Assured Fire & Security Blog

Assured Fire & Security New Website Launched

2009-06-03T09:43:00.004+01:00

After much blood, sweat and tears we finally got over the line with our new website and the feedback so far has been great.

If you have any comments on it, please let us know!

We thought we would introduce each area of the site via the blog so here we go:

Services

Fire Alarms

- Addressable
- Conventional
- Wireless
- Twin Wire
- Automatic Detection
- Alarm Monitoring
- Installation & Maintenance

Intruder Alarms

- Domestic
- Commercial
- Wireless
- High End
- Bespoke
- Alarm Grading
- Alarm Monitoring
- Alarm Response
- Smoak Cloak
- Insurance Approved Systems
- Installation & Maintenance

CCTV Systems

- Types Of Systems

Access Control

Fire Suppression

- Gas
-HFC-227Ea
-IG-55

- Water Mist
- Foam
- Reacton
- Kitchen

Emergency Lighting

Fire Training

Fire Extinguishers

Fire Risk Assessment

Specialist Alarms

Disabled Refuge Alarms

About Us

- Accreditations
-SSAIB
-BAFE
-FPA
-British Fire Consortium
-FIA
-CHAS
-Construction Line

- Why Choose Assured

Case Studies

Promotions

Contact us

News

Fun Run for Sheffield Children’s Hospital

2008-08-11T13:54:00.002+01:00

Duncan Zealand, Contracts Manager and Simon Stokes, MD, recently raised money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital by taking part in a 10K fun run at Graves Park in Sheffield.

Although it was a dull, wet day, this didn’t dampen their spirits, as they ran in the rain to complete the course.

High Access Training for Engineers

2008-08-11T13:52:00.001+01:00

All Assured’s engineers recently completed extensive training programmes to ensure they are fully up to date with the ‘Working at Height’ safety regulations.

Each engineer completed the IPAF Course for the operation of Mobile Vertical and Mobile Boom Elevating Work Platforms, along with the PASMA course for competence in Mobile Access in the Tower Industry.

Contract Manager Duncan Zealand said, “We are proud that our workforce are not only technically competent, but are aware of and can work safely to, Health and Safety Regulations.”

Top Marks for Alan Miles

2008-08-11T13:51:00.003+01:00

Alan Miles, one of our maintenance and service engineers, recently achieved the highest pass rate in the BAFE and FETA Extinguisher Training Course. This course is the bench mark for the industry and demonstrates proof of competence in Fire Safety for both engineers and companies.

Sales Team Success

2008-08-11T13:49:00.002+01:00

Matthew Tolkien, Simon Ord, Lisa Ashmore and Lee Sawyers recently completed and passed the Dale Carnegie ‘Professional Sales Programme’. This two day course hones experienced sales peoples skills, to provide amongst other things, first class customer service.

Development of Management Skills

2008-08-11T13:40:00.004+01:00

Duncan Zealand, Lynne Arnold and Ian Foster, recently completed and passed with ‘flying colours’, management training with the Dale Carnegie Group.

‘How to Manage like a Professional’ is a two day course, covering the challenges and skills required for management in the modern day environment.

A Day at the Races

2008-08-11T12:27:00.002+01:00

Assured’s accountants, Goodband, Viner and Taylor, recently invited us to their Charity Ball, in aid of Western Park Hospital.

GVT and Assured made a combined bid for and won, a day at Ascot Races. Both companies took clients along to this prestigious event.

All proceeds from the Charity Ball, went to Weston Park Hospital, to support cancer sufferers.

Supporting the NSPCC

2008-08-11T12:25:00.002+01:00

Simon Stokes, Managing Director, receives a £100 cheque from Lynne Arnold at Assured.

The total amount raised from Simon’s Everest Base Camp Trek, to support the NSPCC was over £1,200. Well done Simon!

Matthew is Number One!

