Why use Lith-Ex Fire Extinguishers?

Lith-Ex extinguishers have been specifically designed to tackle Lithium-Ion battery fires. These batteries can be found in electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops, but also vaping machines, power tools, toys, electric scooters, e bikes and also cars.

Lithium-Ion battery fires can occur when there is thermal runaway which produces enough heat to eventually produce fire. This can occur as a result of electrical shorting, rapid discharge, overcharging, manufacturer defects, poor design or mechanical damage.

The storage of Lithium-Ion batteries in high volumes needs to be carefully managed through suppression, cooling, isolation, and containment. Whether you are storing them for goods distribution, battery collection bins, battery recycling, public services, battery charging stations etc.

Lithium-Ion battery fires are difficult to tackle as the design of the cells often prevent direct access of the extinguishing agent to the source of the fire.

Lith-Ex extinguishers contain Aqueous Vermiculite Dispersion (AVD), a revolutionary fire extinguishing agent. The water content of the extinguisher cools the fire source, while the Vermiculite platelets encapsulate the fuel source creating a thermal barrier to prevent propagation of the fire. The Vermiculite film is not electrically conductive. AVD is nearly twice as effective as water on a Class A fires and is environmentally friendly.

The LITH-EX EXTINGUISHER

The world’s first Fire Extinguisher to tackle Lithium ion battery fires such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, toys, power tools and electric scooters.

• • – Designed for use on lithium battery fires up to a battery power rating of 250 – 500Wh
  • – Compact
  • – Lightweight
  • – Easy to store
  • – Non-toxic
  • – Environmentally friendly

Available in 500ML, 1L, 2L, 6L, 9L, 25L or 50L sizes.

Recommended Accessories

We also recommend the use of Heavy Duty Lithium Battery Fire Blankets which Provides safe storage and protection in transit, Working temperature up to 1000°C , Fire resistant technical fabrics and industrial stitching.

Lithium Battery Fire Suppression Kit  for the Safe storage of extinguished devices. Reduces the risk of explosion after the fire has been extinguished. Withstands temperature in excess of 1000°C

Lithium Battery Fire Resistant Container. Safe storage and transit of Lithium-ion battery packs, fireworks, and flammable chemicals. Acts as a thermal shield to reduce the threat of ignition from thermal conductivity.

Get in touch for more information

What is a Fire Alarm Zone Plan? 

A fire alarm zone plan is an illustrated layout of your building, listing all its fire alarm zones. It should show the building exits, stairs, corridors, lifts etc. The fire alarm zone plan should be located next to the fire alarm panel, which can immediately identify where any potential fire situation may have occurred.

Do I need a zone plan? 

Under BS5839-1:2017, it is essential for buildings to have fire alarm zone plans

Your zone plan should show as a minimum all building entrances, circulation areas (corridors, stairs, lifts etc) and accurately indicate the orientation of the building. The division into zones and should also include a ‘You Are Here’ sign so you can locate where you are in the building.

Did you know? 

In at least one multiple-fatality fire, it has been determined that some or all the deaths could have been avoided if a diagrammatic representation of the premises (commonly described as a zone plan) had been provided in close proximity to the CIE (Control and indicating equipment).

Accordingly, it is important to ensure that a suitable zone plan is provided adjacent to all CIE (including any repeat control and/or indicating equipment), unless the CIE incorporates a suitable display (e.g. an illuminated mimic diagram). The objective is to ensure that those responding to a fire alarm signal (including staff on the premises and firefighters) are given unambiguous information as to the location of a fire.

RES can provide a Fire Alarm Zone plan for your premises, as well as Fire Evacuation and Procedure Plans, Fire Escape Plans, Fire Equipment Plans, Fire Compartmentation Plans, Occupancy Assessment Plans. These can be printed at A4 or A3 size and are typically mounted in specialist anti-glare snap frames.

Fire Door Safety Week  – 20-26 September 2021

Each year, the British Woodworking Federation run a campaign to raise awareness of the critical role that fire doors play in saving lives and protecting property.

To support this, RES aim to share a number information on the subject via Twitter, Linked-in and Facebook during the week of 20th September 2021.

RES provide a comprehensive Fire Door Installation and Fire Door Inspection and Maintenance service  to our customers.

For more information on the campaign please visit

https://www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk/

https://twitter.com/FDSafetyWeek

And keep an eye out on the RES twitter feed

RES Record Summer 2021

We’ve been very busy, please check out our latest Newsletter – the RES Record!

Please check it out here

Fire Alarm systems for Domestic Premises

Domestic fire detection and alarm system standards are outlined in the BS 5839-6:2019, as amended 2020 Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems for domestic properties.

