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Nov Dec 2015 Marina World

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Robust high-end marina services Turnkey installations Pump-out installations Prepaid payment systems Remote and smart metering Project engineering www.seijsener.com info@seijsener.nl TOTAL CONTROL OF MARINA at your fingertips SEE YOU AT METS 2015 MYP.63 marinamanagementsoftwaresolutions IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE TO CREATE ADDED VALUE IN YOUR LANGUAGE Visit our website www.marinamaster.si

PRODUCTS & SERVICES Discussing fire protection options for Ferguson’s Marina (left). Linked detection systems offer enhanced fire protection A fire at Middle Harbour Yacht Club in Sydney Harbour, Australia, prompted nearby marina operators to install some innovative fire protection solutions. The owners of Ferguson’s Marina, only 100m (328ft) from MHYC, watched firsthand as the fire gutted part of the old timber boatshed. Only the prompt action of neighbours smelling smoke and the quick arrival of the fire brigade saved the rest of the building. Ferguson’s Marina worked with MHYC to develop an understanding of the fire and the response process and realised they needed a unique solution for their fire alarms and early warning systems. Martin Thompson of Ferguson’s Marina noted: “We don’t have the benefit of close neighbours but we do have residents in each building. My family also lives in part of the marina building so I needed a first class early warning solution for the building as, naturally, their protection is of paramount concern to me.” Ferguson’s asked Fire Safe Australia & New Zealand, which has been providing the marina with essential services maintenance and fire protection consultation since 2013, for help with a suitable cost effective solution. Fire Safe recommended installation of a Brooks linked fire detection system. Brooks has been designing systems for the electrical and fire engineering industries for over 40 years and was the first company to introduce wireless smoke alarm interconnection in Australia and New Zealand. Interconnecting smoke alarms are now mandatory in Australia in all new dwellings where more than one smoke alarm is installed. In New Zealand if more than one alarm is installed and the type used has an interconnection capability, it must also be interconnected. The safety benefits of alarm interconnection are obvious. In the event of one alarm detecting a fire, all interconnected alarms will go into alarm mode, sounding throughout the property. All the alarms in a building become activated simultaneously and minimise the very real risk that, in the event of a fire, a heavy sleeper shut behind a bedroom door will not be woken in time by an alarm in a remote downstairs hallway. Wireless interconnection enables smoke alarms to be connected to each other without the need for costly, disruptive and time consuming cabling between the alarms. A Radio Frequency (RF) signal is used instead to trigger all the alarms in the system. The radio signal can travel a very long way if there are no obstructions to block it - 150m (492ft) or more. However, in practice, there will be walls, ceilings and many other obstructions to impede the radio signal path. In the vast majority of properties, where two or three alarms will be installed, the signal from a RadioLINK unit will be more than adequate. Security systems can use the same frequency as wireless interconnect technology but they use a different band and/or are restricted to using the channel for 1% of the time, for a maximum of four seconds at any one time minimising the risk of interference. Car alarms and mobile phones use a completely different frequency so interference is not possible from these devices. Television remote controls mostly use infra-red, which will not affect the system. Alarms can also be interconnected between properties. In ordinary hardwired installations it is necessary to cross property boundaries with mains cable in order to interlink the alarms (and provide the mains power). This poses an unacceptable electrical safety risk. The number of connected alarms will depend on the individual manufacturer. According to Jeff Weston of Brooks, it is technically possible to interconnect up to 20 alarms, but the limiting factor is likely to be the distance between alarms and obstructions that may block the radio signal. In most domestic properties and small commercial buildings a realistic maximum number of alarms would be about 12. The system is ideal for Ferguson’s Marina as there are many areas in its building where a regular smoke detector cannot be heard if personnel are off site. Ferguson’s also owns the building next door and can now link the alarms. Contact Fire Safe Australia & New Zealand in Sydney, Australia on email: enquiry@firesafeanz.com.au www.marinaworld.com - November/December 2015 51

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