Refuge Alerter
Established in 1904, the University of Leeds today has a large campus of around 400 buildings, spanning 98 acres.
A Russell Group University, it is attended by some 33,000 full-time students in addition to those who study on a part-time basis.
The University also employs around 10,000 staff (it’s the third largest employer in the Yorkshire area) and welcomes about 30,000 visitors every year.
To help protect students, staff and visitors in the event of an emergency, the University invested in a wireless Refuge Alerter system that would enable people to call from refuge areas across the campus to a centralised response point.
Video transcript:
Alerter Group
Case Study: University of Leeds.
Intro: “Totally the University of Leeds owns about 400 plus buildings.
My name is Tawfiq Wahab. I’m the Contracts Manager for the University of Leeds, I look after the Life Safety and Security systems.
University of Leeds is one of the Russell Group universities. We have a £1.4 billion contribution to the local economy; we’re the third largest employer in the Yorkshire area; we have about 10.000 staff, 33,000 students full-time, and about 30,000 visitors every year.”
Q: “Why do you need an Emergency Voice Communication system?”
A: “We have facilities for disabled students, we have disabled staff, and we have to look after them.
An Emergency Voice Communication System should be receiving the call from any distressed person who needs help. The system should be ready for any minute any day or night so that the call can immediately go to a rescue centre which is, we call them our security department.”
Q: “Why did you need a new system?”
A: “We had an Emergency Voice Communication Systems and that was ok for the time when it was built – it was 80s- or 90s- designed and built – but we are building lots of new facilities. The existing system was not consistent about two-way communication to security, and it was not easy to expand.”
Q: “What were the most important features you were looking for?”
A: “First thing is the life safety compliance. This system needs to be compliant with BS5839 part 9. Two-way communication needs to be established. We need this system robust so that we can pinpoint the call, where it is coming from.
We need a system which can be quickly installed and also need the system to be always working operationally. If there is a fault, I need to know that we can take actions beforehand so that it is always working.”
Q: “How did Alerter Group help?”
A: “Alerter Group got this contract through a tendering process. The installation process is very, very simple because it’s wireless and it just needs a power supply. If we have a power failure, this system will continue working, which is 583 part 9 compliant.
The wireless EVC system offered by Alerter Group is fulfilling all the requirements we have like maintenance, easy to install, saving the cost on installation.
We’re reducing the risk to our staff and student as well with this system.”
The Challenge
The University had a number of older buildings that contained Emergency Voice Communication System (EVCS) outstations, as well as newer buildings where outstations had been more recently installed.
It required all of these outstations to be centralised back to a response point/master station as part of a single, integrated, two-way communication system.
Due to the large size of the campus the new system would ideally need to be wireless.
The system needed to be compliant with BS5839-9. It would also need to expandable if required, so as to incorporate potential new buildings in the future.
The Solution
The solution provided to the University of Leeds was the installation of our BS5839-9 compliant Refuge Alerter system.
Refuge Alerter is a radio-based emergency voice communication system that can link numerous outstations to a single, centralised master station, even if they’re located across different buildings. The system can even integrate Portable Refuge Communicators (PRCs) – which can be used by responding personnel while on-the-move, facilitating two-way communication between outstations and master stations.
Each Refuge Alerter Master Station allows integration of up to 999 refuge locations – meaning the University has the option to expand the system even more in the future.
The Result
The wireless nature of our Refuge Alerter system meant it could be easily retrofitted to older buildings across the University’s campus, as well as any new ones,
There was no need for cabling to be run, and therefore there was minimum disruption while getting the system installed.
The system’s installation at the University has now been completed and is up-and-running at all times, day-and-night – helping keep staff, students and visitors safe.
