Securitas UK mitigates spontaneous combustion with Axis
Above: AXIS Q86 thermal cameras allow for wide-area coverage and long range detection.
Courtesy Axis Communications
Often taking place overnight, when there is no one at the premises, spontaneous combustion is a major cause of laundrette fires which results in large amounts of damage to businesses at a high cost.
Securitas UK, in partnership with Axis Communications, has provided a solution to the issue, in the form of a combination of thermal temperature cameras, optical cameras, IoT sensors, offsite monitoring and remote support services. The end-user or business is then alerted to any unexpected temperature hotspots and the potential risk of fire.
The camera is pre-programmed with a series of analytics to measure a ‘maximum’ room temperature over a pre-defined timeframe. Should the analytics pick up a higher than ‘normal’ temperature, then an alert will automatically be sent to the Securitas UK Alarm Response Centre (ARC). Operators have a separate optical camera installed at the laundry premises to allow for real-time visual verification of spontaneous combustion or fire and subsequently, the capability to dispatch the appropriate response.
The camera for visual verification can be set up in a business’s premises with a direct view of the storage containers where laundry is transferred to cool after its heat cycle – which is typically the location where most fires start. The Securitas operator’s response is set out and agreed with a client in their SLAs, which will either include alerting the emergency services upon confirmation of a fire or require a response from the Securitas mobile guarding team to attend the site directly to assist.
Businesses within the laundry industry face huge risks to their operations from spontaneous combustion which can lead to significant difficulties in obtaining adequate insurance coverage, in the event of a fire. This solution not only mitigates the initial fire risk but also provides scope for additional services that could further lessen risk factors for a business. These include providing fire risk assessments, fire training, fire extinguishing equipment and the installation and set-up of IoT temperature sensors across all laundry premises.
Nadine Matthews, Country President, Securitas UK said: “We are proud to bring to market a solution that solves a very real and fundamental problem for the laundry industry which sufficiently protects businesses when staff are off-duty and premises are empty.
“As adequate services to mitigate fire hazard risks in laundrettes remain a valid concern, the solution we have developed and the additional services we can offer, have the potential to save UK laundry businesses huge costs in damages.”