In this edition there have been some changes to the “Grades” of systems from the previous edition.

The type of domestic premises covered by this British Standard are:

A) designed to accommodate a single family;

B) houses in multiple occupation comprising a number of self‑contained units, each designed to accommodate a single person or family;

C) sheltered housing, including both the dwelling units and the common areas;

D) supported housing.

The recommendations within the standard apply to both new and existing domestic premises with the types of domestic property’s covered include:

– Bungalows,

– Multi-storey houses,

– Individual flats,

– Individual maisonettes,

– Mobile homes,

– Individual sheltered accommodation as well as their common parts,

– Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs),

– Certain NHS housing in the community,

– Mansions,

– Shared houses,

– Houses divided into several self-contained single-family dwelling units.

It also applies to premises used for self-catering holidays if occupied by not more than ten persons, and premises with short-term paying guests in the home of a resident operator with not more than eight guests.

It is limited to premises in which guest accommodation is not located below a ground floor or above a first floor, and in which no storey is greater than 200 m2 in area. For larger premises, the recommendations of BS 5839‑1 apply.

This standard does not to the following property’s:

– Hostels,

– Caravans or boats (other than permanently moored boats used solely as residential premises),

– To the communal parts of blocks of flats or maisonettes.

It does not apply to any premises used for purposes other than as domestic premises (e.g. small shops, factories or similar premises used solely as places of work).

This British Standard breaks the fire alarm and warning systems down into 8 “Grades”.

System grade relates to the engineering aspects of the fire detection and fire alarm system. Higher grades of system tend to provide a greater level of control and monitoring of the system, or greater reliability and availability to perform correctly in the event of fire. The grade of system that needs to be installed depends on the nature of the premises, the level of fire risk and the characteristics of the likely occupants.

Grade A

• – This system is designed and installed in the main according to the recommendations of BS 5839‑1:2017, (Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems for non domestic properties). The detectors, sounders and the central control and indicating equipment with a back-up power supply conform to British Standards BS EN 54-2 and BS EN 54‑4.

Grade B

• – Not currently defined

Grade C

• – A system of fire detectors and alarm sounders (which may be combined in the form of smoke alarms) connected to a common power supply, comprising the normal mains and a standby supply, with central control equipment.

Grade D1

• – A system of one or more mains powered detectors, each with a tamper‑proof standby supply consisting of a battery or batteries

Grade D2

• – A system of one or more mains-powered detectors, each with an integral standby supply consisting of a user‑replaceable battery or batteries.

Grade E

• – Not currently defined

Grade F1

• – A system of one or more battery-powered detectors powered by a tamper‑proof primary battery or batteries

Grade F2

• – A system of one or more battery-powered detectors powered by a user‑replaceable primary battery or batteries.

In the case of Grade D and Grade F systems, where more than one smoke or heat alarm is installed, these normally need to be interlinked.

Levels of Protection/Categories of System

There are three categories for domestic fire detection and fire alarm systems these categories  outline where the detectors/sounders should be installed and level of protection given, the “LD” indicates that the fire detection and fire alarm system is intended for the protection of life.
All domestic premises need to be provided with an appropriate fire detection and fire alarm system, for full coverage a Category LD1 is installed, such a system gives the earliest practicable warning of fire to occupants, wherever ignition occurs.

However, a good level of protection can normally be obtained from a Category LD2 system, in which detection is only provided at points where the fire risk is high or where combustion products would present a significant hazard to life. A Category LD2 system might, for instance, have detectors only in the circulation areas of premises, the living room and the kitchen; other areas might be left without detector coverage. The areas protected by a Category LD2 system include escape routes, i.e. those areas that would be protected by a Category LD3 system.

A Category LD3 system is intended only to protect circulation areas that would be used as escape routes.

Category LD1

• – A system installed throughout the premises, incorporating detectors in all circulation areas that form part of the escape routes from the premises and in all rooms and areas other than those with negligible sources of ignition, such as toilets, bathrooms and shower rooms.

So detectors/sounders are typically installed in Hallways, Landings, Living Rooms, Kitchens, Bedrooms, Airing cupboards/Meter cupboards etc

Category LD2

• – A system incorporating detectors in all circulation areas that form part of the escape routes from the premises and also in all specified rooms or areas that present a high fire risk to occupants, including any kitchen etc.

So detectors/sounders are typically installed in Hallways, Landings, Kitchens etc

Category LD3

• – A system incorporating detectors in all circulation areas that form part of the escape routes from the premises.

