Two seven-storey residential apartment buildings in the cultural and social hub of Cardiff Bay are now protected by evacuation alert systems from Advanced. The EvacGo panels meet the criteria set out in the BS 8629 Code of Practice for the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of evacuation alert systems for use by fire and rescue services in England and Wales.
Situated in Cardiff Bay’s Tiger Quay development, Roath House and Queen Alexandra House are a mix of 73 social and market-rented one and two-bedroom apartments managed by Trivallis, one of Wales’ largest housing associations. Trivallis appointed Cardiff-based, Tremorfa Ltd, to complete the installation, requesting that Advanced’s EvacGo solutions be installed to ensure both residential buildings met the BS 8629 standard
With all Advanced evacuation alert systems custom-manufactured to reflect each individual building’s evacuation zones, the company supplied two EvacGo systems to Trivallis, complete with 1-loop card, expandable from four to eight evacuation zones. The two systems were installed alongside a combined total of 63 sounders to provide audible warning to building occupants in the event of an emergency.
Evacuation alert control and indicating equipment (EACIE) is now strongly recommended in England and Wales for all new high-rise residential buildings, and is mandatory in Scotland. The EACIE must operate completely independently of fire detection systems and be designed to support any evacuation strategy chosen by the fire and rescue service. BS 8629:2019 is the new Code of Practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of evacuation alert systems for use by fire and rescue services in England. In place since November 2019, this code of practice recommends the installation of a dedicated evacuation alert system intended for the sole use of the fire and rescue services and separate from the building’s fire alarm system. New high-rise residential developments are among the buildings being prioritised for evacuation alert system installation.