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Europe's biggest fire alarm system
The University Medical Center
Groningen
(UMCG) has official-
ly taken delivery of its completely
upgraded fire alarm system. With
7500 fire detectors, spread over
more than 30 buildings through-
out the university's campus, it
is, according to Siemens, the
largest fire alarm system on one
network in Europe. The system
that was supplied by Siemens
Building Technologies not only
puts an end to the many false
alarms raised in the past, but
also protects the medical center's
employees and patients optimally,
thanks to the use of intelligent
smoke detectors.
This major upgrade, on which
Siemens and the UMCG cooper-
ated very closely from the start,
kicked off during the last quarter
of 2011. Royal Haskoning DHV
acted as advisor for the UMCG
and Harwig Installatiegroep from
Emmen (NL) installed the 7500
intelligent Sinteso smoke detec-
tors, 35 fire alarm panels and 18
operating consoles.
Another feature that was intro-
duced is the electronic logbook,
which provides a comprehensive
overview and allows uniform man-
agement of the system. At the end
of February 2014 the installation
as a whole was certified by B.V.I.
(Brand Veiligheids Inspecties, a
dutch certification body). It was
notable that throughout the major
upgrade not a single department
in the medical centre had to be
shut down or relocated, which was
all very important for safeguarding
UMCG's continuity.
Erroneous and false fire
alarms 90 percent of all alarms
generated at companies and
organisations are one of the
biggest problems associated with
automatic fire detection and
cost the fire department and the
companies involved huge amounts
of money and time. False alarms
also cause disruption and panic,
premises have to be evacuated and
continuity comes under threat.
The basic starting point with the
Siemens Sinteso smoke detectors
is that they only react when it
is really necessary, thanks to the
patented ASA technology.
Each area in each individual
building was also fitted with a
smoke detector that was specifi-
cally programmed and tailor-
made for that area. The patented
ASA technology ensures that
the Sinteso smoke detectors are
better able to distinguish between
different types of smoke particles.
The intelligence is also evident in
the detector's ability to correct: if
there is no smoke from a real fire,
but simply dust from construction
work or steam from a shower, the
detector will not trigger an alarm.
Fire market begins move to IP
Despite traditionally being slow to
use new technologies, analysts at
IHS Inc
have found that the fire
market is starting to see increased
interest in wireless and IP (Inter-
net Protocol)-enabled products
Wireless products have
typically been used in specific
applications where wiring is dif-
ficult such as historical buildings,
but outside of this the market has
been virtually non-existent. Barri-
ers such as reliability, price, vari-
ations in frequencies and installer
reluctance have slowed adoption.
However, wireless is starting now
to be embraced. This is particu-
larly true in the United Kingdom
(UK) and Nordic countries. IHS
estimates some 25% of sales of
wireless products in Europe are
taking place in the UK. End-
users are now willing to spend
a bit more upfront for the
product, in exchange for lower
installation costs since wiring is
not necessary.
The main barrier to mass-mar-
ket adoption is the integrator/in-
staller channel. Installers continue
to be reluctant to market wireless
products because they would need
to complete more installations to
make the same amount of money
as they do with wired installations.
So while end-users see benefits,
installers struggle to see any advan-
tages.
Researchers found that for IP,
increasing demand to integrate
multiple building systems is driv-
ing acceptance. Large facilities,
centrally managed chains and
campus-style buildings want
to connect multiple building
systems together to gather higher
levels of data on a single platform.
Surprisingly, most demand for
these solutions is coming from the
Middle East and Southeast Asia
where legislation is more lax on
integration standards. Here build-
ings are integrating fire equip-
ment with building management,
security, and lighting equipment
to improve operational efficiencies
and have fewer people reviewing/
monitoring the information. It
is expected to not only increase
adoption for networked ad-
dressable panels but should also
increase use of more sophisticated
communication channels such as
IP and Modbus.
Demand for these technolo-
gies is expected to remain modest
in the short-term. However, as
other building technologies such
as access control, video surveil-
lance, intruder alarms, building
automation, elevators, and visitor
management systems move to use
wireless and IP-ready products,
and be integrated, the fire industry
may be hard-pressed not to follow-
suit.
Multicom and Safetel merge to form
a new leading player in the Scandinavian market
Security firms Multicom Security
and Safetel including subsidiaries
are merging with a joint owner-
ship. With about 40 million
Euros in sales and over 100,000
customers, the Group becomes
the 6th largest security company
in Scandinavia. The ambition is to
become a leading North European
player within monitored alarms
and mobile data services.
"There is an ongoing con-
solidation in the security industry.
To meet this development as a
provider we need size, profession-
alism at all levels and innovation.
The future will require increased
investments in product and
market development. The new
corporate structure will enable us
to meet the constant changes in
the market more efficiently," says
Stefan Albertsson, CEO of Multi-
com Security, who will become the
CEO of the new company.
Both parties see clear synergies,
as both companies have comple-
mentary products and overlapping
customer portfolios. The compa-
nies are therefore well positioned
to meet the changes in technology
and market.
"Together we will be well
positioned to increase the market
share in Scandinavia and expand
into new markets in Northern
Europe. By combining experience,
technology and strong growth, we
will achieve greater efficiency and
profitability, thereby increasing
the opportunities for product and
market development," says Harald
Rønning, CEO of Safetel.
It will be further investigated
whether the companies should
legally merge in 2015.
The ownership is arranged
through a new holding com-
pany where Multicom Security
Manager; GMT Communications
Partners LLP has a 60 percent
stake and Safetel's owners; Viking
Venture AS, Follum AS, Skaugen
Private Equity AS, and a smaller
group of owners has a 40 percent
stake.
Stefan Albertsson,
CEO for Multicom Security.