Patol launches long-range flame detector for large-scale fire risks

Patol has launched the Optect LR16, a long-range flame detector designed to provide rapid fire detection across large and challenging environments

Patol has launched the Patol Optect LR16, which it describes as the world’s first optically enhanced long-range flame detector.

Developed in partnership with Optect, the LR16 has been designed to address fire detection challenges in environments where distance, airflow and limited visibility can affect the performance of conventional detection systems.

The detector can reportedly identify a single flame at distances of up to 100 metres, while a 6ft x 6ft fire can be detected from up to one mile away, with response times as fast as five seconds.

Rather than relying on smoke or visual imaging, the LR16 detects specific infrared wavelengths emitted by combustion. Patol says this allows the system to maintain detection performance in smoke-obscured, wind-affected and visually complex environments.

The technology is intended for large, open or hard-to-reach areas, including car parks, transport infrastructure, industrial sites and perimeter protection zones, where positioning detection devices close to the potential fire risk may not be practical.

By extending detection range, the LR16 is designed to provide wider coverage with fewer devices while retaining early warning capabilities.

The detector is also designed to identify small flames and developing fire conditions, including those caused by airborne embers or partially obscured ignition sources. This can help support earlier intervention where fires have the potential to spread rapidly.

The LR16 was shortlisted in the Fire Safety Innovation of the Year category at this year’s Fire & Security Matters Awards.

Iain Cumner, Managing Director at Patol, said :“In many of the environments we work in, the challenge isn’t whether fire detection is in place, it’s whether it can respond early enough when the risk isn’t close to the detector.

“The Patol Optect LR16 changes that dynamic. It gives engineers the ability to detect flame at distances that simply weren’t achievable before, without relying on smoke behaviour or clear visibility.

“As sites become larger and more complex, there’s a growing need for detection that can extend beyond traditional coverage areas, and that’s exactly what this technology has been developed to do.”