Fire Safety in the United Kingdom is on a Different Level

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  • @JC09_lvp
    @JC09_lvp Місяць тому +2

    hey British person here. We do have sprinklers in every building as its a requirement but we have lowered ceilings as most of the US does but we have caps over out sprinkler heads. It still works the same as if they weren't there but it helps prevent damage to the sprinkler heads. If there were to be a fire then the heat would cause the heads to expand causing them to pop out and then the fire reaches the sprinkler heads and activates them. I've actually seen this in action before myself as there was a fire in a shopping centre known as ASDA and as we were being evacuated I was recording and got it on video of how it all worked. And in the event we don't have a sprinkler system in a room we have fire ducts. There are 2 separate fire alarm systems one is made for evacuation and the other is for fire ducts. If there were to be smoke or heat detected it would active the fire duct panel (a different panel to the evacuation panel but usually the same make and model) and then the fire vents would open and all windows would open in the building. The fire duct panel does not cause a evacuation although there are 2 identical smoke and or heat detectors right next to each other (identical) so one is for fire evacuation and the other is for smoke duct. We also have a orange call point usually the same make and model as the fire alarm call points but they are wired to the smoke duct system and are ladled emergency vent open. when pressed all windows open but leaving the fire ducts closed. only a manual push on the control panel would open the fire ducts but a key and or code is required , other than that only smoke and or heat can cause the fire ducts to open. Hope this was some nice information! Let me know if you want to know anything else!

  • @nics-systems-electric
    @nics-systems-electric 8 місяців тому +9

    Great video as far as the wire it looks almost comparable to Pyro which is found in many buildings from the 50s to 80s and is still used in fire critical equipment. The proper name is mineral insulated but is often known as pyrotenax. There is powder insulation separating bare conductors inside and has a copper sheathing. It was used for years for fire alarm however is not as common anymore as it is difficult to work with it is still used for things like smoke control systems where the power to may pass through multiple fire compartments and must still be intact and serviceable even if the room it's going through is on fire. Because it uses powder instead of a plastic/rubber insulation it will keep its integrity until the copper melts down which obviously takes a lot of heat.

    • @AchieScottGraham
      @AchieScottGraham 27 днів тому

      please please pleaase review austrilan fire alarms i recon it is the best out of all of them

    • @AchieScottGraham
      @AchieScottGraham 27 днів тому

      also we all use these things in austrila but just beter

  • @wdt-alarms-ltd
    @wdt-alarms-ltd 7 місяців тому +8

    I am from the UK and install fire alarms and other fire equipment, I agree we do seem to not have sprinklers as much as the USA, We tend to have 4 levels of fire alarm installation called L1, L2, L3, L4 there are others but these are the main ones and they are for life safety, We don't tend to fit strobes unless the sound level off the fire alarm is not more then 5db then the ambient noise for that area, strobes are fitted in toilets. We do love a sign in a building and it is a regulation for us to fit them next to call points (pull stations) Also regulations for emergency lighting and they should be maintained on the final door to outside and one on the outside to light a safe route once outside. The bulk heads with the signage on are exit signs only not classed as emergency lights as such. We do a lot for what we call fire compartmentation to stop or slow the spread of fire like self closing fire doors, My pet hate is walking in to a building and find a fire extinguisher hold a door open.🙄

    • @mjgriff74
      @mjgriff74 7 місяців тому +1

      Hey - great info. Who decides what tones are used when fitting a system? Is there a standard like Code 3

  • @dabitzz
    @dabitzz 8 місяців тому +3

    Running man exit signs are great, unless it's a smokey room, then it's nearly impossible to tell it's an exit sign

    • @urlocalcrazyhuman
      @urlocalcrazyhuman 7 місяців тому

      the uk and Europe have had iso and signs directive fire exit signs around for years. neon green has also indicated safety for years in Europe and the uk, but chances are still high of getting lost in a Smokey room. there is a solution but its not in the uk yet, its very complicated to explain but very basically its fire exit signs but at ground level, so if you were in a smoky room you can still crawl towards the nearest exit or escape route following the small fire exit signs.

    • @dabitzz
      @dabitzz 7 місяців тому

      @@urlocalcrazyhuman here in america sometimes i see exit signs at ground level in hotels, its rare though

    • @urlocalcrazyhuman
      @urlocalcrazyhuman 6 місяців тому

      I should say that your EXIT signs will probably be quite hard to see in a Smokey room too, they will just look like a jumble of red/green light.

