The University of Southampton has made significant advancements in fire safety by installing a new paging system specifically designed to assist deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.
This pioneering initiative utilises Advanced’s MxPro 5 fire panels, coupled with the ESPA Pager Interface, to offer targeted fire alerts, significantly enhancing accessibility and safety across its multi-campus estate.
To address the limitations of audio-based fire alarms, particularly for individuals with hearing impairments, the university has deployed more than 200 Advanced panels. These include extensive networks and an increasing number of extinguishing panels.
The integration of the ESPA 4.4.4-compliant Pager Interface enables precise, location-specific alerts via Scope’s PageTek Pro Mk2 transmitter and EPOCBLUM pagers.
Each building or group of buildings triggers unique pager addresses, ensuring recipients receive only the relevant alerts. For enhanced nighttime safety, Scope’s pillow pad and nightstand accessories are used, guaranteeing users receive alerts even while asleep.
Chris Chance, University of Southampton Contract Manager at Premier Fire Security, explained the system’s reliability and flexibility: “We’ve worked closely with Scope and Advanced to create a system that’s not only reliable but incredibly flexible.”
The implementation also includes a dedicated paging group for key personnel like engineers, janitors, security, and fire marshals. This group receives both diagnostic and fault messages and can initiate alerts for specific sites, thereby improving operational control and coordination.
Rob Baker, Head of Technical Support at Scope Communications, emphasised the ESPA interface’s capabilities, stating: “This project demonstrates how powerful the ESPA interface can be when paired with our paging technology.” The future vision is to expand this paging system across all student residences, allowing for easy reconfiguration of pagers across campus. This not only increases safety measures but also optimises inventory and cuts costs.
Salvy Vittozzi, Regional Sales Manager for the South East at Advanced, underlined the system’s adaptability: “This installation is a great example of how our ESPA Pager Interface can be used to deliver tailored fire alerts in complex environments.”
By merging Advanced’s established fire panel technology with Scope’s pioneering paging solutions, the University now enjoys a highly adaptable and inclusive fire safety network, prepared to evolve with the campus’s needs.
Advanced remains at the forefront of intelligent fire system development and manufacturing, with its solutions deployed globally — from single-panel setups to large, multi-site networks.
The company’s offerings cover a comprehensive range of fire detection systems, multiprotocol fire panels, and other critical safety solutions. Advanced is part of Halma PLC, a group with a mission of fostering a safer, cleaner, and healthier world through life-saving technology.
