A meeting held in Durban late in August unanimously agreed to the appointment of Martin Holmes of Specifire and Tony Ferreira of SFP as committee members for the KwaZulu-Natal Branch. Holmes and Ferreira will conduct operations in this area following the lead of the Johannesburg committee, and encourage more companies in this area to join the Association to uplift standards in the fire detection industry.
New members for August
Dragon Fire
Specifire
FireSpec Systems
Integrated Technical Solutions
Centa Group
Reditron
FDIA promotion
* A marketing campaign has started targeting fire consultants and specifiers to encourage them to use association members and assist in the upliftment of industry standards.
* Envelopes are to be distributed to FDIA member companies to identify them against nonmember companies.
* FDIA fax forms are to be distributed to company members to identify their membership commitment when submitting quotes and proposals.
* An FDIA service contract and service procedures are to be distributed to association members to provide a common standard within the industry.
Revised guidelines for K14 sprinklers
New fire protection research by industrial and commercial property insurer FM Global had identified an uncommon but realistic scenario where K14 early suppression fast-response (ESFR) sprinklers, used in some warehouse protection applications, may fail to perform as intended.
Specifically, the findings revealed certain ignition scenarios could affect the K14 sprinklers' ability to suppress a fire in buildings over 40 feet (12,2 m) high.
As a result, FM Global no longer recommends to its policyholders the use of K14 sprinklers as an alternative to in-rack sprinklers in buildings over 40 feet (12,2 m) high. Rather, the company advises that a combination of in-rack and ceiling sprinklers be installed according to FM Global property loss prevention engineering guidelines.
The findings are the result of FM Global's long-range sprinkler technology research programme.
Additional research has revealed that this storage configuration issue does not affect K25 ESFR sprinklers installed in 45-foot (13,7 m) high buildings nor K14 or K25 sprinklers installed in buildings up to 40 feet (12,2 m) high.
The new data will be reflected in a forthcoming update to FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheet 8-9 storage of class 1, 2, 3 and 4 plastic commodities. For additional installation guidelines on ESFR sprinklers, consult Data Sheet 2-2, installation guidelines for early suppression fast-response sprinklers. To order either of these data sheets, visit www.fmglobal.com/store.
Tyco invests £2m in Hygood
Within weeks of completion of the £4,25m sale of Hygood Fire Suppressant Systems to Tyco, the $28,9 bn combine had embarked upon an expansion of its manufacturing plant at Great Yarmouth to extend the Hygood operation.
Henry Bartram, the team leader at corporate finance boutique Livingstone Guarantee, who concluded the sale, said afterwards: "This was a deal waiting to happen." Hygood was the only remaining independent company in the world that had met all the stringent regulations to sell the new FM200 gas-based fire safety product that is beginning to play a critical role in firefighting.
"The acquisition by Tyco will enable Hygood to vastly boost profitability through increased sales world-wide."
Tim Goodman, one of the co-founders of Hygood 21 years ago, remains with the company as a consultant.
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