Dr Milley’s Hospital Upgrades to a Modern Wireless Fire Alarm System

Location:

Lichfield, Staffordshire

Project:

Wireless fire alarm system installation

Background

Dr Milley’s Hospital is an historic Grade II ++ listed alms house, dedicated to women of all ages in need of accommodation. Originally bestowed as a gift from the city’s Bishop in 1424, the hospital is named after Thomas Milley, a Canon of Lichfield Cathedral, who rebuilt the property in the early 1500s. Parts of the present two storey building date back to 1652.

Having undergone extensive refurbishment in the 1980s, Dr Milley’s now consists of 10 individual, self-contained apartments, each with their own kitchen and bathroom (housing a mix of long and short-stay female-only residents), as well as a reception area, common room, laundry room and first floor chapel. It operates as a Trustee-run Charity.

Challenges The Client Faced

The project involved the removal of an outdated 25-year-old wired fire alarm system, which was no longer fit for purpose and replacing it with a modern, reliable, easy-to-operate alarm, capable of providing coverage throughout each individual apartment, all common areas and the corridors.

As Chair of the Trustees, Elaine Price, explained that due to the complex architecture of the building – age, building fabric, layout and current usage - Dr Milley’s Hospital is not a straightforward structure in which to integrate modern technology.

After considering a number of estimates, Justice Fire & Security were appointed by the Trustees to undertake the installation.

“Justice put together a very detailed plan about where all the equipment would be installed. They made a number of visits and were open to negotiation in terms of price, which was very helpful as we are a very small charity. Their management were very cooperative and understanding,” she said.

The main challenge was to ensure that Dr Milley’s new fire alarm complied with all regulatory and insurance requirements relating to fire safety, to safeguard the well-being of the residents.

Equipment Installed

Given the challenges of running cables, due to the age and layout of the building, it was decided that a fully wireless fire alarm would be the most effective solution.

Justice installed a Cygnus Smartnet fully wireless fire alarm L1 category (the highest) in all areas. In total, the installation took 10 working days.

All ongoing system servicing/maintenance is now carried out by Justice, with the system being linked to our gold standard monitoring centre.

The Final Outcome

Elaine said Justice were very conscientious during all phases of the work schedule and were efficient with any necessary troubleshooting, which included a few teething problems with a sensor in one of the flats.

“Unlike the old control panel, the new one that Justice installed is very easy to use. It has also been very straightforward working with the Justice call centre, when we have our weekly fire tests and when we do a fire drill.”

She explained that Justice had also attached an easy-to-follow guide on the wall, mapping the location of all the sensors. “This is very helpful as we can immediately pinpoint their whereabouts in every room.”

Elaine said that given the issues with the old fire alarm, it was very reassuring to know that the new fire alarm was now fully integrated and easy to operate. “The Justice team have been very professional. We found them to be extremely easy to deal with and they have been very conscientious and considerate to all the residents living at Dr Milley’s.

“I feel we made a very good decision in selecting Justice Fire & Security to carry out this project for us. Whilst we have a part time administrator on-site, the property is, by and large, the domain of the residents. It is extremely reassuring for us as Trustees to know that they feel comfortable with how the alarm works. Thank you for doing such an excellent job.”