available in both digital (fixed heat) and analogue versions, both of which can provide early detection of fire.
FyreLine Digital heat sensing cable is made of two conductors that are twisted together. Each conductor is separately coated in a heat-sensitive polymer. When the polymer reaches its rated temperature it melts, causing the two conductors to come into contact with each other. The resulting short sends a signal to the fire alarm control panel, informing it that fire (or excessive heat) has been detected. Once a fire has been detected, the damaged length of cable can be easily replaced.
FyreLine Analogue Heat Sensing Cable continuously monitors for significant increases in temperature and can provide both alarm and pre-alarm warnings. FyreLine Analogue is fully resettable and therefore doesn’t need to be replaced in the event of a fire unless it has been damaged.
For more information about the FyreLine Linear Heat Detection Systems, or to discuss any of the other products that Eurofyre have to offer, please feel free to get in touch either by phone on +44 (0) 1329 835 024, by email to sales@eurofyre.co.uk or via the online enquiry form situated on our contact page.
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