Changes to the Building Regulations have meant that since June 1992 mains-operated smoke detectors must be installed on every floor of new build houses and loft conversions. These regulations don't extend to existing properties, which do not need by law to be fitted with alarms. The Government's campaign was intended to highlight that fitting even one cheap, battery-operated alarm could play an important part in saving lives.
One of the main problems fire safety professionals have faced when dealing with the domestic installation of smoke alarms is a British public that needs direction on the proper installation and maintenance of the units.
While official figures indicate that around 80% of homes are fitted with a smoke alarm, in a worryingly high percentage of households the alarms are not working. Either the occupant has forgotten to replace a spent battery, or it has been taken out because the alarm was causing a nuisance.
Step forward the FireAngel. Developed by Sam Tate and Nick Rutter, two Coventry University students, the alarm is an innovative development in smoke alarm technology.
Unlike conventional systems, the device needs no ceiling installation, additional wiring or regular battery replacement. Instead, it simply plugs straight into a standard pendant light fitting. The lamp is then plugged directly into the alarm.
Graham Whitworth, chief executive officer of Sprue Aegis, the company behind the FireAngel, explains that the project began when the inventors spotted a gap in the domestic smoke alarm market: "They were looking at Home Office statistics and discovered that 50% of all battery-operated smoke alarms were not working. There are a range of reasons for this. [Tate and Rutter] felt that clearly there were problems and looked into it."
Whitworth explains that the pair identified a list of reasons why so many of the smoke alarms installed in UK homes are not working: "The first problem comes with fixing the device. People buy them with good intentions but then get home and realise that they need ladders and drills to fix the thing to the ceiling.
"Second was that when an alarm goes off there's no effective way of silencing it. Some of them have hush-buttons fitted, but not a lot of people are prepared to get on stepladders to switch them off.
"Third, people need to replace batteries and don't always remember. Finally, lots of people felt they were unsightly."
Heavenly solution
What makes the FireAngel unique among domestic smoke alarms is that as well as plugging directly into a light fitting – thus eliminating the first of the problems identified – it tackles the other three head-on too.
The fact that the alarm fits straight into a light fixture eliminates the excuse that they are difficult to install. As Whitworth notes: "Anyone that can change a bulb can fit one."
The second problem, that it is not easy to silence an alarm, was also addressed by the fact that the unit plugs into a light fitting. Users simply have to turn the light switch on and off twice to test and reset the system.
Government figures highlight the fact that neglecting to replace dead batteries in smoke alarms is one of the main reasons why alarms are non-operational. To counter this the FireAngel draws its power not from a direct battery, or a mains circuit per se, but by storing up power in a rechargeable battery every time the light is switched on.
Whitworth feels that this product provides a feasible solution to the problem of battery replacement: "The light only needs to be on for 50 minutes per week to charge the battery. If you happen to go away on holiday it's not a problem because the battery doesn't need recharging for three months and it will beep when the power gets low."
The problem of unsightliness is also countered by the siting of the unit. Since it plugs into the light fitting, the unit is concealed by the lampshade. Provided the shade is open at both ends, the device will function normally.
A success in the making?
The FireAngel was launched earlier this year and Whitworth reports that it is already proving popular.
"The product targets everyone. At the younger end of the scale, people have busy lifestyles and don't want to be changing batteries all the time. But it has benefits for older people too. It has ease of access for disabled or the elderly, who can't be climbing around on stepladders," explains Whitworth."We started to sell the product in June and now have 1700 outlets in the UK," he reports.
These outlets include such diverse stores as B&Q Warehouses, Woolworths, Tesco and Allders. Whitworth explains that he wants the product to be seen alongside other consumer goods, not just as part of the DIY market.
Another coup for the company came with the decision by certain fire brigades to carry the alarms to install after domestic fires. The fact that this is an important endorsement is not lost on Whitworth: "They have tested these and validated them. Their use by the brigades themselves is a good indication of the fact that they work. It even featured in a recent Home Office smoke alarm booklet."
In the year to 30 June 2001, Sprue Aegis reported a loss of £545 000 as product development continued. However, as Whitworth points out: "Since the launch in June we have received orders in excess of £500 000 and have started to see repeat orders as retailers restock."
The company is confident that it will achieve the £1.4 million in revenue projected for the calendar year over the next six months. "FireAngel is selling and currently meeting expectations," says Whitworth. "Certainly [the retailers] had an expectation of how many units they could sell that FireAngel is meeting."
The question still arises, though, as to whether people are prepared to pay the additional cost of fitting a FireAngel when it takes a concerted government campaign to encourage people to fit even one of the cheaper smoke alarms. The FireAngel retails at around £20 – about four times the cost of the cheapest models. For the Sprue Aegis CEO, however, this disparity needs to be considered in the long term.
"A mains-powered alarm costs between £15-40, but in addition needs an electrician to fit it, pushing the costs up to maybe £100. On a ten-year alarm you've still got to screw it onto the ceiling, and they cost around £14-25 anyway."
He adds: "The cheap alarms that cost about £4.99 have only got a one year battery life, and after you've put a battery in every year for ten years at £3 a battery you're looking at around £35. You've got to ask yourself if it's not worth investing more at the start."
Certainly Whitworth seems to believe firmly in the potential of his company's product. He sees the FireAngel as a new concept in the development of domestic smoke alarms. "We think that it's the first real innovative and new smoke alarm for almost 20 years."
He adds: "The company's development is in line with our expectations, and the market acceptance that FireAngel has already achieved gives us confidence for the future as we step up production and prepare to expand the product range."
Sprue Aegis seems to be a company with a big future. With the retail success of the FireAngel alarm already under its belt, the company is looking outwards to future possibilities. "We're hoping to move into the more commercial market," says Whitworth. "We are talking to the fire brigade, housing authorities and local authorities, over and above the retail market."
He explains that the company hopes that when local authorities take over housing schemes, they could be persuaded to retrofit the FireAngel as opposed to mains alarms since it would save them having to run new wiring through the buildings. Plans are also afoot to enter the US market next year, which would require only minor modifications to the product.
The arrival of such easy to install systems as the FireAngel is something that m&e contractors should be aware of. This is a feasible add-on to standard contracts on domestic projects, and one that will surely be added to commercial projects in the near future if Whitworth's predictions are correct.
Source
Electrical and Mechanical Contractor
