Wireless System Provides Fire Safety at Job Site

Brief

A new fire evacuation system installed by Turner Construction at Maine Medical Center requires no hard-wired power source or panels. The wireless Ramtech WES3 units are considered a good fit for sites that often lack fire detection basics until their final stages.

Insight

Due to lack of power during the initial stages of construction projects, some sites rely on air horns as an evacuation method on construction sites, but it’s not without drawbacks.

Sean Ryan, environmental health safety manager at Turner Construction, said background noises on a jobsite can drown out an air horn, and the horns do not pinpoint the location or origin of the fire. Additionally, air horns also provide only one solution: noise. They do not include smoke and heat sensors, nor a medical call feature.

Additionally, to control false alarms before, the general contractor would often limit alarm activation to management only, and rely on phone or radio communication from the field, then activate the alarm. With the Ramtech WES3 system, anyone can activate the alarm, notify the entire general contractor staff and confirm the event.

“This is an important safety culture item to empower all trade people onsite,” Ryan said in the release. “I’d be happy to continue using the system for as long as the project is in motion, as it provides peace of mind and a secure environment for the site, its workers and the surrounding locations.”

A battery with a three-year life under normal use powers each unit of the Ramtech WES3 fire evacuation detection system to secure the jobsite during all phases of construction whether electricity is available or not. Each WES3 unit can also be mounted anywhere.

There are currently more than 50 active construction projects with the WES3 system across the U.S., said John Tryer, sales director at Ramtech. Top contractors with the system include Turner, Lendlease and Gilbane, among others.