The document provides information on fire alarm systems and smoke detectors. It discusses an incident where a fire alarm panel was damaged but then repaired within two hours. It also discusses the average lifespan of different brands of smoke detectors, which ranges from 10 to 20 years according to manufacturers' guidance. The key factors that affect lifespan are the operating conditions and how quickly detectors respond to test smoke.

1. Edition 8 • August 2015
WIRE FREE
NEWS
The Hulk V Steve Austin
Our engineers - we should call them
all Steve from now - arrived on site to
find a scene of devastation. The
silence button had evaded this heavy
handed user, and the fire alarm panel
had made the ultimate sacrifice.
In pieces
We think that the HULK had been asked to
silence the fire alarm, which although
effective in achieving the aim, we believe
was a tad heavy handed and that perhaps
some training on using the 2222 code
would have helped avoid the issue.
We can rebuild him
Amazingly the panel was put back
together and re-fixed to the wall within
two hours and YES it worked, which says a
lot for the manufacturer (Kentec).
Key switch
When we specify the Kentec Fire Panel, we
often suggest that you pay the extra £80
and add a key-switch as this is easier to
control when the alarm is going off, as
opposed to trying to remember the enable
code and pulling the panel off the wall to
stop the sounders.
For those wondering who the heck
Steve Austin Is;
In the 1970’s TV Show ‘The Six Million Dollar
Man’ - (when that was a lot of money);
Steve Austin was seriously injured when his
spaceship crashed. Handsome and athletic,
Austin underwent a government-sanctioned
surgery, which rebuilds several of Steve’s
body parts with machine parts, making him
cyborg-like. His machine parts enable him
to have superhuman strength and speed,
as well as other powers which he uses for
battling evil for the good of mankind...
Call us on: 01277 724779
www.w-fp.co.uk
“ For every action,
there is an equal
and opposite
OVER-reaction. ”
Newtons 3rd Law
(modified)

2. Call us on: 01277 724779
www.w-fp.co.uk
Last week we made a mistake, we
had an incident which meant that
our engineer accidentally drilled
through a cable and shut down some
air conditioning (yes he was OK!).
The evidence is on the end of the
drill bit, which started life a slighty
different shape.
So what happened next?
We called our friendly electrical contracting
customer and we both attended within an
hour and they returned at 8am the next
day to fix the cable for us.
It transpired that the floor levels were
different either side of the wall and we
were 200mm out on our measurements. We
reviewed the issue and learned the lessons.
What People Don't Talk About...
Score us today: www.jw154.infusionsoft.com/app/form/tell-us-what-you-think
WIRE FREE NEWS
Our brilliant customer understood what
had happened and we have included this
incident here to show that we are human
and make mistakes, but as my Dad tells me
“You don't really know who you are
dealing with until something goes wrong.”
You tell us
What is NPS and why is it important to you?
NPS stands for ‘Net Promoter Score’ and it’s
important as it’s the way that a company such
as us measures itself. It’s really simple and
revolves around one question: “Would you
recommend us to someone else?” on a scale
of 1-10, with a short space to explain why.
The key thing is that we learn from
mistakes and criticism and it’s important
to you because as we learn from feedback,
we improve the service we deliver to you.

3. You can help by letting us know what you
like or don’t like too - we really are listening,
just email us: feedback@w-fp.co.uk
or complete our feedback form online:
www.w-fp.co.uk/contacts
@WORK
Rob Andrews aka ‘Back up Bob’
joined our team last month in the
customer service department, so
you will probably talk to him more
than the rest of us! Rob has a degree
in Clinical Psychology, so be careful
what you tell him - “Look into my
eyes not around the eyes”.
Rob has earned himself the title of
'Back up Bob' as he has volunteered to
take the back up disk off site each day
and now has a high viz jacket to prove
it. Rob's background in retail brings a
real customer focused approach to
WFP - try him out today!
Q&A (New and Improved!)
Q1. If you were stuck on a desert island
and could only bring three things
with you what would they be?
Beer, Chocolate and a Fan to keep
me cool.
Q2. If you could have a superpower what
would it be and why?
Invisibility (because I can already read
minds!).
Q3. If there were a movie about your life,
who would play you and why?
James Corden (because people say we
look alike) in “Back-up” the movie.
Q4. What was the last gift you gave?
A bottle of red wine for Fathers Day.
Q5. Who do you follow on Twitter and why?
James Corden and Alan Sugar because
of his abuse of Piers Morgan (always
brightens my day!).
WFP’s culture: As a business we believe in
doing things properly; for our customers
and also for our colleagues. We really
want all our people to be happy in what
they do. To support this, we promote
continual, individual, development and
promote honest debate on how to
improve our services to our customers.
Edition 8 • August 2015

4. So how can you tell if your detector
has reached the end of its life?
The key consideration is the manufacturers
guidance, then it’s the environment that it
is in and the speed of reaction to the 'test
smoke'. If it’s quick it could be too sensitive
and prone to false alarms and if it’s slow
then 'will it work?’.
The implications are different to all
organisations but the key is servicing by a
qualified and experienced engineer, my
advice is to establish what you have and get
some advice on a likely replacement date.
Baz
Call us on: 01277 724779
www.w-fp.co.uk
Like us on Facebook
@wfptweets
WIRE FREE NEWS Edition 8 • August 2015
Fire detector manufacturers have
varying lifespan and warranty periods.
But are these a true guide to how
long your kit will last for and even if
it does what are the consequences?
Our one top tip this month relates to
smoke detector lifespan :-
Commercial smoke detectors are widely
believed to have an average of 10 years
good working life, however the
manufacturers don't always agree with
each other. The key thing to remember is
that electronics within the detectors have
working life within certain conditions and
that other things such as airborne particulates
can seriously shorten the life span.
APOLLO - 10 Years
HOCHIKI - Won't publish a time but
when asked say privately up to 20 years
GENT (HONEYWELL) - 10 Years
SIEMENS - Believe that the detector
starts to deteriorate after 4 years and
should be replaced every eight years.
We love working with you!
Yes, the secret’s out! Now
we need your help to spread
the WFP word. Our “Brand New”
referral program has just
been launched! Read on…
Simply refer a friend to WFP
and you will both receive a
£25 Amazon gift certificate*
Visit www.w-fp.co.uk/referral
for more details and full T&C’s:
* T&C’s apply