A complete life safety solution for a heritage freehouse: fire and water risk specified as one

A complete life safety solution for a heritage freehouse: fire and water risk specified as one

​The Ship Centurion has been part of Whitstable life since 1996. Founded by Jan and Armin Birk, the Kent freehouse is now run by their son Roland, who was clear from the outset that any life safety upgrade had to respect the building's character while addressing risks that go well beyond fire alone. The specification challenge was one many project teams working in older buildings will recognise. A working kitchen, guest bedrooms, a bar and games room, plus a cellar full of continuously running pipework, all needed protection and the building's historic fabric made visible cabling unacceptable. Installer Acer Electrical addressed this by routing cabling through the flooring void, keeping the installation fully aligned with BS 5839-1, the code of practice for fire detection and alarm systems in non-domestic premises, without compromising the pub's appearance. The fire detection specification is built around Hochiki's ESP intelligent platform. Thirty-three ESP devices are installed across the building, matched to the environment they protect: intelligent heat sensors in the kitchen, where steam and cooking activity are constant and adjustable sensitivity smoke sensors elsewhere to reduce false alarms while maintaining reliable detection. Hochiki base sounders deliver up to 98 dB(A) while sitting discreetly beneath each sensor. The whole system runs from a single Hochiki HFP addressable panel, keeping ongoing maintenance and future expansion straightforward for the end user. What sets this specification apart is what sits alongside the fire system. The cellar's pipework presented a separate and easily underestimated risk: water damage that can accumulate for weeks before becoming visible. To address this, Acer Electrical specified LEAKtrace, Hochiki's conventional water leak detection system, using a two-zone control panel with specialist detection cables and floor probes around the basement perimeter. It operates entirely independently of the fire alarm, activating at the first sign of moisture. Roland Birk summed up the result: