Johnson Controls

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by Johnson Controls's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Johnson Controls is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles

www.johnsoncontrols.com

25JOHNSON CONTROLS |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2019

Vice President and General

Manager of Fire Suppression

Products Rekha Agrawal

Revolutionary SPRAYSAFE AFS

System is engineered to identify and

contain fires on high-rise buildings

with combustible cladding

Johnson Controls creates intelligent solutions for buildings,

with the goal of allowing them to co-exist in an integrated

ecosystem that will help in the delivery of smart cities and

communities in the future. It has a significant global presence

with headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and dozens of

offices across the UK, and provides unique solutions within a

range of disciplines for clients across the world. Founded in

1885, it has a long history of innovation, which Vice President

and General Manager of Fire Suppression Products Rekha

Agrawal discusses with

TheParliamentary Review

More than a global diversified technology and multi-industry leader, Johnson

Controls delivers innovative, first-to-market solutions for a wide range of customers

in more than 150 countries. Our 117,000 employees in nearly 2,000 locations

worldwide create intelligent buildings, efficient energy solutions, integrated

infrastructure, and fire protection systems that work seamlessly together to deliver

on the promise of smart cities and communities.

Over 100 years of experience in fire suppression

Protecting homes and businesses across the UK and Ireland for over 100 years,

we currently provide round-the-clock fire protection for over 400,000 residential

and SME customers. Locally, we operate in every region of the UK and Ireland

across a network of over 40 branches, employing over 4,000 employees and

FACTS ABOUT

JOHNSON CONTROLS

»Vice President and General

Manager of Fire Suppression

Products: Rekha Agrawal

»Founded in 1885

»Headquarters in Milwaukee,

Wisconsin and dozens of

offices across the UK

»Services: Creation of

intelligent buildings, efficient

energy solutions, integrated

infrastructure and fire

protection systems

»No. of employees: 117,000

»www.johnsoncontrols.com

»www.spraysafe.com

Johnson Controls

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

fireevents.

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

“

27JOHNSON CONTROLS |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2019

mitigates the risk associated with

combustible cladding in an efficient

and effective way, which we see as a

risk not only in the UK but globally.

The revolutionary SPRAYSAFE AFS

System (of which some components

are licensed by Unifire AB) is

engineered to rapidly identify and

autonomously fight fires on the

exterior of high rise buildings with

combustible cladding material and to

provide fire suppression at any height

beyond the reach tofirefighters.

During a fire, the sensors of the

SPRAYSAFE AFS System quickly identify

and accurately pinpoint the location

of the fire in three dimensions. It then

directs a high volume of water onto

the flame through the use of a robotic

monitor and extension boom within

seconds. The system operates without

human intervention and leverages

a building’s existing fire protection

infrastructure. Since local authorities

and landlords are expected to replace

combustible cladding on their buildings

with expensive fireproof cladding, the

SPRAYSAFE AFS System could provide

an effective, cost-efficient alternative –

aiding in the detection and suppression

of fires before fire brigades can even

arrive on the scene.

In addition to the SPRAYSAFE AFS

System, Johnson Controls has an

extensive portfolio of fire suppression

products that can be retrofitted for

virtually any scenario. We offer an

unmatched range of suppression

systems, extinguishing agents,

fire sprinklers, valves, portable

extinguishers and much more to

optimise a building’s security and fire

safety. Through our industry-leading

brands – with one of the broadest

lines of fire protection equipment

worldwide – we leverage our global

scale and deep expertise to drive

innovation, advance safety and solve

the unique challenges of customers

around the world.

We’re driven to deliver innovative

solutions like the SPRAYSAFE AFS

System in order to meet the ever-

evolving landscape of our customers’

needs and challenges. By developing

a revolutionary solution to this global

challenge, we will continue to create a

world that is both smarter and safer.

We’re driven to

deliver

innovative

solutions like

the SPRAYSAFE

AFS System in

order to meet

the ever-

evolving

landscape of

our customers’

needs and

challenges

“

Delivering on the

promise of smart cities

and communities

www.johnsoncontrols.com

This article was sponsored by Johnson Controls. The Parliamentary Review is wholly funded by the representatives who write for it. The publication in which this article originally appeared contained the following foreword from Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng.

Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng

This year’s Parliamentary Review reflects on a tumultuous and extraordinary year, globally and nationally. As well as being an MP, I am a keen student of history, and I am conscious that 2020 would mark the end of an era. It will be remembered as the year in which we concluded Brexit negotiations and finally left the European Union. Above all, it will be remembered as the year of Covid-19.

In our fight against the pandemic, I am delighted that our vaccination programme is beginning to turn the tide – and I pay tribute to the British businesses, scientists and all those who have helped us to achieve this. But the virus has dealt enormous damage, and we now have a duty to rebuild our economy.

We must ensure that businesses are protected. We have made more than £350 billion available to that end, with grants, business rates relief and our furlough scheme supporting more than 11 million people and jobs in every corner of the country, maintaining livelihoods while easing the pressure on employers. The next step is to work with business to build back better and greener, putting the net zero carbon challenge at the heart of our recovery. This is a complex undertaking, but one which I hope will be recognised as a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Through the prime minister’s ten point plan for a green industrial revolution, we can level up every region of the UK, supporting 250,000 green jobs while we accelerate our progress towards net zero carbon emissions.

With our commitment to raise R&D spending to 2.4% of GDP and the creation of the Advanced Research & Invention Agency, we are empowering our fantastic researchers to take on groundbreaking research, delivering funding with flexibility and speed. With this approach, innovators will be able to work with our traditional industrial heartlands to explore new technologies, and design and manufacture the products on which the future will be built – ready for export around the globe.

And I believe trade will flourish. We are a leading nation in the fight against climate change. As the host of COP26 this year, we have an incredible opportunity to market our low-carbon products and expertise. Our departure from the EU gives us the chance to be a champion of truly global free trade; we have already signed trade deals with more than 60 countries around the world.

As we turn the page and leave 2020 behind, I am excited about the new chapter which Britain is now writing for itself, and for the opportunities which lie ahead of us.

Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy