Ken Bullock, Business Development Manager at Advanced, speaks to IFSJ about the new requirement for evacuation alert systems in England

Tell me about Advanced – who you are and what you do?

Advanced is a global provider of fire and life safety solutions dedicated to creating a safer future. Established in the UK in 1999, we’ve developed an extensive product range that offers performance, quality and ease of use and Advanced solutions are now used in over 80 countries around the world. In 2013 we joined Halma, a FTSE 100 global group of life-saving technology companies. As part of that group, we’re able to tap into a wide array of expertise, helping us to grow and constantly improve.

What is your role at Advanced?

I’ve worked in fire and security sector for most of my working life, starting off on tools, progressing to commissioning and maintaining systems before moving into tech support and then over to sales 15 years ago. I joined Advanced in 2017 as their Southern Regional Sales Manager.

With the publication of BS 8629, Advanced sought to play a key role in developing a solution and I took the opportunity to be part of this emerging area of fire safety, becoming the Business Development Manager for Evacuation and Alert Systems. Now I spend my time educating end users, trade customers, housing associations and fire and rescue services on the benefits of having these solutions in place to create a safer future for people in high-rise residential blocks today.

What are the impending changes concerning evacuation to the building regulations and why are they happening?

The why comes back to what is the largest fire tragedy the UK has ever seen: Grenfell Tower. The reports that came out of that found that building regulations were lacking in certain areas. One of the things highlighted was that the Stay Put policy needed to have a Plan B: the fire and rescue service had to have a means of doing something beyond running round knocking on doors to alert people to leave the building in an emergency. The response from industry experts and the fire and rescue service was to create BS 8629, a code of practice for an evacuation alert system for use by the fire and rescue service.

Building industry regulations move much faster than Government regulations. The BSI was able to act quickly and published the new code of practice in 2019. Now the building regulations are being updated and the code of practice is being included. The new building regulations call for the evacuation alert systems to be mandatory in all new-build residential blocks over 18m in England. In Scotland, the systems are already included in their technical handbook, and we expect the other devolved nations to follow.

What is the intended impact of these changes?

From our perspective, the installation of evacuation alert systems should give residents in high-rise, residential buildings reassurance that if the fire and rescue service need to tell them to leave the building, the instruction will be communicated clearly and safely, whether by an external alarm or flashing beacons.

With a BS 8629 system, evacuation is controlled and targeted, enabling the fire and rescue service’s main commander to evacuate specific areas of the building effectively using toggle switches on the panel. They can ensure staircases are not overwhelmed, control the evacuation and get firefighters into the building where necessary.

What is Advanced’s view of these changes and the work that has been done around this area?

These are important steps that need to be taken to protect residents’ lives. We are concerned about the height factor and believe solutions should be risk-based because the risk might be just as real at 10m or 11m as it is at 18m. Residential safety should be risk-based.

How involved have you been in the development process?

We were at the forefront of the development of a BS 8629 solution and first to market with an evacuation alert system. My role for the last 18 months has been education – we’ve been working to inform everyone through the buying cycle to ensure they’re buying the right solution for their needs.

We would like to see evacuation alert systems being included in the early phases of the design. Even if a building is being built without a housing association in mind, the electrical design should now have an evacuation alert system built into it, along with other solutions called for within the building regulations.

Have you found people to be responsive to these changes and are there any challenges surrounding them?

The biggest challenge until now has been that these systems have not been mandated This is an area we’ve been trying to address as an industry for some time – it shouldn’t be about a minimum or a bottom line, it should be about risk-based solutions that are going to give residents the right level of protection.

What solutions does Advanced offer for these changes?

We launched EvacGo, the solution to BS 8629, just over two years ago. We brought this to market with partners – the robust tamper-proof enclosure being a specific requirement for evacuation alert control and indicating equipment. We’ve also just produced a handy pocket guide to BS 8629 – with all materials available to be download from our website at www.advancedco.com. You can also email questions to the EvacGo team using [email protected].

In addition, we run a free one-hour FIA-certified CPD course twice a month which allows you to learn more about BS 8629 and how evacuation alert systems differ from fire detection and alarm systems. We also cover how they are installed differently, as well as some of the key questions that we come across on a day-to-day basis.

What are the key takeaways around the new evacuation regulations?

We don’t want people to miss the fact that this change is coming. It has big implications for the people who will need to design and install these systems so it’s important they understand what they need to do to comply.

Finally, the people who are installing fire alarm systems need to understand that evacuation alert systems must operate entirely independently of them; you cannot integrate any element with a fire system if you are going to fully comply with the standard. These points can cause problems and compromise safety if missed, so we will continue in our quest to create a safer future by making sure that people understand how the actions they take need to meet the new requirements.

