Introducing our new Managing Director – Karl Westhead.

Having been with Halma for 15 years, six years as a customer of FFE, new Managing Director Karl Westhead arrives with a good knowledge of our team and products – but that doesn’t mean he wants his tenure as MD to be a simple continuation of the status quo. Karl believes that he is stepping up at exactly the right time for FFE to take a big leap forward – an opinion he is backing with action, which commenced with the hiring of new top talent, implementation of lean manufacturing, and more responsive quality processes during his first few months at the helm.

Since 2006, Karl has built solid relationships with some of Europe’s largest and best-known fire safety brands, and that has allowed him to develop a thorough appreciation of how the fire sector has changed – in perception, importance, and what customers want from their manufacturers.

Speaking on how he sees FFE’s future, the new MD said the following:

We continue to operate in a very competitive space and over the next 12 months, R&D will remain at the forefront. It is crucial that even during the added pressures of a global supply chain crisis we can continue to deliver the most creative and dynamic strategies which realise the results that our clients need and expect.
A key focus for FFE is being committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture. I believe that the innate differences in our people can be leveraged to help FFE win. We embrace these differences, knowing that innovation and problem-solving are greatest when people come from diverse backgrounds with different experiences and mindsets. By creating an inclusive environment where everyone can freely contribute their own unique viewpoints and capabilities, we all grow stronger together. By investing in the people we have, and new talent across the business, we can continue to stand out and grow both our customers and as a company.

I have been in the fire sector for six years and have worked as Technical Director for Fire Detection products and leading a Fire Notification business.   It is this experience and the incredible team around me that will ensure we follow the right strategy to drive FFE forward. Understanding the needs of our customers and developing new products and solutions that meet both articulated and un-articulated customer needs is essential, and I believe we are very well positioned to achieve that during my first 12 months as MD.

HOW’RE YOU FINDING YOUR NEW ROLE AS FFE’S MD?

I am loving it! It’s all about the team who are pulling together to develop and grow FFE.

WHAT’S A TYPICAL DAY LIKE FOR YOU NOW?

There is no typical day! Usually, it starts with getting up at 5am and going for a run or swim, and getting into the office around 7.30. Catch up on e-mails and then join the production start-up meeting at 9am. After that it is so varied from calls with customers, working with colleagues to deliver strategic initiatives, reviewing the latest Lean or Green improvements within Operations or R&D, to checking that all the air conditioners are switched off at the end of the day!

WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN AIMS FOR THE BUSINESS?

Become truly excellent at delivering what our customers need. FFE will continue to embrace new business models, products, processes, and approaches and evolve an ecosystem of addressable partnerships. I also want to ensure that FFE is an even better place to work with a diverse workforce and our strong “one team” culture.

WHICH SUPERPOWER WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Super speed power. Just think about how much more you can get done and how much petrol costs you would save!

IF YOU COULD CHOOSE TO DO ANYTHING FOR A DAY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Fly in the SR-71 Blackbird. It set the world record in 1976 as the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft – one it still holds. If a surface-to-air missile launch was detected, the standard evasive action was simply to accelerate and outpace the missile. Incidentally, the one at Duxford in the UK is protected by our Talentum flame detectors.

We asked a couple of people in our office what they think…

“Since Karl has joined, he has been present in the office and with that brings a lot of focus and drive to each of our teams. I think everybody has responded well and is making an effort every day to be great decision makers, responsible, accountable, and much more positive.” Steve, Head of Customer Operations.

“Karl’s curiosity and keen eye for detail is contagious; it has encouraged others to adopt a new perspective on how things are being done at FFE. With a renewed emphasis on innovation, performance, and accountability across the business, FFE can confidently progress towards achieving its long-term goals.” Satnam, Financial Controller

“Karl has made a big impact in a short amount of time. From challenging processes to encouraging a bigger focus on attention to detail, the changes we have already seen have been not only been refreshing but for the benefit of the business and its employees. FFE has strong strategic initiatives, and we are already building strong foundations to work towards them. We continue to challenge ourselves and our ways of working, and for certain it will be a journey but the future of FFE looks exciting.” Lysette Geraghty, Marketing Director

Be sure to follow Karl on LinkedIn and FFE for more business updates. Get in touch today.

