Construction site protection experts, VPS Site Security, have added a wireless emergency system (WES) early warning fire safety and evacuation network to their range of specialist rental products and services.
The VPS FireAlert Wes+ (‘Wes plus’) has already built a substantial track record, with over 50,000 units operating on some of the biggest and most high profile construction projects in Europe, including Cross Rail and Heathrow. Most of the top building companies have selected the product to protect their sites, including Vinci, Bouygues, Balfour Beatty, Skanska UK, Kier and Morgan Sindall.
Construction sites are high-risk safety areas but can be particularly to fires. All it takes is a spark from a sander, an abrasive chopsaw, a blow torch or ash from a cigarette to ignite common and flammable construction materials like wood, solvents, packaging and fuel. Last year, for example, a fire swept through the top floor of the Paris Ritz Hotel as it was undergoing refurbishment, with 150 building workers evacuated from the site. More recently, a huge fire destroyed a seven storey apartment building under construction in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The VPS FireAlert Wes+ mobile wireless fire safety and evacuation system is an advanced technological solution for the construction industry that is fully approved and externally certified to the European EN54 standard for fire alarms. It is also CE marked and compliant with all key safety guidelines and legislation, helping to meet the legal requirements and recommendations of insurers.
A key feature is that as a construction site changes, the system is so flexible that the units can be moved easily and simply to protect the new dynamics of the site. Up to 250 units can be networked wirelessly, and the base station automatically performs silent alarm tests with each unit on a regular basis. An online APP allows the fire safety officer to check the status of the network at any time.