NEWS
Our latest news provides you with a summary of news articles, we share fire safety and security tips and advice, helping your business to stay safe and secure.
Additional Fire Protection Measures
Why Businesses Need Additional Fire Protection Measures. Fire and Rescue Services attended 620,758 incidents in the year ending September 2022, a 16% increase compared with the previous year (537,423). Of these incidents, there were 185,437 fires which was a 28% increase compared with the previous year (145,313). These increases can be attributed to the 44% increase in secondary fires and 63% increase in outdoor primary fires following the hot, dry summer in 2022. Also contributing were large increases in the non-fire incident categories collaborating incidents and road traffic collisions, as well as the fire false alarm category due to apparatus. Key results in the year ending September 2022: the average total response time to primary fires in England was 9 minutes and 11 seconds, the longest average response time seen since comparable statistics became available: an increase of 28 seconds since the previous year. all types of primary fires showed an increase in average response times (dwelling fires by 13 seconds, other building fires by 9 seconds, road vehicle fires by 18 seconds and other outdoor fires by one minute 14 seconds). the [...]
Access Control For Care Homes
Create a Safe and Secure Environment with Access Control in your Care Home. Care Home buildings have several specific needs in terms of security and access. These vary from ensuring staff can come and go from their individual areas with the required ease. whilst offering secure yet accessible areas for residents and the visiting public. Access control is an efficient and convenient way to have cost-effective building access management. Offering a public sector facility, security and flexibility. It is also an impressive HR tool, providing easy time and attendance reporting for staff. Why Secure Your Care Home with Access Control? Keys vs Access Control - a cost effective alternative to the expense of replacing locks and keys. Electronic tokens are easily barred if they are lost or stolen. A Complete Solution - Paxton's Net2 access control integrates with many CCTV, intruder and fire alarms for greater security. Video Entry - gain visual verification before granting access - Net2 Entry provides a smart, simple video door entry system. Wireless Locks - a low cost solution for internal doors, Net2 PaxLock [...]
Access Control For Schools
Increase Security and Make Managing School Buildings Simple with Access Control. Ensuring the safety of students and staff, as well as protecting property and assets from theft is essential for all schools. Access control allows you to electronically manage access to your school or sensitive areas such as a science labs or school offices. With SS Systems and Paxton it is not only straightforward but cost effective too. Why Secure Your School with Access Control? Keys vs access control - a cost effective alternative to the expense of replacing locks and keys. Electronic tokens are easily barred if they are lost or stolen. A complete solution - Paxton's Net2 access control integrates with many CCTV, intruder and fire alarms for greater security. Video entry - gain visual verification before granting access - Net2 Entry provides a smart, simple video door entry system. Wireless locks - a low cost solution for internal doors, Net2 PaxLock is a door handle with access control built-in, that can easily replace an existing handle. Energy saving - set the system to switch off utilities [...]
Fire Doors Legislation Update
Fire Doors Legislation Update. Did you know, in 2021, three-quarters of fire doors inspected did not meet the required standard. This means a staggering 75% of buildings were not effectively protecting the people within them, putting lives at risk in the event of a fire. Fire doors are an integral part of any building's passive fire protection system. They create a barrier from fire and toxic smoke, preventing rapid spread around a building during a fire. This keeps damage to smaller areas, allowing for evacuation, and stay put & safe access for the emergency services. All fire doors in communal areas of the building must be checked at least every three months. Typically, these doors will include: Doors to stairways and stairway lobbies Cross-corridor doors, which sub-divide corridors Doors to storage and electrical equipment cupboards Doors to riser shafts, within which various services run To ensure you are fully up to date with latest regulations we recommend you review the following links Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-england-regulations-2022/fact-sheet-overview Be Compliant. Book A Fire Safety Audit. SEND US [...]
Fire Risk Assessment
Is your Company's Fire Risk Assessment up to date? The start of a new year is a good time to look at things with a fresh outlook and get organised for the year ahead. However, quite often, we become busy with the day-to-day demands, and consequently overlook some important requirements for our business by leaving it for tomorrow. For that reason, we would like to highlight the importance of checking that your Fire Risk Assessment is up to date. Key points to consider: - Have any structural changes been made to the premises since the last FRA was done? Or has the purpose or use of any part of the building been changed? Equally important, has there been a change in the number of employees on site? If the answer is yes to any of the above, it’s a good time to ask yourself, is my Fire Risk Assessment up to date? How often should a Fire Risk assessment be renewed? Given that Fire Risk Assessments are a legal requirement in all commercial properties, as a guide, it is recommended that risk assessments [...]
Fire Safety and Security Checklist
Why is a fire safety and security checklist so important? Having a fire safety and security checklist in place, ensures your business is well managed and carefully maintained, therefore presenting fewer fire risks and intruder threats. Christmas Shut Down fire safety and security checklist Tips Firstly, Carry out a Site Risk Assessment The festive season can add new risks to your current FRA, with highly flammable Christmas decorations and longer periods of vacant premises, it’s worth evaluating any additional risks that could be presented, prior to shut down. Most importantly, check systems are up to date with Maintenance and Servicing A fully functioning Fire Alarm and Security System is essential in any building. However, with long dark nights, and periods of time where premises are left unattended, the importance to make sure your systems are fully operational becomes more so important. With opportunities for potential intruder threats and criminal damage by trespassers, becoming increased in these conditions. Check your records to see if your Fire and Security Systems are up to date with servicing and testing. Contact your maintenance provider if you have [...]