Whilst the IR2 and IR3 types of Flame Detector can still work with contamination (from dust or dirt for example) on the sensor window, their working range and sensitivity can be reduced.

Cleaning the Flame Detector, if it is high off the ground, may be difficult and or expensive, this is where the Flame Detector Air Purge kit comes in.

By connecting an Air Line or Compressed Air Cylinder to the Air Purge hose, the pressurized air can be used to clean the Flame Detector’s sensor window. This can be done as and when required, depending of the levels of contamination on the site to keep the Flame Detector working at its maximum capability.

Whilst both IR2 & IR3 Flame Detectors can still function, the UV/IR2 is a different matter. Because Ultra Violet cannot pass through various types of contamination, like dust and dirt, this means that the UV/IR2 Flame Detector may not pick up a fire if the sensor window is dirty, this makes regular cleaning essential if the UV/IR2 is to work at its maximum capability.

The Fireray 3000 ExD is an End to End Beam detector which is designed to be used in a Hazardous Area (Zone 1 and Zone 2).

Zone 1 is defined as: ‘An area where ignitable concentrations of flammable Gasses, Vapours or Liquids are likely to exist under normal operating conditions’.

Zone 2 is defined as: ‘An area where ignitable concentrations of flammable Gasses, Vapours or Liquids are not likely to exist under normal operating conditions’.

The Fireray 3000 ExD Beam is an ExD version of the existing Fireray 3000 Beam which uses proven End to End technology and is capable of covering distances from 10M to 100M. End to End Beams have a Transmitter at one end, sending out an Infra-Red signal which is detected and analysed by the Receiver and System Controller. If appropriate signal loss is detected the Fireray 3000 will signal a Fire or Fault.

The Transmitter (TX) and Receiver (RX) are mounted in ExD housings and can be placed in the Hazardous Area (with the appropriate ExD glands to route the cables to the Non-Hazardous Area), the System Controller MUST be placed OUTSIDE the Hazardous Area.

The Fireray 3000 ExD can be aligned by one person as there are LEDs in the RX to indicate the signal strength during commissioning, but if these are not visible, a second person can monitor the signal strength at the System Controller during the commissioning. Two pairs of Beams can be supported by one System Controller and there is a Fire and Fault relay for each pair of Beams.

The Fireray 3000 ExD has Light Cancelling Technology (LCT), this means it will not false alarm if the Sun (or another strong Infra-Red source) shines directly onto the RX.

As with all beam smoke detectors the following is good practice when installing the Fireray 3000 ExD.

1. The ExD housings are heavy, so it is very important to mount them to a solid structure which will not move. If either the TX or RX moves (due to poor installation) once it has been aligned, this can cause false alarms and or faults to occur.
2. There must be a clear line of sight (no obstructions) down the whole of the path of the Beam’s run. If anything can move into and break the Beam’s path, this must be taken into account when installing the F3000 ExD.
3. The Fireray 3000 ExD must be suitable for the environment it is protecting. A site with lots of airborne contamination and or extreme temperature swings may not be a suitable site.

The biggest rival technology to Optical Beam Smoke Detectors for detecting smoke/fires in warehouses & large open areas is the Aspirating Smoke Detector (ASD).

While ASD is very sensitive in comms rooms and data centres (for which they were originally developed) in the warehouse and in wide open areas, this advantage is lost when compared to Beam Detection.

In contrast to Beam Detection, ASD is expensive to and to install. Fitting the pipe work which is required for the ASD to work takes time and to get the best response from the ASD, the correct sampling hole size and spacing between the holes must be done. The ASD is not used in its best configuration in the warehouse / large open areas because it cannot be used at its full sensitivity because of the risks of false alarms.

