Tower 42 – the former Nat West Tower in the city of London – is upgrading its fire detection and alarm system to a digital addressable system from ADT Fire & Security. The two-year project will see the building move over to the MX4000 digital addressable system in a staged approach.
ADT Fire & Security says the move to a digital addressable system will help ensure the robustness and reliability of the system, which can support a higher number of devices on one loop. The company originally installed its Minerva system into the building in 1989. A public address voice alarm system is in operation with thousands of event action groups determining alert and evacuation procedures for each of the 47 floors, depending on the location of any incident.
The first stage of the upgrade is the installation of the Tyco Expert Graphic (TXG) server, a Microsoft Windows based graphical interface with a high resolution colour display. It uses a combination of symbols, floor plans, pictures, text, voice messages and video input for monitoring and control in both normal and emergency situations.
The TXG can also be used as a hub to allow the analogue and digital systems to work side by side, while the14 new MZX4000 panels are phased in.
“Tower 42 has enjoyed a strong working relationship with ADT for over 20 years and as with all of our established partners, we value their excellent work,” commented John Gentry, building services manager at Tower 42. “Given the strength of this relationship and the importance of safety to the Tower, the decision to upgrade to this new system was an obvious one.”
The MZX4000 is an LPCB EN54 approved panel with up to eight detection loops supporting up to 1000 addressable devices. The panels include functions such as detailed fault reporting, multi-level password protection, isolation by point, zone or sector, and the capability to view or print maintenance reports.