Free Fire Extinguisher Servicing
Limited Time Offer How To Claim Your Free Fire Extinguisher Servicing... If you are a New Customer Simply sign up to a fire alarm maintenance agreement as a new customer with SS Systems before the end of January 2023, and we will service up to 30 fire extinguishers for FREE. If you are an Existing Customer If you have a new site or add the maintenance of an additional discipline that you don’t currently have with us, before the end of January 2023, you can also take advantage of receiving the service of up to 30 fire extinguishers for FREE. To see if you qualify for this offer, please fill out the contact form below to arrange a free, no obligation site survey. The Service will include: Visual Inspection & Cleaning of the extinguishersCheck the units for wear & tear, damage, and corrosion.Check the pressure readings of the extinguishers and recordWeigh the Fire Extinguisher to ensure correct weightReview and report any extinguishers that require replacing either due to age or failing the maintenance checksProvide recommendations on any potential at risk areas and what may [...]
Consolidate My Fire and Security Service Contracts?
Why Should I Consolidate My Fire and Security Service Contracts? Consolidating all your essential safety maintenance servicing to one provider is easier than you might think. It also has benefits that you might not have considered before. Easier To Manage One number to call, one invoice to pay and one team to contact to ensure your systems are compliant. This also prevents staff being unsure of what provider to call, when assistance is required on faults throughout the year, that could incur unnecessary call out fees. Save’s You Money All systems can be serviced in one site visit. If you have both Fire and Security with us, you’ll find there are savings to be had. By consolidating travel expenses and labour hours, as well as reduced administration for your staff. Save’s You Time We’ll arrange one date to suit you and maintain all systems. No more arranging multiple visits on different days, minimising the disruption to the daily running of your business. Peace Of Mind SS Systems can be your single service provider. We have been protecting people and premises with technical expertise, [...]
Lease Finance for Fire and Security Systems
Utilising the Benefits of Leasing with SS Systems. Lease finance agreements have long been considered a smarter way to invest in assets. As the cost of pretty much everything is increasing at a pace that is beyond most budget forecasts, we thought it might be helpful to draw attention to the benefits of lease rental agreement for your fire and security requirements. Lease Finance is available for Fire and Security Systems With many companies already using lease finance for a wide range business critical equipment, from photocopiers to plant equipment, we wanted to let you know that lease finance can also be offered by SS Systems to aide you with any installation or upgrade works you may be considering. Spread the Cost The capital investment required to keep your premises, safe, secure, and up to date with legal legislation can be a large cost for many businesses, particularly those in large facilities, such as Logistics Sites, Manufacturing Plants, Schools, and Hospitality venues, to name but a few, where large volumes of people and valuable assets need that extra level of protection. Budgeting for [...]
Security And Winter Safety Tips Using CCTV
Security, Winter Safety and Maintenance Tips Using CCTV. Security measures are a necessity for businesses all year round. However, as winter approaches and the nights draw in, the performance of your CCTV cameras can be dramatically affected as the conditions change from light to dark. This is where you really discover the quality of your system. Camera selection for new systems/upgrades The long dark nights of winter have created a challenging environment for cameras historically. Thankfully traditional low resolution infrared cameras, generating grainy black and white images are not something you have to endure throughout the colder months anymore, with technology advances in CCTV. Modern CCTV Systems SS Systems, install cameras which provide a full colour image, even in low lighting conditions from the Hikvision range, which could be the perfect upgrade you require this winter. CCTV Cameras, we would recommend: Hikvision Darkfighter Hikvision Darkfighter Cameras are perfect for environments which have some ambient lighting such as streets, ports, parks, and warehousing areas. The high-definition lens coupled with ultra-sensitive light sensors create a deep, vivid image which will allow you to see in [...]
Employee Training and Development
Employee training and development. We believe, employee training and development is vital to the growth of any company. And by investing in our team to help cultivate their skills, the company can improve on overall performance. SS Systems aims to create a culture that motivates and encourages all of our employees to be the best they can be. And achieve both personal success and career rewards, which benefits everyone. Nothing feels greater than seeing individuals grow and develop, creating opportunities to enhance their careers within the company. With that said, we would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Finance Director, Michelle Reynolds, for finishing her Master’s Degree of Business Administration in Leadership. SS Systems are so proud of Michelle and realise this has been no easy task. Balancing the heavy demands of her role here, with an additional 15-20 hours of weekly study. It’s finally come to an end (much to her relief). And we look forward to seeing Michelle put her new training and development to good use, within the crucial roles Michelle has within SS Systems. An overview from [...]
Apprenticeship Scheme
SS Systems Active Apprenticeship Scheme. A wise man once said that the “youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow” a sentiment with which the leaders of SS Systems avidly agree. We have an active apprenticeship scheme at SS Systems and have had much success with our approach. Out of an engineering team of 17, 4 of them are apprentices. Even better, two of them were apprentices and are now successful engineers. Why we choose to invest in Apprenticeships As a service business, the more engineers we have, the more we can grow so it’s essential for us to always be active with our recruitment, but as many businesses have seen over the last few years, candidates are getting harder to find. We recognised this quite a few years ago and made the decision to maintain an active apprenticeship scheme. It not only enables us to provide young people with a great opportunity, but also helps us to keep costs down and pass those efficiencies on to our customers. The best of both, education, and practical experience Our apprentices spend a certain amount [...]
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