Intelligent Student Accommodation Fire Alarm Systems for Proactive Safety


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The critical challenge of fire safety in student accommodation

High-risk environments and evolving regulations

Student accommodation fire safety regulations can be difficult to stay up to date with due to their complex framework. Legislation such as the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Housing Act 2004 (for HMOs), and recent reforms under the Building Safety Act 2022 require continuous monitoring and risk management, in order to stay compliant.

Add to this the higher risk of fire due to occupant-related risks such as cooking accidents, tampering with fire safety equipment, misuse of fire doors and more, and you have a lot of work to do to ensure that your student accommodation remains fire safety compliant.

The operational strain of false alarms and manual compliance

False fire alarms in student accommodation are a major problem that create a range of issues. With more than 90% of callouts in England being false alarms the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) spends millions of pounds on callout fees alone. False alarms can also divert emergency services away from genuine emergencies which can result in a slower response and potentially lives being lost. Due to these issues with false alarms, many fire and rescue services have introduced charges and fines for repeat false alarm offenders.

A big issue with trying to maintain manual compliance across student accommodation is the sheer number of alarms that have to be monitored and maintained. This can easily lead to non-compliance through missed faulty devices within your portfolio.  

Minimising disruption to residents and staff

Reducing false fire alarms in student accommodation doesn’t just help you to stay compliant and alleviate the pressure on emergency services. It also allows you to be a good neighbour. As well as being an annoyance to your residents, false fire alarms can be frustrating to neighbouring tenants and any staff that help to run the site. 

If there are frequent false alarms, this can also lead to alarm fatigue with students and staff becoming complacent and taking genuine fire alarm alerts less seriously. This can lead to slower evacuation times which can be devastating during a real fire, and can lead to fatal incidents.

Drax Technology helps student accommodation providers significantly reduce false fire alarms by giving clear visibility of alarm activations, system trends and recurring issues across a site or portfolio. This insight allows teams to identify root causes - such as cooking accidents and tampered smoke alarms, and take targeted action before false alarms become frequent.

The cost and risk of reactive maintenance

If you are reactive and only fix an issue with a PBSA fire detection system once it arises, you can run the risk of catching it too late which may result in a live fire being reported too slowly. This can lead to extensive damage to a property and increases the risk of injury and fatal incidents. There is not only an increased chance of monetary cost due to damage and repairs. There is also an increased chance in the cost of lives. 

Fact: Over a three‑year period, student accommodation in the UK generated approximately 3,200 false alarms, significantly impacting emergency service resources.

Source: https://cdsys.co.uk/2021/10/31/cds-teams-up-with-nus-during-student-fire-safety-week-to-help-save-lives/

Just some of the universities benefitting from Drax Technology

Drax Technology: The intelligence behind safer student environments

Use integrated fire safety for education to reduce risks, by implementing a proactive approach.

  • Full-Stack Automation and Integrated Design Our intelligent platform interlinks all fire systems across your portfolio and automatically checks that everything is running properly.
  • Integrating With All Leading Fire Alarm Panel Manufacturers Our alarm management software is compatible with over 50 fire alarm manufacturers and integrates seamlessly.
  • Centralised Critical Alarm Management For Multi-Site Portfolios Whether you have a single PBSA with multiple rooms, multiple HMOs across different sites or a combination of both. Our technology interlinks all of your alarms and provides an overview on one centralised dashboard.
  • Turning Data Into Proactive Maintenance and Asset Management Intelligent fire alarm monitoring for student accommodation that provides real-time alerts and actionable guidance.
  • Asset Management For Fire Doors and Safety-Critical Devices Don’t just monitor your alarms. Our student accommodation fire alarm system connects to all fire safety assets.
  • Predictive Analytics To Anticipate Equipment Failure Approach fire safety proactively by replacing or repairing fire safety assets before they can cause an issue.

