Apollo protects world's largest indoor climbing arena.(installation of fire safety equipments)(Brief article).

An Apollo-based intelligent fire detection system has been installed at the Adventure Centre, Ratho, home of Scotland's National Rock Climbing Centre and the country's National Judo Academy. The fire detection system was supplied and installed by Emkay Fire Detection Ltd.

The centre, which lies nine miles west of Edinburgh city centre, offers both indoor and outdoor activities, from a beginner's course in mountain biking to professional mountaineering qualifications.

Built on a disused quarry, the centre's transparent stretch fabric roof has created the largest indoor climbing arena in the world. It is also the only venue to offer indoor climbs on natural rock. An adjacent, integrated building houses the Judo Academy and a scuba diving school as well as restaurants, bars, a film auditorium, conference and concert facilities, a fitness studio and spa. The centre also offers accommodation for up to 90 people. The fire detection system needed to provide adequate protection across all these diverse areas for the 70 staff and thousands of visitors.

Emkay Fire Detectors equipped the centre with a networked fire detection system that incorporates around 500 Apollo XP95 intelligent fire detectors. The system is based around two advanced control panels and has a graphic repeater panel. The Gore-tex climbing arena, which incorporates a 100ft (30m) high climbing wall and the SkyRide aerial assault course, presented a challenge because it was too high for regular smoke detectors to be effective. Emkay therefore installed Apollo XP95 beam detectors in this area.

The fire detection system is designed to offer phased evacuation, though at present an alarm triggers immediate evacuation of all the indoor facilities. The system incorporates a large number of input/output units that enable actions such as the shutdown of equipment, isolation of gas supplies and closing of fire curtains to be dependent upon an alarm. The security system is also linked to the fire detection system.

Source Citation:"Apollo protects world's largest indoor climbing arena." Fire Safety Engineering 12.5 (May 2005): 13(1). General OneFile. Gale. Alachua County Library District. 23 Aug. 2009
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