Ken Bullock, Business Development Manager at Advanced, speaks to IFSJ about the new requirement for evacuation alert systems in England

Tell me about Advanced – who you are and what you do?

Advanced is a global provider of fire and life safety solutions dedicated to creating a safer future. Established in the UK in 1999, we’ve developed an extensive product range that offers performance, quality and ease of use and Advanced solutions are now used in over 80 countries around the world. In 2013 we joined Halma, a FTSE 100 global group of life-saving technology companies. As part of that group, we’re able to tap into a wide array of expertise, helping us to grow and constantly improve.

What is your role at Advanced?

I’ve worked in fire and security sector for most of my working life, starting off on tools, progressing to commissioning and maintaining systems before moving into tech support and then over to sales 15 years ago. I joined Advanced in 2017 as their Southern Regional Sales Manager.

With the publication of BS 8629, Advanced sought to play a key role in developing a solution and I took the opportunity to be part of this emerging area of fire safety, becoming the Business Development Manager for Evacuation and Alert Systems. Now I spend my time educating end users, trade customers, housing associations and fire and rescue services on the benefits of having these solutions in place to create a safer future for people in high-rise residential blocks today.

What are the impending changes concerning evacuation to the building regulations and why are they happening?

The why comes back to what is the largest fire tragedy the UK has ever seen: Grenfell Tower. The reports that came out of that found that building regulations were lacking in certain areas. One of the things highlighted was that the Stay Put policy needed to have a Plan B: the fire and rescue service had to have a means of doing something beyond running round knocking on doors to alert people to leave the building in an emergency. The response from industry experts and the fire and rescue service was to create BS 8629, a code of practice for an evacuation alert system for use by the fire and rescue service.

Building industry regulations move much faster than Government regulations. The BSI was able to act quickly and published the new code of practice in 2019. Now the building regulations are being updated and the code of practice is being included. The new building regulations call for the evacuation alert systems to be mandatory in all new-build residential blocks over 18m in England. In Scotland, the systems are already included in their technical handbook, and we expect the other devolved nations to follow.

What is the intended impact of these changes?

From our perspective, the installation of evacuation alert systems should give residents in high-rise, residential buildings reassurance that if the fire and rescue service need to tell them to leave the building, the instruction will be communicated clearly and safely, whether by an external alarm or flashing beacons.

With a BS 8629 system, evacuation is controlled and targeted, enabling the fire and rescue service’s main commander to evacuate specific areas of the building effectively using toggle switches on the panel. They can ensure staircases are not overwhelmed, control the evacuation and get firefighters into the building where necessary.

What is Advanced’s view of these changes and the work that has been done around this area?

These are important steps that need to be taken to protect residents’ lives. We are concerned about the height factor and believe solutions should be risk-based because the risk might be just as real at 10m or 11m as it is at 18m. Residential safety should be risk-based.

How involved have you been in the development process?

We were at the forefront of the development of a BS 8629 solution and first to market with an evacuation alert system. My role for the last 18 months has been education – we’ve been working to inform everyone through the buying cycle to ensure they’re buying the right solution for their needs.

We would like to see evacuation alert systems being included in the early phases of the design. Even if a building is being built without a housing association in mind, the electrical design should now have an evacuation alert system built into it, along with other solutions called for within the building regulations.

Have you found people to be responsive to these changes and are there any challenges surrounding them?

The biggest challenge until now has been that these systems have not been mandated This is an area we’ve been trying to address as an industry for some time – it shouldn’t be about a minimum or a bottom line, it should be about risk-based solutions that are going to give residents the right level of protection.

What solutions does Advanced offer for these changes?

We launched EvacGo, the solution to BS 8629, just over two years ago. We brought this to market with partners – the robust tamper-proof enclosure being a specific requirement for evacuation alert control and indicating equipment. We’ve also just produced a handy pocket guide to BS 8629 – with all materials available to be download from our website at www.advancedco.com. You can also email questions to the EvacGo team using [email protected].

In addition, we run a free one-hour FIA-certified CPD course twice a month which allows you to learn more about BS 8629 and how evacuation alert systems differ from fire detection and alarm systems. We also cover how they are installed differently, as well as some of the key questions that we come across on a day-to-day basis.

What are the key takeaways around the new evacuation regulations?

We don’t want people to miss the fact that this change is coming. It has big implications for the people who will need to design and install these systems so it’s important they understand what they need to do to comply.

Finally, the people who are installing fire alarm systems need to understand that evacuation alert systems must operate entirely independently of them; you cannot integrate any element with a fire system if you are going to fully comply with the standard. These points can cause problems and compromise safety if missed, so we will continue in our quest to create a safer future by making sure that people understand how the actions they take need to meet the new requirements.

This article was originally published in the November edition of IFSJ. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.