Beam Detection however is much cheaper to buy and install and is a less intrusive installation in the area protected (although this is not really an issue in a warehouse).

ASD can suffer from airflow problems in its sampling pipes due to air pressure changes in the protected area. Wind blowing onto sampling pipes when roller doors are open can cause airflow faults on the ASD.

Beam Detection does not lose sensitivity along the whole of its detection run whilst the ASD takes longer to respond to smoke the further away from the Detector smoke enters the sampling pipe.

The ASD has filters which have to be replaced as they get clogged with dirt. Beam Detectors however have no serviceable parts which need to be changed.

When testing the ASD, the only way to do this is with a smoke test. This can be disruptive to the site and may need to be done ‘out of hours’ which can increase service costs. Aerosol smoke can block sampling holes and clog filters, so is not recommended as a test.

Beam detectors, in contrast only need the IR beam to be broken to be tested.

So while the ASD can be used in warehouses / large open areas. The Beam Detection has the advantages of being:

1. Cheaper to buy and install.
2. Does not have any parts which need replacing during a service.
3. Can be validated without the need for a smoke test.

The Fireray 3000 ExD is an End to End Beam detector which is designed to be used in a Hazardous Area (Zone 1 and Zone 2).

Zone 1 is defined as: ‘An area where ignitable concentrations of flammable Gasses, Vapours or Liquids are likely to exist under normal operating conditions’.

Zone 2 is defined as: ‘An area where ignitable concentrations of flammable Gasses, Vapours or Liquids are not likely to exist under normal operating conditions’.

The Fireray 3000 ExD Beam is an ExD version of the existing Fireray 3000 Beam which uses proven End to End technology and is capable of covering distances from 10M to 100M. End to End Beams have a Transmitter at one end, sending out an Infra-Red signal which is detected and analysed by the Receiver and System Controller. If appropriate signal loss is detected the Fireray 3000 will signal a Fire or Fault.

The Transmitter (TX) and Receiver (RX) are mounted in ExD housings and can be placed in the Hazardous Area (with the appropriate ExD glands to route the cables to the Non-Hazardous Area), the System Controller MUST be placed OUTSIDE the Hazardous Area.

The Fireray 3000 ExD can be aligned by one person as there are LEDs in the RX to indicate the signal strength during commissioning, but if these are not visible, a second person can monitor the signal strength at the System Controller during the commissioning. Two pairs of Beams can be supported by one System Controller and there is a Fire and Fault relay for each pair of Beams.

The Fireray 3000 ExD has Light Cancelling Technology (LCT), this means it will not false alarm if the Sun (or another strong Infra-Red source) shines directly onto the RX.

As with all beam smoke detectors the following is good practice when installing the Fireray 3000 ExD.

1. The ExD housings are heavy, so it is very important to mount them to a solid structure which will not move. If either the TX or RX moves (due to poor installation) once it has been aligned, this can cause false alarms and or faults to occur.
2. There must be a clear line of sight (no obstructions) down the whole of the path of the Beam’s run. If anything can move into and break the Beam’s path, this must be taken into account when installing the F3000 ExD.
3. The Fireray 3000 ExD must be suitable for the environment it is protecting. A site with lots of airborne contamination and or extreme temperature swings may not be a suitable site.

‘Talentum Flame Detectors can see through glass, 4.3µM Types cannot’.

Placing Flame Detectors behind glass either to protect them or for convenience may seem like a good idea. If you have a factory where there is a spray booth for example, you think you may be able to protect the risk by either placing the Flame Detector in an office with the Flame Detector pointing through a window at the risk, or placing it in a glass fronted box in the area to be protected.

This seems a like good idea, because the Flame Detector will be protected from contamination and the window the Flame Detector is looking through can easily be cleaned. However, 4.3µM Flame Detectors cannot detect a flame through a normal glass window as the 4.3µM part of the Light Spectrum is absorbed by normal glass.

