US fire safety equipment

[daniel_f]

I'm wondering if any of this equipment is used outside the United States.



















Do systems in the UK have prealarms and chimes that sound a code indicating where the alarm initiated?

[Allen Higginson]

In the first picture on the left hand side is a GAMEWELL fire box - I work on a US company site in the UK that has this as their plant wide fire alarm system.We interface to it on our networked fire detection system via cause and effect programming relating to specific areas triggering a solenoid on a particular box.
The boxes are actually a mechanical wind up adressable system that uses coded cogs for particular buildings/locations that pulse dial out into a control panel and use earth return back up so that if they lose either the poz or neg the signal still works.Pretty bomb proof imo!

[daniel_f]

Yep gamewell boxes are tried and true.

[AnthonyB]

A nursing home in West Yorkshire I visited had a US system with pull stations like the one in the above pictures and a large conventional panel with bulbs (not LEDs) and appeared to be 20-30 yearas old in line with the building. UK style bells were fitted and non descript AFD.

It was in the middle of being replaced by a UK addressable system and running parallel to it. Its the only time I've seen US stuff over here and in such as unusual location - there was no apparent connection with a US company or agency, unlike say a building on a UK located US airbase for example.

American stainless steel stored pressure water extinguishers have been used here for years & were the first example of such before we made them ourselves. Particularly popular was the Badger Fire water, brought over by Thomas Glovers and seen re branded by major suppliers such as L&G, Thorn/Kidde Thorn etc. BHS stores had L&G labelled Badger waters in service for over 20 years (the same extinguishers, never needed replacing & wouldn't now if it weren't for the 'must be red' con). And of course after Badger the next most prevalent stainless water was the Amerex.

Now most stainless waters are Chinese - even the TG/Chubb ones.

[Willo]

I've seen the pull boxes being used in the UAE but most of the other equipment that I have seen out there is European. I have seen American self illuminated exit signage units.

Hope that is of help.

[Mr. P]

Re the extinguishers... I understood that it was only new ones that had to meet the RED rules?  If they are existant and still servicable, the stainless are still ok? Otherwise someone could have a field day and enforce till their hearts content or even make a few bob pushing sales to replace...

[nearlythere]

Re the extinguishers... I understood that it was only new ones that had to meet the RED rules?  If they are existant and still servicable, the stainless are still ok? Otherwise someone could have a field day and enforce till their hearts content or even make a few bob pushing sales to replace...

Mr P. There are no rules to say thay must be red. It is a recommendation, thats all. The rules are that there should be, where appropriate, a means of extinguishing a fire (or, without resorting to the legislation, words to that effect).

[AnthonyB]

As nearlythere says.

The red is a requirement of full compliance with BSEN3 a guidance standard for manufacture.

As long as it is suitable and sufficient, maintained and where necessary indicated by signs, an extinguisher could in theory be pink with green spots and it is by this token that polished finished extinguishers are still manufactured and sold.