Morley-IAS ZX panels improve fire system performance at Royal Hospital, Chesterfield

Released 22 February 2002

SureFire, one of the region’s leading fire companies, has installed an eleven-panel Morley-IAS intelligent networked fire system, controlling more than 3000 devices, at the Royal Hospital Chesterfield.  Alan Booker, the hospital’s Electrical Engineer, initiated the complete replacement of the existing system that was both difficult to update and also gave an unacceptably high level of false alarms.  Working closely with Sandy Geddes & Dave McNeill of SureFire and Keith Bacon, the Hospital Fire Officer, Mr. Booker designed the new system to ensure that it was robust, expandable and could be easily reconfigured as the hospital campus was extended and departments relocated.  To minimise the cost, existing devices and wiring were used wherever possible.  Plans are already well advanced to add a further 500 devices and several additional panels to the system.

The Morley-IAS ZX panel family, with open protocol capability, is extremely versatile, simple and cost-effective to install.  During the upgrade, the new panels were sequentially introduced; new panels were initially linked to the existing system to preserve cover; the existing panels were then replaced with ZX ones.  Some existing conventional zone wiring was converted into an intelligent loop and linked to the new panels; additional devices were also installed.  Most panels were changed over in less than one day, minimising disruption to a very busy hospital.  The Morley-IAS ZX network’s simplicity also means that panels and devices can be added to the network on a piecemeal basis as required; software changes and commissioning are both simple exercises.

Alan Booker said, ‘the new system is far more user-friendly than the one it replaced.  For example, staff working in critical areas such as operating theatres, X-Ray and other High Dependency Units now have repeater fire panels in the department so that they can see the exact location of any fire; previously, someone had to leave a sterile area to investigate in the event of an alarm.’

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Notes to Editors.

For further information:

Morley-IAS contact:	

David Spencer
Marketing Communications Manager
Morley-IAS
Charles Avenue
Burgess Hill
RH15 9UF

Tel: + 44 (0)1444 235556
fax: + 44 (0)1444 254410
david_spencer@pittway.com
www.morley-ias.co.uk

Agency contact:		

Nigel May	
Parkfield
Parkfield House
Damerham
Hants
SP6 3HQ

tel: + 44 (0)1725 518321
fax: + 44 (0)1725 518378
Nigel_May@parkfield.co.uk
www.parkfield.co.uk
       
      Morley-IAS is a leading manufacturer of high performance conventional and analogue addressable fire alarm control equipment and systems. Morley-IAS operates a policy of “open protocols” and can provide control equipment compatible with the major independent detector manufacturers, namely Apollo, Hochiki, Nittan and System Sensor as well as provide a full system solution using our range of products. 

In addition to standard systems Morley-IAS can also provide multi-panel networks, graphical front-end solutions and a range of peripheral products which maximise system flexibility.
      
Morley-IAS is a trading division within the Fire and Security Solutions Division of Honeywell International.