Chameleon

We've Moved!

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 17:04:03 +0000

Chameleon have moved to smart new offices in Gerrards Cross, Bucks. Please note our new address and telephone number below.

What are Open Protocol Systems and what are the Benefits?

admin — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 11:35:17 +0000

We are often asked about “Open Protocol” or “Open Architecture” systems. Although this is quite a technical question, it is one of the fundamental issues to be addressed when specifying a fire detection and alarm system. In order to understand this issue it helps to consider the origins and basic principles of automatic fire detection systems, and then to consider the way the fire systems industry is structured.

All fire detection and alarm systems are technically similar. In very simple terms, they consist of numerous fire detection devices, including smoke detectors and “break glass” call points for example, which are connected to a central control panel. When a smoke detector detects smoke, it informs the control panel, which then turns on circuits of alarm sounders. Smoke detector operates, alarm sounders ring. (if you want to be really simple about it!)

The connection between the detection devices, alarm sounders and the control panel is either cabling or wireless. For simplicity, we will focus on systems where the devices are connected to the control panel by cabling, commonly called in the industry a “hard wired” system.

In the early days of automatic fire detection, smoke detectors and call points were really just switches. When they operated, they acted on an electrical circuit just like a light switch. You could have a number of devices on one circuit, called zones. So at least, when the alarm system activated, you could tell which floor of your building the alarm had activated on. A typical system would have a number of zones.

Although this type of system is still commonplace, today the zonally wired system is less popular and usually restricted to smaller premises. Modern systems operate more like computer networks where the devices and the control panel communicate with each other by means of digital signalling. This principle of operation offers a number of significant benefits. A smoke detector can, for example, tell the control panel exactly where it is (addressable) and rather than simply being a switch, can give the control panel more information about what exactly it is detecting (analogue). This enable the control panel software to make decisions on interpreting and acting upon the data it receives. These systems are called analogue addressable fire detection and alarm systems, sometimes simplified to “intelligent” systems. There is no doubt that these general principles have enabled the creation of very sophisticated fire detection systems indeed!

This brings us back to the question of “what is an “Open Protocol” system, and why is it important? The word “protocol” here refers to the communication method between the control panel and the systems devices. Obviously, all of the components of a system must be talking the same language!

The simple and most obvious way to achieve this is for all of the components of a system to be manufactured by the same company, and indeed there are a number of companies within the industry that do just that. Although this ensures compatibility, the problem with this scenario is that the system becomes proprietary. The protocol is “closed” and no one else can manufacture compatible equipment for that system.

This may not matter very much when the system is first purchased as the buyer has the opportunity to compare different systems and prices. However, this can become far more significant in the future when it comes to system maintenance, replacement parts and making changes to the system. Customers find themselves “locked in” to the original system (or a limited choice of their “authorised distributors”) resulting in a potentially uncompetitive situation.

There is, however, another side to the fire systems industry, which provides an alternative solution. Much of the industry is made up of “system integrators” who also supply complete systems. However, these companies don’t manufacture the component parts of the system. These are provided by a number of specialist manufacturers of detection products, including global brands such as Apollo, Hochiki and Nittan, and a number of independent control equipment manufacturers, such as Morley IAS and Kentec to name but two. These manufacturers supply their equipment to a wide choice of systems integrators who assemble and sell onto the end user complete systems based on the best and most suitable equipment from these manufacturers.

Naturally, these systems have their own “communication protocol”, generally determined by the chosen detector manufacturer, after all, everything does have to be compatible and talking the same language! But because the system components are available from a wide choice of suppliers, these systems are known as “Open Protocol” or “Open Architecture” systems.

The benefits of this structure to the system purchaser are significant. Access to the latest technology and the wider choice of equipment available make it far easier to provide the most suitable system for a particular requirement. More importantly, on-going system maintenance and support can be provided by a large number of specialist companies, giving a wider choice and therefore, competitive prices.

