DSSR Harrogate office was given the opportunity to provide consultation and design services to replace the Cathedral’s existing fire alarm system; a complex project with a key focus of maintaining the aesthetic heritage of this beautiful, historic building.

The existing fire alarm system had significantly exceeded its expected lifespan and needed replacing to ensure that a building of this historical importance and stature was protected from fire.

For this project, a combination of point detectors were used in key areas; the library and in each tower, while infrared beam detectors were used to cover the larger space within the main Cathedral Hall. To maintain the appearance of the building, fire alarm devices were installed in discreet locations and colour matched to their background to ensure they were as unobtrusive as possible.

Working closely with the client was crucial in this complex project in order to reassure all parties concerned that wireless fire detection technology was suitable and reliable and was therefore a robust and fail-safe system to install.

Once the installation of the system was complete, a smoke and incense test was undertaken with the client and fire brigade. This was to ensure that false alarms would be avoided by the normal functions of the building, and that early detection would be achieved.