  • @jrsc01.
    @jrsc01. Місяць тому

    In high rise buildings, and hotel rooms there are usually map layouts of the floors on each level, and all residential rooms showing the fire routes to the nearest emergency exit, and a lot of signage within or around stairwells and corridors would be placed lower on walls near the floor in case they are smoke filled and so can be seen when crawling on the ground too.

  • @jackmellor5536
    @jackmellor5536 3 місяці тому +1

    I'm from the UK and in my experience the older fire alarms from the 90s and before are loud and scary sounding. They'll defiantly get your attention. Banshee and Roshni sounders are the loudest which are still widely used but older and rarer ones like the Strident, Minimite and Super M sirens are probably the loudest ones ever used in the UK.

  • @Exit911YT
    @Exit911YT 8 місяців тому +3

    I've never been to the United Kingdom before, but I do know that they have different words for a few things.
    An Elevator in the UK is called a Lift.
    I believe when you have to go to the Bathroom, you ask if you can go to the Toilet.
    Train Stations in the UK have an "Inspector Sands" Message that sounds before the actual Voice Evacuation Message.
    And what we call Railroad Crossings in the US, the UK calls Level Crossings.

    • @urlocalcrazyhuman
      @urlocalcrazyhuman 7 місяців тому

      you don't need to ask to go to the bathroom in the uk, unless you in school or something lmao

    • @mjgriff74
      @mjgriff74 7 місяців тому

      Love hearing "will inspector sands please report to..." 😊

    • @urlocalcrazyhuman
      @urlocalcrazyhuman 7 місяців тому

      @@mjgriff74 if you hear that you should evacuate immediately using the nearest exit/fire exit

  • @staffsemergresp
    @staffsemergresp 2 місяці тому

    3:01 The strobes in the UK are plenty powerful we also have white Visual Indicator Devices (VIDs) and Visual Alarm Devices (VADs) too! however these can't be mixed in buildings, they all have to be the same colour to meet EN-54 requirements and avoid confusion, sounder bases / sounder VID and VAD bases under a detector are a lot more pleasing to look at than separate sounder beacons on a wall and as for VID, VAD and sounder sync it all depends on the panel make/model. good video!

  • @pineappleroad
    @pineappleroad 8 місяців тому +2

    Im from the UK, and from what ive seen, it seems there may not be a requirement for older buildings to have sprinklers installed
    (As to how much of this is down to making it easier for “Listed Buildings” to comply, im not sure, Listed buildings are essentially protected from modifications, and you cannot legally make changes without getting special permission (with some exceptions), im not sure how fire alarms work with listed buildings, if they are supposed to install wireless systems wherever possible or what (Wireless systems DO exist, i have seen such a system))
    Ive only ever seen an integrated “light ring” on a smoke detector go off, and the one i saw did not strobe, but was more like a simulated spinning light, so unfortunately I can’t really comment on what the standalone strobes are like

  • @TFEAS-09
    @TFEAS-09 8 місяців тому +2

    The UK is very similar to NZ, meaning that you will find very similar devices. However, their smoke detectors are a bit different, and the call points. We use running man exits and the typical "exit" lettering exit signs. Here's some interesting information about UK extinguishers: Back in the 70s, there were 5 colors: Blue meant powder, black meant CO², white meant foam, red meant water and green meant halon/bcf. They changed the color to having red with a colored band after that. They used to use (and probably still do use) the cartridge opertated model every now and then. Chubb was a big company, and still is. They make products and inspections. However, the UK Chubb extinguisher is different to the Australian one that we use. Apart from that, they are very similar to us in devices. Very nice video!

  • @bussesandmore1263
    @bussesandmore1263 8 місяців тому +1

    Hi mate firstley great video. Im in the uk you will see on my channel emergency lights, The red wiring to fire alarms is usualy when alarms are added through out the buildings life sometimes they where just installed like that. I also think the green man exit signs are better and should be in all contrys for diffrent languqe reasons, I hope you liked the uk FIRE SAFETY SYSTEMS!