So, in summary, when considering a choice of systems, you need to consider whether you would rather have a closed protocol system or an open architecture system. Do you want to be locked into a single company for on-going service, support and maintenance?

Or, would you rather be in a market where you always have a choice. Where your supplier knows you have a choice and will strive to provide the top class service you want in order to keep your custom.

Of course, some companies are better at providing that level of service than others. Maybe you don’t have to look too far to find the best….

Whatever happened to Genuine Customer Service?

admin — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 07:47:37 +0000

These days, “Customer Service“ is a term used with wild abandon. All businesses claim to provide great Customer Service. Big companies even have huge “Customer Service” departments and employ dedicated “Customer Service” personnel. But isn’t this all missing the point somewhat? Every aspect of every business should be about customer service. All businesses provide a service of some kind to its customers.

Unfortunately, it’s easy to believe these days that “Customer Service” actually means something different to “providing a service to our customers”. All too often, in a larger organisation, the Customer Service department is deliberately created as a barrier between customers and the operational activities of the company.

Let’s look at an example that will probably sound all too familiar with most readers. I recently moved house and, as part of that process, needed a broadband service to be installed, which I ordered all in good time from one of our large telecomms providers. Unfortunately, the installation hit problems, and the quoted 2 weeks installation period ended up stretched to 6 weeks. Ok, so technical problems do happen, we all understand that. But what I feel is interesting, is the way you end up communicating with an organisation at the various stages of the process.

When ordering a service, you are usually talking to a “sales” department, who will bend over backwards to help you (and to take your order!). When the work is being done, you will see, and even talk to, what I call the operations people, the engineers, line management that are actually doing the job. But when, as in my example, things start to go wrong, you end up communicating with a “Customer Service” department. Often, this is a call centre, and in my case I was definitely talking to someone that had no idea of what was happening with my particular job.

What I actually wanted to do was talk to the boss of the engineer that was carrying out the work. If I had been able to do that, I’m sure the situation could have been resolved very quickly. But, as is usually the case these days, this was not possible. I had to deal with “Customer Services”.

Of course it is all about economies of scale, efficiency, and I assume, keeping costs down. And we all understand that to an extent. But frankly, that means “Customer Service” is these days about long winded call queuing systems, remote call centres, distant, anonymous emails and web forms. In our view, that’s not customer service, that’s customer “handling”.

Don’t you agree that it can be so frustrating and time consuming trying to resolve even simple issues these days? Don’t you just miss the days when Customer Service meant just that – providing a service to customers?

We firmly believe it doesn’t have to be that way. We know that Chameleon Systems are not a massive company. But we’re not that small either. We don’t have a customer service department. Our entire company provides customer service and we are proud of the service we provide.

If you want to speak to us, you call us and we answer the phone. You get to speak to the Sales Manager, the Service Manager, the Project guy, whoever YOU feel you need to speak to. Or you email the person you need, individually, by name. That means any issues that arise get sorted out directly, quickly and efficiently. And it’s a much nicer way to do business, don’t you agree?

Give it a try, pick up the phone. At Chameleon, old fashioned customer service is alive and kicking!

Does it matter who services your fire safety systems?

admin — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 07:46:08 +0000

Let’s face it, fire safety systems, especially fire alarm or fire detection systems, are pretty boring. They just sit there for years, doing nothing. Or even worse, being a nuisance with disruptive false alarms. So when it comes to deciding who should be servicing these systems, it’s not quite as exciting as say, buying a new car or a computer.

The problem with fire safety systems though, is that when they are needed, if you are unfortunate enough to experience an emergency situation, then they need to function perfectly, without hesitation, no matter how many years they have been sitting quietly there in the background. That’s why it’s important that all fire safety systems are correctly maintained.

Although there are plenty of standards that define what and how servicing should be carried out, surprisingly there is no legislation that specifically makes such servicing compulsory, and neither is there any legislation that makes it compulsory that the persons and organisations carrying out such maintenance hold particular qualifications. In theory, anyone can service your fire alarm system!