As the Talentum IR2 and IR3 Flame Detectors are looking to detect a flame in a part of the Light Spectrum which is not absorbed by normal glass, they will detect a flame through normal glass. Please note, there will be a slight reduction in the normal detection range (25M) if the Talentum IR2 and IR3s are placed behind glass.

Please note: Glass will also prevent Ultra-Violet from passing through it, so the Talentum UV/IR2 should but be used to detect flames through glass.

Many industries have the potential to be affected by dust explosions. The processing of foodstuffs, natural fibres, metals and even electronic components can all generate dusts capable of exploding if they are mixed with air in the right proportions inside a vessel or duct. The same processing equipment can also generate sparks due to dry bearings, faulty machinery or a build-up of static charge, especially if recommended maintenance regimes are not followed.

When it comes to dust explosions, there is a lot to be said for adopting the approach that prevention is better than the cure. Although systems exist that can effectively extinguish a dust explosion after it starts to develop, FFE advocates systems that detect the occurrence of sparks and then take steps to prevent them initiating an explosion in the first place. The options include diverting the process flow away from the spark hazard, injecting an agent (such as water or carbon dioxide) to extinguish the sparks, or simply shutting down the process immediately. The choice depends on the preferred approach identified by your risk assessment.

Central to any explosion prevention system is the rapid and reliable detection of sparks. Devices like FFE’s Talentum® Spark use infrared radiation detectors to record the presence of a spark very rapidly, even before it has reached a sufficiently high temperature to visibly glow. They are designed to respond to flickering signals to avoid false alarms from continuous infrared sources such as sunlight or artificial lighting. These devices are well-suited for fitting to ducts in your system close to potential sources of sparks, and their signals can easily be fed back to a control panel and used to activate the appropriate response. They are therefore ideal for retrofitting to an existing process to strengthen your protection against dust explosions, perhaps following an audit from a health and safety consultant or an insurance agent’s appraisal.

If you manage a process that handles and moves dust, it is well worth taking a fresh look at the risks of dust explosions. They can be devastating to people and property, and can constitute such a significant hazard that countermeasures are often justifiable even if the probability of an explosion occurring is relatively low. The good news is that these measures need not be excessively complicated to be effective. A spark detection system provides the ever-watchful eye needed to stop sparks in their tracks and keep your process operating safely.

Handling dusty materials in industrial processes is a tricky business, raising numerous safety and housekeeping concerns that need to be handled by plant managers. One aspect of dusts that can easily be overlooked goes far beyond being a mere nuisance – it could jeopardise the existence of your factory and the lives of your workers. It’s the threat of dust explosions.

Many common materials react with the oxygen in air, which is the basis of combustion. Some, such as iron and aluminium, form a layer of oxide on their surfaces at ambient temperatures. Pieces of natural fibres such as wood or cotton will burn if heated strongly, but only fairly slowly. However, materials that can react with oxygen will do so increasingly quickly as they become more and more finely divided, because the surface area of the material that is exposed to the air sharply increases.

In most cases, this effect reaches its climax when the material exists as a fine dust dispersed in a stream of air within a confined space such as a vessel or duct. At this point, a relatively weak ignition source such as a spark can, under the right conditions, cause the material to burn extremely rapidly. This releases heat to the surrounding gases in the air, which then expand and cause an enormous increase in pressure – and a dust explosion occurs.

Dust explosions can be highly destructive and often occur completely without warning. They can almost instantly increase the pressure inside a chamber by eight or nine times normal atmospheric pressure, far exceeding the resistance of most vessels. In addition to the shockwave from the explosion, operators are then at risk from fire and the shrapnel from fragmented vessel walls. Furthermore, the explosion fireball can travel along interconnecting pipes and cause an even more violent explosion in another vessel downstream.

Image source: US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board