Education Case Studies

Achieving continuous compliance and peace of mind

Our solution makes staying compliant easy and provides peace of mind that all of the fire safety assets across your portfolio are in working order. It can be used effectively across multiple industry sectors to reduce fire risk.

Automating reporting to satisfy fire safety legislation

Instead of relying on time-consuming manual reporting, our software records every fire event across your portfolio. This allows you to adhere to student accommodation fire safety regulations without having to send engineers to manually check all of your fire safety assets on a regular basis.

Reducing false fire alarms without compromising safety

Reducing false fire alarms in student accommodation by replacing faulty equipment early is an excellent way to remove a big false alarm trigger throughout your portfolio. By being able to actively monitor all of your interlinked alarms, you can also catch any alarms that have been tampered with early. This not only reduces the number of false alarms, but increases the overall safety of your properties too.

Advanced detection to distinguish real threats from nuisance

Rather than just providing a basic alert, our technology provides in-depth insight in the event of a critical fire alarm. Allowing you to deal with real threats and nuisance in separate and effective ways.

Faster, more informed emergency response

Our solution allows you to respond to a fire considerably more quickly. By providing a detailed breakdown of every fire event it allows you to provide detailed information to emergency services too.

Our system is compatible with over 50 fire alarm manufacturers

  • Safety Assurance Manage and monitor your fire safety measures efficiently, significantly reducing the risk of accidents and enhancing emergency preparedness and in doing so enhance your reputation.
  • Regulatory Compliance Navigate the complex building and fire safety regulations with a software system that ensures compliance with these regulations, mitigating the risk of legal action, fines, and reputational damage.
  • Operational Efficiency Track inspections, maintenance, and compliance to streamline building management and prevent costly repairs, legal fees, and regulatory breaches, leading to long-term cost savings.
  • Data Driven Insights Powerful data analytics and reporting features provide critical insights into compliance trends, highlight areas needing attention, and generate comprehensive reports for internal and external stakeholders.
  • Emergency Preparedness Centralised critical alarm management streamlined communication, efficient evacuation plans, and real-time monitoring of fire and life safety equipment to ensure quick and effective response in emergencies.
  • Insurance Benefits Demonstrating proactive management of building compliance and fire safety can lead to better insurance rates, providing financial benefits through documented safety efforts.

We build the intelligence that helps your buildings protect people

At Drax Technology, we transform your manual process into a digital one. Our platform means that your system is no longer a reactive one but a proactive safety system suitable for a large complex estate like a university or college.

Proven experience protecting large, complex sites

With over 25 years of expertise, we’ve partnered with leading universities to improve safety, simplify compliance, and reduce costs.

Speak to our Student Accommodation team

Student Accommodation FAQ's

What is the biggest fire risk in student accommodation?

The biggest fire risk in student accommodation is cooking accidents. This is closely followed by tampering with fire safety equipment, misuse of electronics, and misuse of fire doors.

How can I reduce false fire alarms in student housing?

You can reduce false fire alarms in student housing by implementing monitoring software that will allow you to catch any fire safety asset faults or tampering early. This in turn allows you to replace any fire safety assets that have become faulty or have been tampered with before they can pose a serious fire risk.

What are the fire safety responsibilities of a student accommodation landlord or manager?

The legal fire safety responsibilities of a student housing landlord or manager are to:

  • Conduct regular Fire Risk Assessments and implement changes.

  • Periodically test and maintain all fire safety equipment.

  • Perform regular checks on fire doors in communal areas (at least every three months)

  • Ensure that all furniture and furnishings meet fire safety standards

  • Conduct building fire safety inspections (both by staff and FRS risk-based inspections)

Does Drax Technology's system work with my existing fire alarm panels?

Yes, our intelligent platform is compatible with over 50 fire alarm panel manufacturers.

How does intelligent asset management help with student accommodation compliance?

Intelligent asset management helps with student accommodation compliance by centralising the status of all fire safety assets in one easy to use dashboard and flagging any cases of non-compliance that occur. This allows you to take a proactive approach to fire safety across all of your student accommodation sites.