Fire & Rescue

Fire and Rescue Service selects FireAngel’s unique Predict® Technology

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) chose to revolutionise the way in which they protect high-risk individuals throughout their communities.

Latest government fire statistics reveal half of those killed in accidental dwelling fires are aged 65 and over, with the risk of dying in a fire also four times higher than average for people over the age of 80. Fire safety for the elderly and vulnerable in our society is therefore a key area of concern – but one that FireAngel are overcoming with the use of Artificial Intelligence.

With this in mind, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) decided to revolutionise the way in which they protect individuals throughout their communities, particularly focusing on those that present the highest level of risk, and carefully chose FireAngel’s unique connected proposition, FireAngel Predict®.

TWFRS wanted to transform how they provide and manage fire safety for high risk individuals, such as elderly or vulnerable people living independently in their own homes, including those with dementia or hearing impairments.

By working closely with FireAngel’s team of experts, the Service installed FireAngel Predict® technology into the homes of elderly and vulnerable residents throughout Tyne and Wear, selecting individuals that pose the highest levels of risk with regard to fire safety. FireAngel Predict® was specified to facilitate the remote real-time monitoring of FireAngel’s smoke, heat, carbon monoxide alarms and assisted living solutions, for increased levels of fire safety and protection at all times.

How did FireAngel Predict® evolve?

We proudly supply trusted technology fitted by UK Fire & Rescue Services (FRS) since 2007 and hence our unique ‘Predict®’ technology was created with the help of UK FRS. For many years, our Research and Development team has been analysing the diagnostics from FireAngel smoke and heat alarms involved in real fires, which subsequently led to the identification of high risk patterns of behaviour and commonly a series of false alarms that lead to an actual fire event.

This device data and insight formed the basis for the creation of a unique patented technology, which features Artificial Intelligence (AI), to analyse the data recorded in FireAngel’s smoke and heat alarms to recognise patterns of potentially dangerous behaviour. It’s this ability to record information from each alarm in the property in real time and transmit the data wirelessly via a secure cloud-based network that helps provide partners with the opportunity to bridge the traditional gap between themselves and the homes of high risk individuals.

So how does our unique Predict® technology work?

The interlinked alarms continuously send data back to the FireAngel Connected Gateway, which then reports the events to the secure cloud platform regarding their status, including any false alarms. Local Fire & Rescue Services, partners and individual’s relatives can then receive real time updates on the status of all connected alarms throughout each property, receiving instant notifications, for example if an alarm is activated or if an alarm is removed from its base plate.

If recurring alarm events are recorded on the device, the unique predictive algorithm is able to identify any potential patterns of high-risk behaviour and send a notification to the relevant individuals to prompt preventative measures to be implemented sooner to reduce the risk of a potential fire incident from occurring.

The technology helps support increased opportunities for maintaining independent living, particularly for the most high risk of individuals who still wish to live within their own homes, rather than being moved to residential or assisted living.

FireAngel Predict® is part of our Connected Home offering which is used and trusted by many of our FRS and Social Housing partners across the UK. This technology is transforming the future of fire safety and helps support UK FRS in aiming to reduce the number of real home fire events attended, whilst also minimising property repair costs as preventative measures can be taken sooner to provide a possible reduction in actual home fires.

For more information on how our extensive range of connected fire safety solutions have been designed to suit your housing portfolio and protect your residents, visit Connected Home or contact our team of experts.