  • @jamesshore2987
    @jamesshore2987 8 місяців тому +1

    I'd imagine the extinguishers would be intended for staff that have received training for that particular workplace, although anyone who is trained can use them

    • @urlocalcrazyhuman
      @urlocalcrazyhuman 7 місяців тому

      fire extinguishers are meant to be used by anyone. if they were only meant to be used by staff, I'm sure they will be in a staff area with plenty of signage

  • @WILDSIDECLANRadioClockTV
    @WILDSIDECLANRadioClockTV 3 місяці тому

    I think In newer buildings they do have sprinklers fitted in their by law but older buildings you don’t need to some reason I don’t know why but I am from the uk

  • @wetham8667
    @wetham8667 3 місяці тому

    You should do on video on Japanese fire alarms and emergency equipment.

  • @AutoUnder
    @AutoUnder 2 місяці тому

    There are a couple of other areas which I think are worth a mention as well.
    One thing which we do in the UK is we have sounders and beacons that are wired to the addressable loop. This means that a separate sounder circuit (or NAC as you would call it) is not required and is still has the capability of tone and flash synchronisation and also means that that sounder and beacon can be directly fault-monitored; this is also why we use base sounders a lot of the time. Conventional sounders can still be found on many conventional systems and older addressable system as well though.
    Another thing is our implementation of voice alarm. I've noticed in the US that the voice alarm speakers are directly part of the fire alarm and are therefore not very versatile. In the UK, we use separate voice alarm systems that are interfaced with the fire alarm but are effectively separate systems. This means that they are more versatile and can be used for other purposes such as lockdown/security alerts, general announcements and music. They use normal looking paging speakers but they all use ceramic terminal blocks, wired in fireproof cable, the speaker lines are monitored for faults and some system will also have backup amplifiers that are use if the main amplifier fails.
    In terms of what you mentioned about beacons, there used to be no standard for how bright beacons should be so each manufacturer would just make to a design they thought was best; that meant there was a lot of variation in brightness and coverage. Now with EN54-23, they have categorised beacons into VADs (Visual Alarm Device) and VIDs (Visual Indicating Device). VADs have standardised light output which means the brightness is consistent across the area they cover and a lot of companies now choose to do them in white (I personally prefer red as it is more obvious that it means fire). VIDs are effectively beacons before EN54-23 came in; they can still be used if VADs are not required by the risk assessment and many companies still make them for this purpose as they are cheaper and do not have the strict requirements of where they can be mounted. Many companies no longer make VIDs though.
    I completely agree with what you said about sprinklers. Not enough buildings have them and it is surprising the standards haven't been updated, especially since the Grenfell Tower fire. The new Student Centre at my university has no sprinklers despite it opening in 2021. Hopefully the standards will update soon

    • @FireAlarmDude5967
      @FireAlarmDude5967  2 місяці тому

      Interesting comments. I like that your systems have loop powered sounders. Very innovative. Our speakers are also usable as everything you mentioned: we have them interfaces with paging speaker or sometimes even use them as general paging devices.

    • @AutoUnder
      @AutoUnder 2 місяці тому

      @@FireAlarmDude5967 Ah right okay, didn't realise your voice alarm systems were capable of that too. I've never been to the US but the ones I've seen online always seem to just be for the fire alarm and that's it

  • @parker02311
    @parker02311 8 місяців тому +1

    Hey, in terms of sprinklers in the U.S. it varies state to state. For example, when I lived in Utah indeed almost every building was protected by sprinklers, however here in Hawaii it is quite the opposite barely any of the buildings I have been to have sprinklers.

    • @FireAlarmDude5967
      @FireAlarmDude5967  8 місяців тому

      I think Hawaii is an exception. Lower 48 states for the most part are consistently sprinklered

  • @mjgriff74
    @mjgriff74 7 місяців тому +1

    The annoying thing about UK fire alarms to the US is we don't have a set tone like Code 3. I've been in buildings where a fire alarm has sounded but not been instantly recognisable as a fire alarm - it sounded like a car alarm outside the building. My workplace has a range of sounders set to different tones. It's quite a disorientating sound.
    Strangely - my smoke alarms at home sound in Code 3!
    Many high rise residential buildings have no centralised fire alarm system too. It's a requirement in hotels and houses of multiple occupancy but not high rise apartment blocks.
    I'm very glad we didn't get horns installed in schools over here. We had fire bells and they brought enough nightmares.

    • @ryanhelton1865
      @ryanhelton1865 Місяць тому

      The US doesn’t either. Code 3 is the standard but not required, and as far as I’m aware it’s the same in the Uk I believe your Hi-lo tone is what is mostly the standard, many of your systems mostly the ones by Honeywell come with it as default.