2008-08-11T12:23:00.004+01:00

Congratulations to Matthew Tolkien, our longest serving Fire and Security Consultant, who recently won Assured’s ‘Number One’ Sales Award.

Matthew was the highest performer within the sales team, generating the highest percentage of sales over his target during the second quarter of the year.

Mark Sturmer - Southern Fire and Security Consultant

2008-08-11T12:15:00.001+01:00

Mark is responsible for Fire and Security Sales in London and the South East.

He has worked for a number of companies in the industry for several years and joined Assured in September 2007.

Mark looks after existing companies and has also expanded our Southern client base. He has brought a great amount of local knowledge and systems experience to the company and has quickly become a valuable member of the sales team.

Mark enjoys most sports, especially snooker and pool. He is devoted to his family and enjoys spending time with his wife and children.

Ian Foster - Service Manager

2008-08-11T12:14:00.002+01:00

Ian, who joined the company as a service co-ordinator in September 2007, has been promoted to Service Manager. He has been in the industry for over 25 years, working for both national and independent companies.

Managing the Service Department involves covering emergency call outs, resolving customer queries, maintaining customer relations and dealing with national account contracts.

Ian enjoys sea fishing, particularly in the Isle of Wight, and is a self confessed Formula 1 and Grand Prix addict. He lives in Rotherham and has two children; one is studying at Bournemouth University and the other is a semiprofessional footballer.

James (Jimmy) Hart - Takeover and Commissioning Engineer

2008-08-11T12:10:00.002+01:00

Jimmy is our longest serving engineer and started as a trainee with Assured, over four years ago.

He has progressed to become one of our most prominent, well known and respected engineers and has extensive knowledge of installing and commissioning complex fire alarm and fire suppression systems.

Jimmy has recently been promoted to Takeover and Commissioning Engineer, which involves ensuring that any systems Assured takes over, are up to standard and any jobs Assured commissions, are correctly designed and work correctly.

Jimmy, is in his twenties and lives in Rotherham with his fiance Sarah, who is busy making arrangements for their wedding next summer.

Assured odds on favourite for Casino Red security systems

2008-08-11T12:07:00.003+01:00

Huddersfield town centre is undergoing rapid change with the addition of a new casino.

This is one of first developments of gaming chain Casino Red, which involves refurbishment of the old theatre. Aircon World has contracted Assured to ensure that this high security business is fully protected and secure.

Assured has installed a fully networked pc based Access Control System to monitor and restrict movement within the building, coupled with a police rapid response intruder alarm system.

Assured for justice

2008-08-11T12:05:00.003+01:00

Assured recently completed a full upgrade and refurbishment of the fire alarm system at Bradford Combined Courts.

Working closely with White, Young and Green, one of the largest Mechanical and Electrical Consultants in the UK, Assured designed, installed and commissioned a new analogue addressable fire alarm system, to bring the building up to date with the latest technology and standards.

White, Young and Green commented, “This was always going to be a difficult job as the main requirement was to keep the Courts open during the day, therefore all the work had to be done at night.”

One stop shop for West Lindsey district council

2008-08-11T12:00:00.004+01:00

Assured has recently completed major project work at West Lindsey District Council’s head office in Gainsborough, where the need for comprehensive Fire, Safety and Security Systems was of paramount importance.

Rather than using several different companies for the services required, the main electrical Contractor Aurora Building Services, commissioned Assured to provide the complete solution.

This involved designing, installing and commissioning a Fire Alarm, Fire Suppression, Intruder Alarm, CCTV, Access Control and Personal Announcement Systems, throughout the premises.

Neil Thwaites, Project Engineer, Aurora Building services said, “There were many facets to this project, requiring a myriad of skills. Assured were the perfect choice as they were able to provide a multi discipline service.”

