RESIDENTS SUPPORT AUTOMIST PILOT
Plumis has completed an installation of its Automist Smartscan Hydra system, in one of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s newly refurbished flats on the Lancaster West Estate, as part of a pilot project offering additional fire protection for residents.
108 residents visited the council’s Upper Camelford Walk show flat event in March to review, experience and give feedback on the quality of the proposed refurbishment being implemented across the estate.
On the day of the Open House, James Caspell, Neighbourhood Director at Lancaster West Neighbourhood Team, said: “We’re keen to explore innovative and cutting-edge methods to improve fire safety in the homes we manage, and we were delighted to pilot the Automist Smartscan Hydra in one of our properties.”
As part of the event, Plumis colleagues were on-site answering questions and demonstrating how the fully installed Automist system works.
Residents surveyed by the council at the event were overwhelmingly positive about the system, commenting that the system was "brilliant” and "really discreet", with one resident asking, "why don’t all homes have this system?"
Plumis designed the system as a more responsive alternative to traditional sprinklers, which works by detecting excess heat and smoke within a room. Once the system confirms a fire is present it responds by spraying the room with a targeted mist. It has been shown to be faster and cause less water damage than a traditional sprinkler system.
William Makant, Chief Executive Officer at Plumis, said: “Automist is relatively easy to install because it doesn’t require a tank or a water mains upgrade. It can be installed within a day or two, with minimal impact to the building and uses ten times less water than a sprinkler.
"We’re pleased that we’ve been able to show the council’s residents how it works, so they have a greater understanding of the benefits and how it increases protection for everyone – including those who are considered to be vulnerable, which in most cases do not have adequate protection from fire with traditional fire suppression methods."
This is the second London-based council to undertake a project with Plumis’ system. Lambeth is installing the Automist Smartscan Hydra system across some of its sheltered housing schemes, with work recommencing following the coronavirus crisis in autumn.