However, there is a single piece of legislation that is very relevant! The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order of 2005. This replaced a great deal of previous fire safety legislation and as far as any non domestic premises are concerned and dictates that fire risk in all such premises must be properly managed. In addition, it firmly placed the responsibility for implementing fire safety with a building on the owners and / or occupiers of a building. In particular, it created the concept of the “responsible person” being a person that has a degree of control over a building or part of a building. Determining how to “manage the fire risk” within premises is carried out by means of risk assessments. It is compulsory to carry out a fire safety risk assessment for any non domestic premises that demonstrates that all potential fire risks have, as far as is practical, been considered and addressed.

So how does this impact on any decision as to how your fire safety systems are services and maintained? Well simply, your risk assessment will determine that certain fire safety systems are required within you premises. Precisely what systems are needed will depend on the nature and size of the premises. This article assumes that these decisions were made a while back, and all required systems are installed and operational. Your risk assessment will then certainly conclude that, to ensure reliable future operation of your systems then these systems need to be correctly maintained. But what does ”correctly maintained” mean and how do you ensure that this is achieved?

Fortunately help is at hand. There are a variety of British Standards covering the wide range of fire safety systems, from fire detection and alarm systems, emergency lighting systems, portable fire extinguishers and more, that state quite clearly what maintenance operations are required and that these operations should be carried out by a competent person and / or organisation.

So, we have determined that, to be able to demonstrate you are complying with the requirements of the Regulatory Reform Order, all of your fire safety systems must be maintained by a “competent” person in accordance with applicable British Standards. But what is a competent person, and how can you be certain that the person or organisation you appoint is competent?

The answer to that question may be more complex than immediately meets the eye. Personnel carrying out work on your fire safety systems must be adequately trained. The organisation they work for must ensure that training is correctly managed. Such personnel must be fully familiar with the requirements of the applicable Standards and the organisation must possess the resources to deal with any eventuality. Above all, the organisation must manage the whole process in such a way that you, the responsible person, are confident that your responsibilities are being adequately met. If you are left feeling “Hmm, am I confident everything is covered?” then maybe you need to find a service organisation that does, in fact, give you that peace of mind.

Of course, there are always economic factors to consider. We want to be covered, but like all other aspects of our business, we want the best possible value for money. In the fire safety business, yes it is definitely possible to seek and find great value for money. But you need to be careful not to cut corners, or that reassurance and peace of mind may be compromised!

On one hand many businesses simply rely on the original installers of their systems for ongoing maintenance as this is the default scenario. But without active competition, this may not represent the best value. On the other, you may save money by having your emergency lighting system serviced by your in house or local electrician. Yes, emergency lighting is an electrical system so you can argue that your electrician is competent. But is a general purpose electrician or electrical contractor likely to be fully familiar with BS5266? Well, you should at least ask the question!

So, who else should you consider? Well, there are many, many contractors that specialise in fire safety systems. When considering various contractors, price is easy to determine, but competence? How do you know?

Again, help is at hand. Although 3^rd party approval for contractors is not a legal requirement in the UK, the industry does have a very strong industry association in the FIA and an established 3^rd party accreditation process. Incorporating ISO9001 quality assurance schemes, but going MUCH further, approval schemes such as BAFE ensure the competency of approved contractors and require regular inspections of the contractors themselves and the quality of their work. So these accreditations go a long way to satisfactorily answering the question, “Are my fire safety systems being maintained by a competent organisation?”

So, in summary. You must have all or your fire safety systems and equipment properly serviced in accordance with the relevant Standards. This servicing must be carried out by a competent organisation that you can trust, and this is best assured by their membership of the FIA and possession of BAFE 3rd party accreditation. You want expertise you can rely on in any eventuality. You want great value for money, and also top quality customer service. After all, this process should be made as easy as possible for you!

If you are thinking “Hmm, now where can I find a company that provides all that?”, then maybe you don’t need to look too far….

