Smoke detectors protect warehouse

Oil Spill Response has installed three FFE Fireray 5000 auto-aligning optical beam smoke detectors in its oil dispersant warehouse in Southampton.

The detectors were installed by Forward Control of Portsmouth.

Beam smoke detectors provide wide-area detection and are used when it is impractical, inappropriate or not cost-effective to use traditional point-type detectors. They are ideally suited to large interiors with high ceilings, such as warehouses, as they enable coverage of a large area at minimal cost.

According to Tony Powell of Forward Control, the company opted for FFE’s Fireray detectors as it is trusted technology and it offered the best solution for the large storage warehouse. In addition, sprinklers are not an option as the water could degrade the valuable oil dispersant. Tony added that OSRL is extremely satisfied with the performance of the detectors.

The motorised, reflective, auto aligning Fireray 5000 combines an infrared transmitter and receiver in the same unit and operates by projecting a well-defined beam to a reflective prism, which returns the beam to the receiver for analysis. It can be installed with up to two detector heads per system, saving on installation time and costs. In addition, each system controller houses two pairs of fire and fault relays, one per detector. The Fireray 5000 excels at detecting smoke over large areas in wide indoor spaces, with the infra-red beam of a single detector spanning up to 100m.