Originally built in 1865, Grovefield Manor has been a hotel for more than 60 years and was acquired by Keith and Barbara Baldock in 2007. The Poole hotel has nine en-suite bedrooms and three self-catering apartments, as well as a small function room for corporate events and weddings.
Client comment
“I’d certainly recommend Chris Lewis Fire & Security. They installed the hotel’s fire protection system over two years ago and I haven’t had to call them out once, which reflects the quality of the installation and their ongoing maintenance service – and is fantastic for a busy hotel owner like me.”
Keith Baldock, Owner, Grovefield Manor Hotel
Project background
When Keith and Barbara Baldock took ownership of the Grovefield Manor Hotel they embarked on an extensive refurbishment project that involved a number of structural changes to the building. As a result they were advised by a visiting fire officer that the building’s existing wired fire alarm system would need to be upgraded in order to meet UK standards.
Rather than extend the original alarm system, Mr Baldock decided to take the opportunity to install a new, state-of-the-art wireless system that would protect the property, its contents, staff and guests. The scope of the fire system was extensive and included the bedrooms, apartments, dining room, kitchen, office, lounge, function room, halls, landings and bar area.
Mr Baldock approached both the original alarm installation company and Chris Lewis Fire & Security to quote for the project. He awarded both the installation and maintenance contract for the new system to Chris Lewis Fire & Security.
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Mr Baldock commented, “Chris Lewis Fire & Security provided a realistic quote and it was obvious that they were knowledgeable about wireless technology. I had used them previously when they installed an alarm for my house and had been more than happy with their service, so they were an obvious choice.”
The solution
Our engineers conducted a thorough site visit to assess the Grovefield’s layout and proposed refurbishment plans. We then designed a comprehensive fire protection system that met the statutory regulations, as well as the hotel’s requirements and budget.
Our solution was based on an EMS Radio Fire System and included smoke and heat detectors, fire alarm sounders, call points and a central control panel. Every piece of equipment is battery operated and incorporates a radio address module which eliminates the need for wiring.
When the glass in a call-point is broken a micro-switch is released which triggers the transmission of a radio signal to the alarm panel.
The heat detectors operate on a highly sensitive thermister which measures the room temperature and reports temperature rises to the control panel. The detectors also carry out regular self-tests and report failures and low battery conditions to the control panel.
EMS’ wire free optical smoke detectors operate on a polling system that checks for smoke particles every five seconds. Detection is increased to every two seconds if smoke is detected and the system verifies detection twice to prevent false alarms.
The control panel incorporates state-of-the-art radio technology and provides clear, zone led indication of an alarm, as well as failures, faults and battery conditions for each piece of equipment.
Results
The wireless fire system provided the ideal solution for the Grovefield Manor Hotel. Not only did it mean that the refurbishment project was not impacted by any additional wiring requirements, but the whole system could be installed quickly and easily without disruption.
It was also a highly cost effective solution. Although the equipment is more expensive than wired alarm system equipment, it is far less labour intensive to install and therefore reduces the overall cost.
Mr Baldock added, “The system was installed in no time at all - literally two days, which was ideal considering we were working to a tight timescale. The equipment is very unobtrusive, so doesn’t detract from the interior design or aesthetics of the hotel and it is incredibly easy to use. As you can imagine, false alarms in a hotel are very bad news, but we haven’t had a single failure or fault yet.”