    • @FireAlarmDude5967
      @FireAlarmDude5967  Місяць тому

      @ryanhelton1865 yes we do…temporal coding the required standard in 90 percent of cases. Some systems use whoops, but the standardized evacuation signal that is required in most cases is code 3

  • @JB-uz5iy
    @JB-uz5iy 7 місяців тому

    Great video. Fire blankets appeared at London Underground stations during pandemic, when alcohol gel hand sanitising stations were installed at every station. Could be coincidental, but my guess is that they were connected to a risk assessment relating to alcohol hand gel. In the UK, there is a large variety of sounds that notification devices make (bells, warbling tones, sweeping tones, continuous tones, sirens, voice alarms etc.) - there doesn't seem to be a standard signal like the US temporal 3. The tone that the fire alarm makes seems to be dependent on the age of the system and the manufacturer.

  • @GBA4848
    @GBA4848 5 місяців тому +1

    They are not alot of sprinklers in the uk all 20% did in all of the buildings i went in I live in the uk actually and my favourite fire alarm company is gent

  • @gourlishvideos
    @gourlishvideos 2 місяці тому

    I've always hated fire alarms, but as someone in the UK can say that the alarms here tend to be better than the ones in the US. I've never heard one of those typical American Code 3 alarms with a screeching tone in Britain, and many of the detector integrated sounders which are standard in newer buildings here aren't too loud, I think because buildings with them tend to have one in every room which means they don't need to be as loud. Most of the ceiling integrated ones in the UK (which includes pretty much all detector/sounder integrated systems) make a constant two tone noise in my experience.
    The red on white EXIT signs that are standard in most of the US are a bit weird to me, becuase most countries now use some variant of the white on green "running man" sign. The UK has used variants of the running man signs since the second half of the 1990s, and its most recent revision which you see in buildings built or refurbished in recent years is virtually identical to the newer signage in Canada (many of the running man signs in your video are various older ones).

  • @MegatronRaidenMeiFA
    @MegatronRaidenMeiFA 6 місяців тому

    If you work on commercial ships, you can discover that the fire safty measures on the ship is similar to that in UK

    • @ryanhelton1865
      @ryanhelton1865 6 місяців тому +1

      The main reason for that is the brits have the longest experience in ship building and ships all together. So it’s the British who have the overall say in Maritime laws. So a lot of what you see in a ship even US ships will be British safety systems or will use British safety systems as its a standard.
      However I believe vessels like private yachts etc… can use which ever

  • @jrsc01.
    @jrsc01. Місяць тому

    The only problem with the UK call points is that the glass breaks and needs physically replaced, this isn't cost effective... especially when they are deliberatly vandalised or abused, especially in school when there was an afternoon where they would be set off all the time... we had to walk out and back in school most of the afternoon that day lol. Soon as you sat down, mins later another one. 😅 at least some have accident prevention, protective flaps over them now

    • @mleslie98fm
      @mleslie98fm 17 днів тому

      Modern fire alarm call points have a resettable plastic element in them.

  • @pineappleroad
    @pineappleroad 6 місяців тому

    Just now I looked into the regulations regarding sprinklers in the UK
    From what I can tell, it seems sprinklers are only required in commercial buildings that have large open areas, or newer blocks of flats
    As I suspected, it seems existing/older buildings are not required to be fitted with sprinklers
    That explains why the new building of the school I went to in 2012 had sprinklers (as there were two rooms which likely required sprinklers, plus the hallways, which were large open areas, and the design of the building was just asking for a fire on one floor to make its way to the other floor, you could look down from the upper floor down onto the ground floor hallway, and there were no fire barriers of any sort fitted, at least none I could see, there were even a few false activations of the fire alarm, and nothing happened that would have prevented fire from getting between floors, that building did have an odd quirk which suggested it was designed with an extension in mind, there was talk about the building possibly being extended, and the classroom numbers were even laid out to accommodate an extension without the numbers getting weird, during the time I was there, construction of the extension never started, and I don’t know if it ever went ahead)

  • @That_2_guy2T
    @That_2_guy2T 8 місяців тому +1

    Ill be honest, fire alarm systems in the UK are more advanced, all thats good about our pull stations is that some have ADA compliant pull stations that can't be pulled accidentally like the simplex T bar or BG-12.

