FDS Saves Lives With One-minute Smoke Venting Wonder
Leading fire safety systems contractor, FDS Contracting (FDS), has proved that smoke can be cleared from a burning building within just one minute following tests of the company’s innovative smoke venting systems.
Designed to protect the lives of both buildings’ occupants and fire crews that come in to tackle the blaze, the advanced FDS smoke venting systems were put to the test at Bridges Wharf, a high rise residential building in London’s Battersea. The ‘real life’ simulation tests were overseen by the London Fire Authority and Chairman & Leader of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, Councillor Brian Coleman AM, FRSA, was impressed by what he saw. Councillor Coleman said: “I was very interested to see the FDS Contracting venting system at Bridges Wharf. Fire protection measures must go on improving in this manner if we are to continue making buildings and people increasingly safe from fire.”
The tests simulated a real fire, filling the test area with smoke and measuring how quickly this was dispersed once the smoke venting system was activated. The results demonstrated that the FDS system is able to purge the smoke within just one minute from a main corridor.
Sam Riley, marketing director at FDS, said: “Smoke is the single biggest killer in any burning building and removing it quickly and effectively saves lives by allowing residents to escape and providing better access and visibility for fire fighting crews.
“Our innovative smoke venting systems have been developed as a result of comprehensive R&D based on the expert knowledge and understanding of our team. They have also been rigorously tested, resulting in approval from the NHBC, various Building Control bodies and Fire Officers in England and Ireland.”
The groundbreaking smoke venting systems developed by FDS not only remove smoke from the building to aid the occupants’ means of escape and provide clear access for fire fighters, but they can also reduce the cost of smoke damage to the building following a fire. Combined with a solutions-driven approach to fire design, they can provide value-engineering benefits to some buildings by allowing fire engineers to reduce other types of fire safety provision thanks to the extended evacuation times and improved fire service access.
Sam Riley adds: “As a recognised market leader in providing smoke venting solutions that easily outperform standard code-based systems, FDS can design systems to maximise saleable floor area and keep ongoing maintenance costs to a minimum.”
For more information on these smoke venting systems please visit www.firedesignsolutions.com or call 01322 387 411.
