Fire systems protect historic church

Built in 1726, the church posed some unique challenges as it is built entirely of wood, putting it at high risk for fires. Its current fire protection system was outdated and an updated system was necessary for the church to remain in compliance with local fire codes. However, the new system would have to be easily operated by the church personnel to avoid false activations caused by smoke from candles used during church services. State law also required that the fire panel be inoperable to the public.

The installing contractor brought the new fire system plans to technician Charles Niles of Security Supply Inc. Based on the demanding requirements, Niles specified equipment from Advanced.

“In this case, the engineer’s plans called for a level of accessibility and functionality that we knew Advanced equipment could offer,” said Charles.

Security Supply provided beam and duct detectors, sprinkler monitoring, HVAC shutdown and a radio callbox to protect the large open space of the church, all controlled by an Advanced Axis AX fire panel. The panel allows church personnel to easily set timed disablements through a key switch or annunciator to correspond with church services, without requiring extensive reprogramming.

“Four months after installation the system was still running without a single error,” added Charles. “We have plans to update the fire systems in other historic buildings on the church campus, and we’ll definitely be using equipment from Advanced.”

Advanced’s Axis AX fire system ranges from single loop panels to full audio and command centers with dual hot redundancy and a host of features including synchronized audio, smoke control and graphical, touchscreen annunciators.