London’s Largest Social Landlord Installs Aico Smoke Alarms

Southwark Council is installing Aico’s RadioLINK smoke alarms as part of the Council’s commitment to its fire risk assessment programme and associated fire safety works for its social housing stock in the borough. Southwark Council, London’s largest social landlord with more than 50,000 properties and over 300 high-rise blocks, is currently running a programme of works in order to attain 100% smoke alarm coverage in all of its properties.

The Council’s housing stock is diverse, ranging from Edwardian and Victorian town houses that have been converted into flats through to complex purpose built high-rise blocks, which means there isn’t one solution to fit all. Aico’s RadioLINK smoke alarms, which provide wireless interconnection, offer quality, flexibility, ease of installation and usability for the residents. RadioLINK allows Aico smoke and heat alarms to be interconnected using Radio Frequency (RF) signals, eliminating the need for interconnecting cabling; it saves times and disruption.

The Council was able to work with Aico, in order to develop and tailor a system of smoke and heat alarms, to provide residents with an early warning of fire. The 2700 Edwardian and Victorian town house flat conversions were the first set of properties to gain from these installations as they were classed as high risk.

As part of the work Ei450 Alarm Controllers were fitted in flats to make it easier for residents to test, locate or silence the alarms. Depending on the layout of each individual property, alarms were typically fitted in hallways, kitchens, living areas and bedrooms to meet an enhanced ‘LD2’ category of installation in accordance to the British Standard for domestic smoke alarms (BS 5839-6:2013).

Additionally, RadioLINK smoke alarms were fitted in communal areas of the Edwardian and Victorian town house flat conversions, which were ‘House Coded’ to the two heat alarms in each flat – one in the kitchen and one in the flat’s internal escape route. Each flat has their own separate smoke alarm system, with RadioLINK interconnection between all rooms to increase audibility. This system lends itself to providing full coverage for the property in case of a fire in any area, whilst reducing false alarms and unnecessary evacuations from a property.

“As part of our promise to provide quality affordable homes to all our residents, we have been working closely with Aico as well as the London Fire Brigade to invest in our fire safety” said Councillor Richard Livingstone, Cabinet Member for housing.

The programme is now being rolled out to extend coverage to the rest of its housing stock. Southwark Council has also developed a harmonisation specification, which refers to any property in its stock that requires electrical works. Aico RadioLINK alarms are installed to the enhanced LD2 category as a matter of course when major electrical works are necessary in the Council’s housing stock.

For more information about RadioLINK, please visit www.aico.co.uk/RadioLINK-Expert-Registration.html