Fire Safety Law - Breaches of Fire Safety Regulations

2008-08-11T11:54:00.004+01:00

Breaches of Fire Safety Regulations continue to hit the headlines. An investigation by officers at the London Fire Brigade resulted in the successful prosecution of Park Care Homes Limited, owners of Ravenscroft Park Nursing Home in Barnet,following a fire in May 2005. The company received a hefty fine of £200,000 for contraventions of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Fifty six people including twelve members of staff, had been in the premises when the fire started. The judge was of the opinion that for two of the thirteen offenses “the risk assessment was not suitable or sufficient.”

An Essex nightclub was recently fined almost £41,000. Nightway Limited, who run the ‘Penthouse and Room at the Top’ nightclub in Ilford, was fined for 12 breaches, including fire doors wedged open, no clear escape route and an exit staircase obstructed by rubbish. Commenting on a successful prosecution, Redbridge Borough Commander Tim Cutbill reminded those responsible for properties, of the need to carry out a full and comprehensive risk assessment and emergency plan. The number of insurance companies specifying BAFE continues to grow, with five of the major insurers now requiring or recommending that their customers use individuals or companies registered under the BAFE Schemes.

AXA Insurance, Allianz Cornhill, Norwich Union, National Farmers Union (NFU) and Royal & Sun Alliance all appreciate the role that BAFE can play in reducing fire losses through demonstrating competency.

Assured Fire & Security is BAFE accredited and can prove competence in Fire Safety.

For further information please call 0845 402 3045.

Victory for assured

2008-08-11T11:44:00.005+01:00

Expanding their portfolio of work for the armed forces, Assured Fire & Security recently installed and commissioned a hard wired and radio fire alarm system, for the Royal Navy at HMS Victory and its associated stores on the base. Current protection of buildings on site have been enhanced with a wireless link to the famous ship itself.

The requirement was for a competent, reliable company who had the skills and experience in both standard wired fire alarm systems and also wireless systems, to enable full monitoring of HMS Victory’s Stores from the ship. All work was completed on time and within budget. With positive feedback from the Navy on the high standard of the work, Assured Fire & Security is currently assessing other CCTV systems on projects at other bases.

Training

2008-02-15T16:48:00.002Z

To ensure customers get the best possible help and advice from our consultants, Assured’s Fire and Safety Surveyors must complete and pass the BFPSA Advanced Fire Alarm Course.

The Course ensures that any Surveyor or Designer of Fire Alarm Systems, is fully conversant with current fire regulations and is competent in the design and specification of all fire systems.

We congratulate Matthew Tolkien, Wayne Floyd, Mark Sturmer and Lisa Ashmore, Assured Fire & Security Surveyors, who recently completed and passed the course!

Questionnaire provides invaluable feedback

2008-02-15T16:46:00.001Z

Assured Fire & Security value customers opinions, as feedback is invaluable in helping to drive our business forward. To ensure constant evaluation, which is vitally important to improving our business and the service we provide, Assured has developed a new customer questionnaire.

The questionnaire will be mailed out annually and we ask our customers to please complete and return the questionnaire in the FREEPOST envelope provided.

To encourage our customers, Assured is donating £1.50 to the NSPCC for each completed questionnaire returned. So, in addition to helping to improve our business and services, you will also be supporting an extremely worthwhile charity!

Assured sponsor Lowe Group Engineering Golf Day

2008-02-15T16:45:00.001Z

Rotherham Golf Club at Thrybergh was the venue for this event, despite the fact that the course was unplayable only the day before! Assured sponsored £350 towards the Day and Terry Gormley represented Assured with MD Simon Stokes, who on this occasion was demoted to caddy!

For the successful players, various items of golf equipment were ample reward for their perseverance and there was a chance to win a VW Golf. However, for all participants there was also the opportunity to contribute towards the Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice by buying raffle tickets, which together with a donation from Lowe Group Engineering raised over £1,000 for the charity.

Assured “GO APE”

2008-02-15T16:44:00.001Z

Assured got up to some real monkey business as staff were recently treated to a fun day out in the trees at our local Go ape Centre! Death slides, Tarzan ropes and climbing through Sherwood forest at some dizzy heights were the order of the day as a way of saying thank you to all our staff for their hard work.

