AEI sends out message to building owners
Owners of high-risk
buildings are being warned of the dangers of not using approved cabling under a
new British Standard Code of Practice by cabling leader AEI Cables.
The systems powered by
these cables – including smoke and heat extraction systems – assist fire
services in firefighting and a safe evacuation in the case of life safety.
Installations and types
of buildings which come under the new Code of Practice include evacuation
alarms for the disabled in care homes and emergency voice communications
systems and voice alarm systems in tall buildings, office spaces, hospitals,
shopping malls and stadia.
Stuart Dover, General Manager
of AEI Cables, said: “There isn’t a lot of widely available information on this
issue. Building owners need to be aware of the dangers of not using approved
cabling in these applications and ask their contractor what type of cable they
are installing.
“If these systems fail
because the cable is not able to function properly the consequences could be
critical. Lives and property are at stake here. Category 3 Control fire
performance cables reduce harmful smoke, toxic gases and flame spread in the
event of a real fire.
“Our customers are seeing
the peace of mind of installing approved cables which provide continuity of
power for these systems, and we think building owners should be aware of the
same information.”
The wider fire safety industry
and professionals have also welcomed the message including the professional
fire safety membership body the Institution of Fire Prevention Officers (IFPO).
AEI Cables is the only
supplier in the UK with independent approval from LPCB for BS8519 Category 3
Control fire performance cables with a fire survival time of up to 120 minutes.
AEI Cables’ Firetec
Enhanced cabling has been approved and certified by LPCB to BS8519 (Annex B),
Category 3 Control in addition to Category 2 Control.The BS Code of Practice under BS8519 contains six categories of cables,
three for power cables and three for control cables each covering survival
times of 30, 60 or 120 minutes.
Using the very latest in
technology and science, the Firetec Total Fire Solutions range offers Mineral
Insulated Cabling (MIC), Firetec Enhanced fire performance cabling, accessories
and technical support from the AEI Cables distribution facility at Washington,
Tyne and Wear.
All AEI Cables’ products
are supplied with approvals from independent bodies including BASEC and LPCB. It also
holds approvals from organisations including Lloyds, the MoD, Network Rail and
LUL and works to international standards around the world.