So detectors/sounders are typically installed in Hallways, Landings etc

This article is intended as a summary guide and is not a substitute for the full Code of Practice of BS 5839 Part 6: 2019, A1:2020. More information can be accessed here:

You can buy the full BS 5839-6 online from the BSI Shop

Building Regulations are available for free from gov.uk

Components of a Fire Detection and Alarm System

There are a variety of components that form a fire alarm system – the requirements of fire alarm system are subject to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the design and installation of fire alarm systems is subject to British Standard BS 5839-1:2017.

Control Panels

Control panels continuously manage and monitor the fire alarm device circuits and provide power to these circuits. They provide indication of fire alerts, faults and location. Control panels enable the configuration, testing, disablement and triggering of fire alarm signals and devices. Control Panels are usually located in a low fire risk area such as an entrance / exit lobby and should be accompanied by a zone chart.

Smoke Detectors

Ionization Smoke Detectors

Ionization chamber smoke detectors detect smoke by the reduction it causes in the current that flows between electrodes in an ionization chamber within the detector.

Optical Smoke Detectors

Optical smoke detectors detect smoke by means of the light scatter that results from the presence of a small light source within the detector.

Optical Smoke Beam Detectors

Optical beam detectors operate by detecting the obscuration of the light source that occurs in the presence of smoke.

Combustion Gas Detectors

Combustion gas detectors are point-type detectors that respond to one (or more) of the gases produced by a fire. For example, carbon monoxide is produced when incomplete combustion occurs as a result of restriction of the amount of oxygen available to support the combustion process.

Flame Detectors

Flame detectors detect the infrared and/or ultraviolet radiation that is emitted by flame. Both types use radiation-sensitive cells that “see” the fire either directly or through built-in lenses or reflectors.

Heat Detectors

Heat detectors may take the form of either point type detectors or line type detectors. The detection system may be designed to respond when a fixed temperature is reached. The heat detector may also include a sensor that responds to the rate of rise of temperature. In this case, the detector responds when either the temperature rises at more than a certain rate, or when the fixed temperature is reached.

Multi Sensor Detectors

In a fire detection and alarm system incorporating multi-sensor detectors, each multi-sensor fire detector contains more than one sensor, each of which responds to a different physical and/or chemical characteristic of fire. For example, with a heat and optical multi-sensor detector the optical sensor might be disabled during the day. If this is the case, it is vital that the detectors are spaced for the least sensitive sensor, in this case, heat.

Manual Call Points

Manual call points or Break Glass call points are a key component of a fire detection and fire alarm system which is used for the manual initiation of an alarm. Manual call points should be sited where they can be easily seen next to premises exit doors but not where they are likely to be exposed to accidental damage. It is recommended that they should be fitted with protective covers to reduce the likelihood of a false activation.

Alarm Sounders

Fire alarm sounders are an audible fire alarm device such as a Bell, Dome Bell, Sirens Solid Sate Sounder and Horn and operate throughout the building to indicate the need for evacuation of the entire building. Traditionally, a sound pressure level of 65 dB(A) has been regarded as the minimum acceptable sound pressure level for fire alarm signals or 75 dB(A) in sleeping accommodation. Also the fire alarm sound level should be a further 10 dB(A) above any ambient noises that may be present in a premises.

Power Supply The power supply for the fire detection and fire alarm system is normally derived from the low voltage mains supply in the building. The mains supply needs to be reliable and capable of supplying the largest load that can be placed on it under normal, fire and fault conditions. The mains supply needs to be backed up by a standby supply that is able to support the system while the fault in the mains supply is corrected.

Regular Testing

It is vital that a regular weekly and monthly test to be carried out to ensure that there has not been any major failure of the entire system, or a significant part of the system. For full guidelines please refer to BS 5839-1:2017 Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings. Code of practice for design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of systems in non-domestic premises

Weekly tests:

– A manual call point should be operated during working hours (as the purpose of the test is to familiarise and ensure the occupants of a premises can hear the alarm), at approximately the same time each week.

– A different manual call point should be used each time.

– Voice alarm systems should be tested in accordance with BS5839 Part 8Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings. Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of voice alarm systems

Monthly tests:

– Any automatically started generator used for the fire detection and fire alarm system should be tested

– Any vented batteries used as a standby power supply for the fire detection and fire alarm system inspected

Inspection and Servicing

Fire alarm systems need to be inspected and serviced every Six Months by a competent person. Due to the specialist nature of the work, fire alarm inspections are usually contracted out to a fire alarm service organization such as RES, whose competence can be assured via third-party certification and accreditation.

RES are accredited to British Standard Institute BSI EN ISO 9000, are a BSI Kitemark Licenced Fire Alarm Installer, and have BAFE Accreditation for Fire Detection and Alarm System Modular Scheme SP203 – Part 1. RES are also members of The British Fire Consortium, Fire Industry Association, The Fire Protection Association.