Simon is ‘Hitting the Roof’ to support the NSPCC

2008-02-15T16:41:00.001Z

After recent business and trekking trips to Borneo, the Alps and the Sudan, Assured’s intrepid Managing Director Simon Stokes is set to travel to the roof of the world!

In March 2008, Simon is going to Nepal to visit the Everest Base Camp. At 5600 metres, Everest Base Camp is the start of the famous assault on the world’s highest mountain; it is higher than any mountain in Europe and higher than most mountains in the world. The trek through the Himalayas, lasting over 15 days, is one of Simon’s lifelong ambitions.

Simon, is funding the trip himself, and his objective is to raise money for The NSPCC, therefore any donations will be gratefully received.

Making a donation is simple visit www.justgiving.com/simonstokes or call Simon on 0845 402 3045.

Fire Safety Law - Compliance is vital to avoid prosecution

2008-02-15T16:32:00.002Z

Prosecutions continue for those failing to meet their obligations under Fire Safety Law.Hefty fines have been imposed on an Erdington social club for failing to comply and Norwich Magistrates Court imposed a £10,250 fine against a city landlord for breaching safety laws. The owner of a Blackpool hotel was convicted of six breaches of fire safety regulations and ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £9,000.

Following a blaze which saw 125 people evacuated and a further two rescued by aerial ladder, the Loretta Hotel in Llandudno was fined £12,000 plus £6,500 costs,for fire safety breaches. A Nelson mill owner is amongst the latest prosecutions, ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £2,450, for failing to meet fire regulations and a Colchester Restaurateur has recently been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £15,000 in costs in a prosecution brought by Essex Fire Authority, which has set a new precedent.

To help avoid prosecution it is essential that the Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety Law) is conformed to. As part of this the government recommends that only approved contractors are appointed, to carry out fire safety work. These contractors can independently prove competence through schemes such as BAFE (British Approval for Fire Equipment). BAFE is a non profit making organisation, dedicated to improving standards in fire protection and operates independent third party schemes of approval for fire protection systems.

Allianz Cornhill, Norwich Union, Royal & SunAlliance and many other insurers are backing BAFE as part of their requirement to ensure that fire safety systems and services are installed and maintained annually by companies registered with BAFE, or are approved by the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB).

Assured Fire & Security is BAFE accredited and can prove competence in Fire Safety.
For further information please call 0845 402 3045.

Six Tips When Testing Your Fire Alarm System

2007-11-14T16:03:00.000Z

In an emergency, your fire alarm system could save lives, property and potentially keep you in business.

As described in our last post, alarms can commonly be tested wrongly, leaving you vulnerable in the event of fire.

Here are some tips we would recommend you follow to ensure your alarm works when you need it:

1. Every week a break glass call point should be operated during normal working hours & the results recorded. A different call point to be tested each week, there is no maximum period for this e.g. 150 call points would take 150 weeks

2. Any occupants should report any poor audibility of sounders

3. Systems with staged evacuation or alert should be run through their full procedure, e.g. - test, alert & evacuation

4. In premises with shift patterns or out of normal working hours then a separate test should be made available once a month

5. Voice alarms should be tested in accordance with BS5839-8

6. Ensure that for monitored systems that the fire alarm & reset signal was received at the Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC)

To discuss your fire and security requirements in detail, please contact us or visit us online.

Visit our resources page for independent information relating to fire safety.

Five Common Mistakes When Testing Your Fire Alarm

2007-11-14T15:15:00.000Z

Here are five of the most common mistakes when testing fire alarm systems.

1 - Triggering the fire system from the evacuate button on the main fire alarm control panel

2 - Testing from the same break glass call point each week

3 - Leaving the break glass test key in & then resetting the main panel

4 - Completing the test & not writing it down in the log book

5 - Not writing full details in the log book

In our next post, we will discuss six procedures to ensure your fire alarm is tested correctly.