Text messaging is entering the realm of fire control through a WA-designed residential fire sprinkler system, which can notify emergency services and owners via SMS when a property is on fire while directly extinguishing it.
Text messaging is entering the realm of fire control through a Western Australian-designed residential fire sprinkler system, which can notify emergency services and owners via SMS when a property is on fire while directly extinguishing it.
The Firecat sprinkler system is the latest innovative offering from Wangara-based plumbing manufacturer Mania National, and follows six years of research and development into residential sprinkler systems and fire safety devices in Australia and overseas.
Designed in a loop configuration, the single dedicated water supply piping system features heat sensitive flush-mount sprinkler heads that sense when the temperature of a fire exceeds 58 degrees and releases between 50 and 100 litres of water at its point of origin.
Text messages are then sent to emergency services and property owners detailing the location of the fire and its temperature.
Firecat general manager Nigel David said the company looked at an existing residential fire sprinkler system in Victoria six years ago and found the design caused insufficient water pressure and a build up of air and water in the pipes.
It set about developing a new configuration with a drain pipe to collect backfill and designed a part called the Venturi valve, now patented, which controls flow from the mains water.
Mr David said by limiting the production of gas asphyxiates and directly targeting a fire, Firecat ensured occupants had ample time to evacuate a property and protected other rooms from potential fire or water damage.
“We’re more than just a fire sprinkler system, we design a safety package for the property owner where we train them to access an internal fire station containing spare sprinklers, fire blankets and portable extinguishers, torches and emergency instruction brochures,” he explained.
Firecat also assists property owners to identify an emergency meeting point outside the property, and conducts drills so occupants can exit a building safely.
Still in its infancy, the company believes it has wide appeal for home owners and could deliver a point of difference for businesses that provide a duty of care such as child care, aged care and retirement villages.
Mr David said the company had been buoyed by the outcome of the Branz Report, released in 2003, which assessed the effectiveness of residential fire systems in Scottsdale Arizona in the US.
The case study revealed there had been no recorded fire fatalities in homes with sprinklers since residential fire sprinkler systems became mandatory in the town in 1991.
While not a mandatory requirement in Australia, Mr David said it was only a matter of time before it became mandatory, once the new Australian Standard for home fire automatic sprinkler systems was introduced early next year.
Firecat already exceeds the guidelines for the Australian Standard Domestic Residential Sprinkler Code.
Mr David said system installation would take between eight to fifteen hours in a new home at an average cost of $18 per square metre, and approximately four hours for a retro-fit, which may attract additional cost depending on the extent of work involved.
Firecat is available exclusively through Firecat Sprinkler Systems WA, a division of Hilton Plumbing, who recently purchased the master franchise.
The system is currently being installed in a new child-care centre under construction in Currambine, and negotiations are underway with aged care providers across the country.
