The Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT), a registered housing association and care provider in York and north east England, has completed the first phase of an upgrade of the fire alarm systems in one of its retirement communities using Aico’s range of advanced alarms and accessories.
Hartrigg Oaks, on the outskirts of York, is a community of around 250 people aged 60 plus, consisting of 152 bungalows and a care home on a 21 acre site. Built to national standard ‘Lifetime Homes’, Hartrigg Oaks empowers people to remain independent by enabling aids and adaptations to be easily fitted. Aico’s RadioLINK+ based fire alarm systems fit well with this philosophy, being simple and cost-effective to adapt to meet the differing needs of residents.
The first 10 bungalows completed at Hartrigg Oaks are home to hard of hearing residents meaning extra care needs to be taken in developing an appropriate alarm system. The fire alarm systems have been upgraded with multi-sensor fire alarms in the hallway, landing and living room; a heat alarm in the kitchen; and alarms for the hard of hearing in the bedrooms (with an additional strobe light in the lounge).
Aico’s multi-sensor fire alarm is particularly beneficial in this setting due to its fast response time, which provides residents with more time to evacuate. This is achieved through the use of two sensor types, optical and heat, to constantly monitor smoke and heat levels which are processed through intelligent detection software to provide the best response to all fire types, as well as reducing potential false alarms.
In addition to the alarms, a range of Aico accessories have also been installed, all interconnected wirelessly throughout the property using RadioLINK+ technology.
JRHT modernisation and planned maintenance manager, Ross Tolmie-Loverseed, comments on the organisation’s choice of system: “The Aico detectors offered a fully compliant, whole house RF detection system and once installed and commissioned could be logged and downloaded onto a software package which JRHT could monitor.
"The RF detection system also provided a competitive, VFM solution, by removing the need for highly disruptive, hard-wiring between detectors in occupied properties. The system could also be linked in to the existing Tunstall warden call system at our sheltered accommodation where there was a need for an upgrade.”
