Apollo Signs Up For National Defence
Apollo fire detection technology has been chosen to protect a
major Australian Army base; Blacktown 200 Man Camp at Robertson
Barracks near Darwin, Australia. The contract for the fire
detection was awarded to Ampac Technologies Ltd.
Blacktown 200 Man Camp forms part of Robertson Barracks in
Australia's Northern Territory. Built in 1995, the Barracks are
home to the 1st Brigade and the 1st Aviation
Regiment. The 1st Brigade is the Australian army's light
armoured brigade, consisting of more than 3400 civilian and
military personnel, and its soldiers are at the forefront of
Australia's commitments around the world. The 1st
Aviation Regiment is a unit of mixed-wing aircraft and helicopters,
including the $31 million dollar Tiger Armed Reconnaissance
Helicopter, which can use the helicopter airfield at the Robertson
Barracks.
The barracks includes 100 blocks of living-in accommodation. The
5000m2 Blacktown camp required a fire detection system
that could reliably protect personnel occupying its large number of
accommodation rooms and amenities and common rooms. As the camp
includes sleeping accommodation, it was important to minimise false
alarms.
Ampac supplied a fire detection system based around its
FireFinder 10 loop panel, and incorporating 270 Apollo XP95 smoke
and heat detectors and 220 integrated sounders. The fire system is
configured into zones made up of 8 or 16 rooms. In the event of an
emergency, each zone and will sound individually and not cascade,
whilst the amenities and common rooms are also zoned and sound
individually.
The client required that each room was fitted with an Alarm
Acknowledgement Module (AAF). In the event of a non-fire alert, the
occupant has 30 seconds to press the AAF, providing a further 90
seconds to clear the source of alarm. If the source clears within
this period the alarm will reset. If it is not cleared, the alarm
will continue and the building is evacuated.
Apollo technology was chosen as it has the flexibility to meet
the customer's requirements. XP95 addressable devices make for easy
identification of alarms and any faults, allowing a safety officer
or technician to gain access to the specific area quickly and
without confusion. Cost benefits can also be achieved, as the
addressable sounders and AAFs save money on additional devices,
cabling and installation labour.