Protecting our local community: Midland Fire installs fire alarm systems at The Becket School, Nottingham

This summer, our team at Midland Fire Security Services stepped up to replace the existing fire alarm systems at The Becket School, ensuring optimum continued safety for students and staff.

Protecting our local community across the East and West Midlands area has always been our top priority at Midland Fire, so when the school contacted us we were more than happy to help. This project has been particularly important to us as it gave us the opportunity to help protect the next generation of young people in our local area.

Our team was tasked with replacing the school’s existing fire alarm systems on a like for like basis, as well as carrying out any essential repairs, all during the five-week summer holiday period. Through diligent time and project management, our team ensured that the work was completed to the highest standards in time for the school reopening in September.

“A quick turnaround was key to this project, and our team maintained a high level of work and service even whilst working to a tight deadline. It was very rewarding knowing we were doing our part to help protect young people in our community.”

Thomas Sleath, Business Development Manager, Midland Fire

To ensure all requirements from the school were fully met, we worked in partnership with Make Consulting Ltd. throughout the project who acted on behalf of The Becket School. Their team facilitated communication between the school and our engineers, ensuring that we understood and delivered on all their needs.

The Becket School

The Becket School, located in the West Bridgford area of Nottingham, is a secondary Roman Catholic school with 1185 students aged 11 to 18. Part of the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, the school prides itself on providing an outstanding Catholic education for all, helping students achieve their full potential spiritually, socially and academically.

The school’s campus is modern and well-equipped, offering a wide range of facilities for both academic and extracurricular pursuits. These facilities include science labs, computer suites, a performing arts area, design and technology workshops, a large sports hall and outdoor playing fields. The variety of spaces was an important consideration for our team when installing the new fire technology, and we chose only the most reliable and comprehensive fire safety solutions to support the safety of both staff and students.

Replacing fire alarm systems at The Becket School

The project

The Becket School approached us because the fire alarm systems needed updating throughout their school. After a full assessment, our experienced fire alarm engineers replaced their existing systems like for like, utilising the existing wiring which was in good order.

Our team swapped out the existing Ziton ZP3 system for a new Honeywell Gent Vigilon system, complete with S-Quad loop devices. We installed two new control panel systems and replaced the old network wiring with enhanced fire rated cables, as the existing cables were found to be defective.

We also enhanced the functionality of the systems at the school, by adding supplementary VADs (Visual Alarm Devices) as well as programming a school ‘lockdown’ configuration.

The challenges

Even though work took place during the summer holidays, the school was often occupied by summer school camps. This meant that we had to plan around activities to make sure we were accessing certain areas when they weren’t in use, and we also had a duty of care to ensure the school was safe for others using the building. As we had a limited amount of time in which to finalise the work, this made our organisation of the project even more important.

In terms of the school space itself, there were certain areas which required high level access, such as the second floor classrooms and the sports hall. Luckily we were fully equipped to reach these heights and the experience of our engineers allowed us to find solutions to access the more challenging areas.

Next steps

The fire alarm system at The Becket School is now under warranty for a 12-month period, giving the client peace of mind that their new equipment will continue to function to the best of its abilities.

We are now in talks around providing fire safety solutions at other schools in the Our Lady of Lourdes CMAT portfolio, which is an exciting prospect for us as a company, and one that we look forward to.

The benefits of Gent fire alarm systems

We are approved Gent 24 System Integrators. This means that at Midland Fire, we’re part of the approved network that Gent supplies to, selected for our ability to deliver the highest quality of service.

We have access to all Gent resources and products, and we work on both open and closed protocol systems. We are therefore able to choose the correct equipment based on need and budget, and for The Becket School, that was the Gent Vigilon system.

Here’s why we recommend Gent Vigilon:

• Advanced technology: The combination of powerful control panel software and intelligent loop powered devices makes the Vigilon the most comprehensive life safety system on the market today.
• Accurate fire detection: Multi-sensor detectors distinguish between real fires and false alarms, minimising unnecessary disruption.
• Flexibility: The system is modular and scalable, supporting both small and large installations. Multiple components can be networked for seamless control across large areas, making it ideal for complex environments.
• User-friendly interface: The system’s graphical interface provides clear information, with options for remote monitoring and diagnostics, making management easy.
• Full compliance and safety: The system complies with strict fire safety standards and offers high reliability for early fire detection.
• A brand you can trust: Honeywell’s global reputation guarantees quality manufacturing and reliable support.

Looking for fire alarm system installation or replacement in Nottingham?

We provide fire risk assessment and fire safety solutions in Nottingham city centre as well as the surrounding towns and villages across the Midlands.

At Midland Fire, we’ll work with you to plan and deliver the optimum fire safety solution for your premises, including ongoing maintenance, support, and fire safety training. At Midland Fire WE PROTECT.

For more information and a free consultation contact Midland Fire Security Services Ltd.