The first step in the project involved installing a new addressable fire alarm control panel that could accommodate the potential system expansion and upgrades. Along with the new panel, heating was provided in the fire alarm panel room. The next major improvement was the installing of an aspirating smoke detection (ASD) system across the beautifully curved ceiling which, owing to its size and curved profile, is not well-suited to either point or beam detectors. The pipework for this system was fitted to the floor of the attic space above the wooden ceiling, with 81 sampling ports that penetrated the ceiling at intervals of 17-20 feet. The ASD controllers were installed in a small booth in the attic that was fitted with heating and air conditioning to maintain operating temperatures within the UL-listed temperature limits of the equipment. This booth was also provided with high and low temperature alarms and would become the optimum installation location for other electronic hardware supporting an expanded fire detection system.

However, the attic space itself was another major concern, as the scattering of rate-compensated heat detectors present was inadequate. It is also a highly cluttered space, with spars and braces forming a tangled network of obstacles, requiring a considerable number of spot-type heat detectors to give sufficient protection – far too difficult and expensive to install.

Linear heat detection (LHD) was the initial design concept for protecting this space, which included strapping the detection cable to the existing sprinkler system branch pipelines from the base of the attic to its peak. After numerous visits with potential contractors, the access to this piping was clearly a major obstacle. The costs involved to install the linear heat detection were estimated to exceed $100,000 for the attic alone. Air-aspirating detection was another possibility but access to install the piping was still a significant problem. There was no way to safely install ASD or LHD in the attic space with only a single layer of 1” wood between the attic flooring and a 34-foot drop to the auditorium floor!

Instead, Carl decided to try and install reflective beam smoke detectors in this space, partly to protect the attic itself, and partly as an additional layer of detection of a fire originating in other areas of the auditorium where smoke might travel into the attic space. In several locations, there are wooden ventilation grills in the auditorium ceiling which communicate with the air in the auditorium below. There are also numerous open organ pipe chases that terminate in the attic, so it might be possible for smoke from a fire to migrate through these into areas of the attic space.

Although beam smoke detectors offered the most promising solution, it was far from certain that they would work. The cluttered space made beam blockage a distinct possibility – would it be possible to find a path with enough clearance for a beam to pass across the attic and be reflected back again? In addition, maintaining alignment across the attic space was anticipated to be critical considering the likelihood of building movement due to high winds; the auditorium is over 80 feet high at the apex of the ceiling and has an uninterrupted view of the Atlantic shoreline less than a quarter of a mile away.

The ability to protect the attic space with the Fireray 5000 reflective beam detectors gave a tremendous cost saving over any other potential fire detection method. With the assistance of maintenance staff, the process of installing the detectors on the east wall, running a single cable from the unit to the attic booth, and mounting the reflectors on the opposite wall was easy and efficient. The cost savings were estimated to be over $100,000 versus other smoke and heat detection options.

The long-term inspection, testing, and maintenance costs are also significantly reduced. There is no need to test individual spot heat detectors or linear heat detection runs, or access ASD piping for cleaning and maintenance. A simple UL-approved sensitivity and alarm test is all that is required, which is performed safely from the controllers in the attic booth.

Following the successful installation of the detectors, Carl can reflect on his choice of detection system. “Fire protection systems engineers struggle with designing cost-effective early fire detection systems in unheated locations. In many cases, heat detection cannot provide sufficient warning of a fire in its incipient stage to address the risk. Furthermore, some unheated building applications need smoke detection capabilities to meet the objectives of protecting life and property. Although aspirating smoke detection systems do provide the capability of very early detection, they are very costly to install and maintain. Where heat detectors simply do not meet the design intent and a horizontal unobstructed visual path with a radius of 3 feet exists, I use the Fireray 5000 as the optimal solution for my projects.”

Although already in progress for ten years, in many ways this project is still in its infancy. Carl has other plans concerning the protection of the Great Auditorium. Where spot heat detectors are currently the only means of fire detection in many areas, he plans to install at least 15 additional beam detectors. In areas that do not have the necessary line of sight across the area to be protected, additional ASD systems are planned. In various areas with limited combustible contents such as the dirt floor basement area, linear heat detection tied to the sprinkler pipe is ready to be installed. Next year sees a planned structural reinforcement of the pipe organ supports which may present an opportunity to access areas above the pipes and improve the protection of this valuable asset. For the moment though, he is pleased with the significant step forward in protecting the attic space of this landmark building using the trusted beams of FFE’s Fireray 5000 detectors. 

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