Apollo Used In New Orleans Recovery Project

Apollo Used In New Orleans Recovery Project

Fire detectors manufactured by Apollo Fire Detectors Limited are being installed as part of the recovery process In New Orleans, following Hurricane Katrina.

The New Orleans project is being undertaken by Apollo's US partner Computrols Inc, a leading manufacturer of building control equipment. The company has been instrumental in helping businesses devastated by Hurricane Katrina to re-open as quickly as possible, countering the economic impact of the worst natural disaster in America's history.

Hurricane Katrina first struck US soil on 25th August 2005. It proved to be the most destructive and costly tropical cyclone of all time, cutting a swathe through the Bahamas, South Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and Louisiana. It was particularly devastating in New Orleans, where the storm waters breached the levee system and flooded the town. The damage caused by Hurricane Katrina is estimated between US$70-130 billion. 1,302 people lost their lives and over one million were displaced.

While international, federal and state aid has been swift in coming, many people who live and work in the affected areas want to return to normal routine as soon as possible. Computrols Inc has been aiding the recovery effort by equipping buildings with Apollo-based fire detection systems to bring them back into use.

To date, Computrols Inc has installed Apollo-based fire detection systems in three buildings in New Orleans as part of their contribution to the region's recovery. One example is an office building some 50 storeys high. Leased out as commercial office space to a number of different occupants, the building specification required a UL-listed fire detection system installed in accordance with NFPA72. Computrols Inc supplied and installed an intelligent fire system based on Apollo's open digital protocol. The system comprises five cSimon control panels and over 700 devices, including 30 strobes, 200 motion modules, 350 Apollo Discovery intelligent smoke detectors and 31 duct detectors.

The system is equipped with an audio evacuation unit that enables an alarm to be raised either in a specific zone, or throughout the entire building. This ensures that no unnecessary distress or inconvenience is caused to occupants on floors not affected by a fire alert and helps with phased evacuation in the event of an emergency.

 

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