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December 8, 2022

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FireAngel: How IoT can ‘transform’ fire safety for the most vulnerable

IFSEC Global hears from FireAngel who looks at how the Internet of Things (IoT) can transform fire safety for those most at risk in local communities.

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service has issued a fire safety warning, following the death of a 91-year-old man in a house fire incident in November. Reiterating that smoke alarms are a ‘last chance’ solution to stay safe as they cannot extinguish a fire or guarantee safe escape, the fire and rescue service has warned that people with reduced mobility or other health conditions may need additional safety measures.

Cognitive and physical impairments are factors that can influence the ability to evacuate a property and, in the UK, ‘over 14 million people’ have a disability. As 7.1 million people continue to await NHS care, potentially millions more people could be vulnerable to fire safety risks.

In multiple occupancy houses, terraced homes, and high rise buildings, a major fire does not just put a single household in danger but potentially hundreds of lives. Sakina Afrasehabi, who had severe arthritis and walked with a frame, died on the 18th floor in the Grenfell fire at the age of 65. She was unable to negotiate steps but was housed in the tower because it had a lift, which stopped working on the night of the fire. Afrasehabi’s family believe she would ‘still be alive’ if the council landlord had made a personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP).

Whilst evacuation plans are critical in the event of tenants needing to leave the building, there are also new ways to help cut fire risks for the estimated 43% of social housing residents who live with a long term disability.

Technology that remotely monitors the home environment ’24/7′ has the potential to prevent life threatening events. FireAngel Connected is a purpose-built cloud solution for fire detection and prevention. FireAngel’s Predict technology, is designed to highlight trends and patterns of high-risk behaviour to ‘pinpoint’ properties at risk, enabling social housing providers to arrange successful interventions to help prevent a fire.

“The technology developed by FireAngel can give us a much better understanding of risk in the community, helping us to identify vulnerable tenants and adapt our response accordingly to foster their needs,” comments Jason Avery, Assistant Director for Prevention and Protection, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Services.

Nick Rutter, Co-Founder of fire safety technology specialist, FireAngel, says “Predict analyses real-time data to identify patterns of potential fire risk within properties – giving an instant risk level without a manual data trawl. This enables prioritised interventions and increased fire prevention measures to residents who need it most. The combination of IoT and AI technologies also provides an overview of buildings and their changing fire risks, allowing landlords to carry out maintenance checks or repairs at the point of need, ensuring costly problems are prevented and tenant safety is protected.”

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