
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
26 | JOHNSON CONTROLS
providing our customers with regional
presence, skills and expertise through
our portfolio of brands, which include
ANSUL, ADT and Tyco. In our fire
suppression business, we advance
safety and security by finding smarter
ways to improve businesses and
protect the spaces where people
live and work to avoid catastrophic
fireevents.
Unfortunately, the need for innovation
in the fire protection space has
become increasingly urgent. The most
lethal structural fire in the UK since
the 1988 Piper Alpha oil platform
disaster, the Grenfell Tower fire killed
72 people and injured many others.
One of the main causes of the rapid
spread of the fire was attributed to the
combustibility of the cladding on the
side of the building and the chimney
effect created by the cavity between
the wall and cladding. Since this
tragedy, there has been substantial
discussion about fires in high rise
buildings where combustible cladding
material has been installed. This has
resulted in a number of initiatives
including changes in building
regulations. There is also increased
interest in fire safety standards from
legislative parties, as well as planned
recladding of many residential towers
and housing blocks.
With an ever-increasing demand
for housing, the trend for high rise
building construction looks set to
continue. For example, AMA research
suggests that in the UK alone,
there are currently more than 270
buildings standing over 150 metres
in height, with around 500 more
proposed or under construction.
This poses a significant challenge for
fire suppression systems, due to the
difficulty of access to fight fires in high
rise buildings. In response, Johnson
Controls has worked to develop new
solutions to mitigate fire risk in high
rise applications, and new codes and
standards are being implemented.
Creating innovative solutions
for the future
With a legacy of leadership in fire
suppression, Johnson Controls has
a deep expertise in codes, standards
and applications. Fire tragedies like
Grenfell make it clear that new
technologies are required to protect
people and property. Innovative
fire detection and suppression
products can help to prevent fires
from developing into catastrophic
events. Johnson Controls is the
only fire detection and suppression
manufacturer to have developed
this kind of innovative technology:
the SPRAYSAFE Autonomous Fire
Suppression System. It is specifically
designed to aid in the detection and
suppression of external fires in high
rise buildings by identifying a fire’s
exact location and applying immediate
suppression. The system is also
autonomous and operational 24 hours
a day.
At Johnson Controls, we have a
history of innovating to improve the
protection of people and property. In
that vein, the SPRAYSAFE AFS System
The Grenfell Tower fire
killed 72 people and
injured many others
With an ever-
increasing
demand for
housing, the
trend for high
rise building
construction
looks set to
continue
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