Facilities Managers have experienced a recent surge in health and safety demands which is adding significantly to their workloads with fire safety actions a key area. Fortunately, this coincides with recent developments in remote fire panel monitoring with the latest platforms combining fire system monitoring, instant incident notifications and remote fire system control. Michael Dunbar, Digital Product Manager at Advanced, explains.
Recent legislation and an increased focus on best practice are piling on the responsibilities for property and facilities managers (FMs) leading to heavier workloads. This trend was recently highlighted by a new report1 from health, safety and property compliance firm, William Martin. In its inaugural property compliance report, which analysed over 20,000 risk assessments and surveys from its Meridian software between April 2023 and March 2024, the firm noted a staggering 22% surge in health and safety tasks.
The William Martin Report also identifies ten key health and safety trends, noting a significant 53% increase in fire safety actions when compared to the previous year. This surge is largely attributed to new fire safety legislation. New legislation introduced over the last few years, including the Building Safety Act 2022, has driven the number of fire safety actions to skyrocket as requirements have tightened in a number of area, such as limiting the spread of fire and smoke and emergency plans and evacuation processes.
This uptick in work load underscores the growing need for FMs to find solutions that streamline health and safety demands while ensuring they are fulfilled and meet best practice. Fortunately, this escalation in health and safety demands coincides with a rise in smart buildings and increasingly sophisticated remote monitoring technology – with the fire safety industry being the latest to see new developments. This is welcome news for FMs who are recognising the benefits and efficiencies remote monitoring can bring, including improved safety and time savings.
Efficiency
In recent years remote monitoring has significantly advanced the capabilities and efficiencies of FMs with the expansion of internet-connected devices making it possible to remotely communicate, collect and analyse data without being on site.
Following extensive customer research, remote fire panel monitoring platforms, such as AdvancedLive, have been designed specifically to meet FMs’ needs by combining fire system monitoring, instant notifications, and remote fire system control in one software. These subscription-based platforms enable users to view and control elements of their fire system from any internet-enabled device, at any location. They also provide users with day-to-day reassurance that their fire system is working as intended, with instant notifications to alert them of critical incidents and status changes, and secure access methods to keep their data safe.
Information from their fire system is stored in the Cloud and presented in software accessed via any internet-enabled device. The software is simply connected to the fire panel using an internet connection and a BMS interface. Advanced’s popular MxPro 5 fire panel now features a new base card which offers plug and play with access to AdvancedLive simply through an ethernet cable.
Accessibility
Although modern fire panels are often simple to install and configure, research uncovered that FMs, other Responsible Persons and first responders do not find fire panels as easy to use as engineers, especially when a stressful incident is under way.
AdvancedLive was therefore designed to be intuitive and simple to use. A huge benefit is the option to access the fire panel via the software by using familiar tools, such as a mobile phone, PC or tablet, removing the need to use the panel to control the system.
Fire System Monitoring
As the FM’s role expands remote monitoring becomes vital to provide the efficiencies required to monitor fire safety systems quickly and easily whenever a user needs to – even when off-site. AdvancedLive’s intuitive dashboard offers a host of features, showing device status and duration of isolations and enablements with clear colour coding for easy identification of Fire, Fault, Isolation and Ok.
Monitoring can be viewed by a map or list ensuring accessibility for all users regardless of the device they are using. Larger sites may benefit from a floor plan option, with a full-screen, colour-coded map for easy identification of zones, panels, device location and status.
It is easy to navigate the floor plans with pinch-to-zoom and to plot new and unmapped devices by simply dragging them to the required positions. A clear view of first and second-stage investigation countdown maximises available response time.
Instant Notifications
During fire incidents, information is vital. Instant notifications mean the FM or other Responsible Person are the first to know of an incident. Users miss nothing with status-change alerts sent during incidents to quickly show first and subsequent detections, investigation delay start and end points, as well as reset actions.
Remote monitoring platforms can be accessed from any internet-enabled device, anywhere in the world, giving users reassurance that they will be the first to know about any problems, no matter where they are.
Remote Control
Remote fire system control offers significant time savings, allowing users to make changes on the software without needing to be at the panel. Uses can remotely acknowledge and extend the fire alarm investigation period (where set up on your fire system), and avoid unwanted alarms by remotely isolating devices before resetting the system at the panel.
Crucially, users can only control a fire panel if they have permission to do so. With data security vital, the latest software gives admins complete control over who can access their system. Flexible login methods to offer fast, secure access without the need to remember yet another password but also an automatic link timeout for added security. Actions taken by individuals are stored in a comprehensive log, allowing traceability and compliance.
Fire Alarm Engineer
Traditionally engineers would access the event log to understand a fire system’s performance. However, with the latest remote monitoring all data is hosted in the Cloud providing engineers with a real-time view of a fire system, and historical data. This information can be analysed to predict potential issues, improving fire safety and system efficiency.
Engineers can now remotely access a panel’s complete device history, including when the device was last activated, isolated, tested and enabled. This capability enables remote troubleshooting or pre-diagnose of issues, to save time if a site visit is required.
Time savings, efficiency, reduced false alarms and improved safety are just some of the benefits remote fire panel monitoring offers. As the rise in FM demands grows and we move towards a rise in smart technology this is only the beginning of the digital transformation of fire safety systems in our buildings.
Notes for Editors
1: The William Martin Annual Compliance Report 2024 https://wmcompliance.co.uk/download-the-william-martin-annual-compliance-report/