Why should I consider a Wireless Fire Alarm System?

admin — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 07:35:21 +0000

Ordinary fire detection and alarm systems need extensive cabling to be installed between all of the system devices and the central control panel. Wireless systems, on the other hand, achieve the same end using radio technology and so don’t need the installation of all that cabling. It’s not difficult to see the benefits of this, especially when it comes to installing a system within an occupied building. But the choice isn’t necessarily as simple as that!

Twenty years ago, wireless fire detection systems were relatively rare and usually restricted to buildings where cable installation would be extremely problematic, such as highly ornate interiors or historic, listed buildings. Reliability and cost issues were, however, commonplace. These days, the technology has advanced dramatically, making wireless systems far more common.

Correctly designed and installed, wireless systems are now highly reliable, as they have to be. They have to comply fully with the same standards as wired systems, and in fact British Standards now specifically dictate criteria for wireless systems. The need for 100% reliability in fire systems, which involves self monitoring and redundancy at a number of levels, means that providing this in a wireless system requires quite advanced technology. Far more specialised, for example, than you would find in a wireless security system or a computer WiFi network.

So the equipment itself is relatively expensive when compared to wired system equipment but this is offset by not requiring expensive cable installation. As wired fire systems need to be installed in specialist, fire resistant cable, this can be significant. These days, wireless systems can compete directly with wired systems on cost so economically they can be considered in a much wider range of applications.

But the consideration of a wireless system is not just about cost. Another important factor is often time. Wireless systems can be installed in a fraction of the time taken to install a wired system. The difference can be dramatic. In certain circumstances, a wireless system can be installed in a day, where a wired system would take weeks, or even longer.

Then there is disruption. Large scale cable installation in a working building is extremely disruptive and inflexible. The needs of the system will dictate where cables need to be installed, not convenience. This may not be a huge concern in a new build or refurbishment scenario, but if it is a stand alone fire system installation that is required then it certainly will be! Wireless system installation on the other hand is quick, straightforward and neat.

Finally, there is appearance. Fire alarms system cables are not small, so in a retrofit situation it may be very difficult to conceal system cabling effectively. In some buildings, this is simply unacceptable. Here, wireless systems come into their own and are by far the best choice.

Once installed, there is very little difference between the two types of system. Often, the end user will not even be aware of which type of system he has. Wireless systems provide all of the technical advantages of “intelligent” analogue addressable fire detection and alarm systems.

Wireless fire detection systems are, however, a very sophisticated technology. When we talk about “correctly designed and installed” this cannot be taken lightly and it is vital that a specialist organisation is employed. Such systems require an in depth knowledge and understanding of radio technology as well as fire system design and installation. Radio surveys, which form a vital part of the system design process, require specialist equipment, training and experience.

Chameleon Systems are specialists in the field of wireless fire alarm and detection systems and are approved suppliers of all three of the major wireless system brands. With a wealth of experience in a wide variety of projects, Chameleon will provide the optimal solution for your particular requirement. To find out more, simply give us a call!

New Website Launched

admin — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 06:37:32 +0000

Chameleon Systems are please to launch their new website. We’ve tried to make this as informative and readable as possible, with the emphasis on some interesting articles. Please enjoy browsing the site, and if you need any information, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Chameleon awarded BAFE SP203-1!

admin — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 06:33:48 +0000

Chameleon have been awarded BAFE SP203-1 accreditation, achieved through the NSI National Standards Inspectorate) Gold scheme, which includes ISO 9001 quality assurance certification.

Who We Are

admin — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 09:28:20 +0000

Chameleon Systems are specialists in the field of fire safety engineering, a professional team representing a considerable degree of experience and expertise in its chosen fields. Together, we provide the specialisation necessary to meet the exacting standards demanded of this industry.

We provide a comprehensive and flexible package of services encompassing the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of a wide range of fire safety systems, all performed to the highest professional standards. Based in West London, we operate throughout South East England.

As a long established medium size company, we offer a unique blend of traditional customer service, a great sense of teamwork and a high level of technical expertise.