    • @FireAlarmDude5967
      @FireAlarmDude5967  8 місяців тому +1

      Interesting opinion

    • @ryanhelton1865
      @ryanhelton1865 8 місяців тому

      @@FireAlarmDude5967as someone who has been over to the Uk and seen how their systems worked UK fire alarms are way more advanced than what we have in the states.
      Take Honeywell pride company GENT By Honeywell it is the most advanced fire detection system in the market and sadly isn’t available in the US.
      Also look at the world trade centre they use British fire detection devices because the detection devices we have on the dates are not as advanced as the ones in the Uk.
      Sadly we are behind.
      But I’d recommend checking out some GENT by Honeywell system on UA-cam I had a little look amazing systems just a shame Honeywell never made them available in the US they would have made a killing.

  • @Hellogelloeee
    @Hellogelloeee 8 місяців тому

    My school has STI alarms on the extinguishers. They are not even connected to the extinguishers lol

  • @JBF-GST-Tanda
    @JBF-GST-Tanda 8 місяців тому

    Certain types of AFFF foam extinguishing agent are non-conductive and could be safely used to put out electrical fires of mains voltage.

  • @neohistoryfan1014
    @neohistoryfan1014 8 місяців тому

    I know Canadian buildings have signage above their fire alarm boxes (pull stations) and some parts of the US.

  • @apollo_dose_stuff
    @apollo_dose_stuff 5 місяців тому

    Gent Vigilon is a great british fire alarm

  • @spongebobzoe471
    @spongebobzoe471 8 місяців тому

    Great video! UK fire alarms are different in the UK than in the USA

  • @GrupoNathanDj
    @GrupoNathanDj 8 місяців тому +1

    Uk : did pull fire alarm
    Us fire alarm:ok
    Uk police:what do you mean! 😂😂😂

  • @Jimmycrops
    @Jimmycrops 5 місяців тому

    our country also owns nice intruder alarms stay safe friend !

  • @Aviation129
    @Aviation129 8 місяців тому

    Amazing video!

  • @elevatorman5468
    @elevatorman5468 8 місяців тому +1

    Why the breakable glass callpoints? You might cut your finger badly activating one. I understand the reason to do it and save your’s and other’s lives but still, shocking that there are no regular pull stations.

    • @FireAlarmDude5967
      @FireAlarmDude5967  8 місяців тому +1

      Most call points are no longer break glass and the break glass call points won’t cut your fingers

    • @battytec
      @battytec 8 місяців тому

      The glass has a film over it, so when you break it, it will "snap" rather than shatter - sort of like a shatterproof ruler. It's more common to find resettable ones nowadays anyway :)

    • @hj-installations.3838
      @hj-installations.3838 8 місяців тому +1

      The glass has a film around it and only snaps down the middle, wouldn't cut your finger.
      Most now are resettable plastic elements

  • @Jimmy06blue
    @Jimmy06blue 8 місяців тому

    Cool I definitely wanna get fire alarms from different countries

  • @razvandobos9759
    @razvandobos9759 8 місяців тому

    I’d love to see Mexico’s fire alarm system!

  • @AndrewIsAwesome882
    @AndrewIsAwesome882 8 місяців тому

    UK fire alarms are cool!

  • @crunkyboii7917
    @crunkyboii7917 7 місяців тому

    I’m from uk and we’re taught in school what fire extinguisher for what fire

    • @Ed.E
      @Ed.E 6 місяців тому

      I wasn't

  • @Loganetics1
    @Loganetics1 8 місяців тому +2

    Nice video

  • @InstrumentFan2510
    @InstrumentFan2510 8 місяців тому

    Nice video!

  • @2023cadillacesclade
    @2023cadillacesclade 8 місяців тому +2

    U need to go to San Diego California

  • @sieandknsproductions3491
    @sieandknsproductions3491 8 місяців тому

    Royal guards

  • @stanleyplayz-zx8kp
    @stanleyplayz-zx8kp 2 місяці тому

    im bri'ish

  • @paperfirealarmboy4398
    @paperfirealarmboy4398 8 місяців тому

    Stop disturbing me I'm busy watching JML-
    OK nvm

  • @redfireandsecurity3643
    @redfireandsecurity3643 8 місяців тому +3

    uk fire alarms are better !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!