Aimed primarily at high-traffic buildings, where the need for evacuation is regulated, nowadays fire protection systems are also being used in new contexts that, from industry to residential, are looking for reliable and tested solutions. A sector in continuous evolution, between technological innovation and compliance with certifications and regulations, as some of the companies exhibiting at SICUREZZA 2021 in November have told us.

AREAS OF APPLICATION? CONSTANTLY EVOLVING

"Both in Italy and in EMEA countries there is a growing demand for sound diffusion applied to voice evacuation services for different environments: hospitals, schools, theatres and cinemas, offices, retail outlets. This trend can be traced back to the new fire regulations, that, in such contexts, are ruling the implementation of audio systems integrated with fire detection. Also the industrial sector, despite not being fully regulated, makes frequent use of audio systems, as they are tested equipment and can provide a solution for disseminating warnings in potentially hazardous environments." - says Marco Morimanda, Export Manager of Paso - "Our products, particularly the PAW series, are designed precisely to offer a safe, certified, simple and compact solution, with defined features: touch display for machine setting and operation, wide range available in power output and number of zones, flexibility in the use of different audio inputs, autonomy and low energy consumption. Customers appreciate the audio quality and reliability of a product that is entirely assembled in Italy, as well as the ease of use, while installers greatly appreciate the ability to act quickly and efficiently during the initial start-up phase and the subsequent scheduled maintenance phases."

"Smoke detection is certainly our core business. Our control units, Solution F1 and Solution F2, have technical features allowing them to handle systems of any size, so that they can be used in both commercial and industrial buildings. Smoke detection, in combination with our EVAC devices, can enable the perfect synergy during the proposal phase. We believe that it is appropriate for these two technologies to engage one another when there is an alarm, in order to facilitate a safe and quiet evacuation of the site". - says Carlo Ficano, Sales Director of NSC Italia Srl - "Our customers certainly appreciate the technical performance of our control panels which, if equipped with the web-server card, allow remote management to check the status of the system and of the points in the field, enabling the simplest active operations. Another important product for our customers are redundant boards, which allowed us to obtain the SIL2 certification that is essential for more specific projects". 

"Certainly commercial and industrial environments are the main field of application for our systems, although in recent years we have seen an exponential increase in the demand for solutions for the protection of logistics areas" - remarks Enzo Assente, Division General Manager of Tecnofire Detection - "The most appreciated technologies by our customers are RSC® (Remote Sensitivity Control) and remote assistance, which distinguish us on the domestic and foreign markets, even though at the moment the Italian regulatory framework has not yet addressed the activity of remote assistance".

"Our core business is undoubtedly fire detection, in which we can define ourselves as true specialists. Our partnership with the brand Esser by Honeywell, of which we are an Official Distribution Partner, allows us to offer absolutely transversal solutions, intended for all those who require a high quality and high performance product. Thanks to some of its features, the product is particularly interesting for prestigious commercial and industrial applications: with our installation partners, we operated in shopping centres, supermarkets, prestigious luxury hotels and high-tech logistics facilities. I'm thinking, for example, of smoke detectors with integrated voice synthesis, which were chosen by several hotel chains to increase the level of security of their guests"- says Marta Villano, General Manager of Techno Fire and Security.

"SECURITON was founded in 1948 and focuses on the production of components and systems for the creation of complex fire detection systems. Our systems are used to their fullest extent in both the commercial and industrial sectors, but above all in logistics, which has undergone considerable development in Italy and worldwide over the past 20 years. The most appreciated technology by our customers, which we invented thanks to the fact that Switzerland is the world's leading country in terms of innovation, is the ASD system; namely, the Aspirating Smoke Detector. Many industries, logistics platforms, hotels, airports and shopping centres are protected by our ASD technology, which is recognised for its precision and reliability over time" - Massimiliano Molinari, Area Sales Manager Italy of SECURITON.

BETWEEN REGULATION AND INNOVATION

Fire safety is one of the most standardised areas of security and safety. But following the rules and being certified is not just an imperative to comply with, but a challenge to reach new heights of innovation.

"Our solutions are created in response to current regulations: The Ministerial Decree of 9/4/94 requires that the design of escape routes for building evacuation in the event of fire must include some special rooms, known as Calm Spaces, where people with limited mobility can take refuge while waiting for help, and the subsequent Ministerial Decree of 3/8/15 requires that inside those rooms must be installed 'a two-way communication device' to allow occupants to communicate with a manned point to request assistance." - declares Filippo Gambino, CEO of Ermes Elettronica - "With these objectives in mind, ERMES has developed an Over IP solution that is easy to install, simple to configure and immediately expandable, which meets the requirements of the standards and is based on stand-alone, native IP devices, powered by POE using a Peer-To-Peer protocol. These systems are appreciated for being particularly reliable, because they are based on a serverless architecture in which the devices can communicate directly with each other without the mediation of a central management unit”.

"Our product range is specific to the public address sector, with EVAC audio systems for fire evacuation in accordance with the EN54 regulation; PA audio systems for public environments and Multiroom, Multiprogram systems. Our best-selling audio systems are EN54-certified EVAC fire evacuation systems to be used in hospitals, nursing homes, schools, shopping centres, large offices, museums, arenas, and in any environment requiring enhanced safety. PA audio systems are dedicated to more structured contexts, while Multiroom Multiprogram audio systems with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth streaming are dedicated to private homes" - told us Domenico Nadal, president of Tutondo - "We were the first Italian manufacturer to certify MET EVAC, the audio system for evacuation in the event of fire, which is complete with battery charger and entirely designed in our laboratories. In recent years, we built large EVAC multi-control systems and what has been most appreciated, besides MET equipment, were our services ranging from the design with computer simulations to start-up support especially for large plants. Another plus is the wide range of certified speakers, some of which are also design objects to meet the aesthetic requirements of architects”.