Also this year, with the 8th edition of the Fire Prevention Forum 2012, the magazine Antincendio and the entire EPC Group succeeded in bringing together experts, professionals, companies, operators, users, and readers to confirm the unmissable appointment for those working in the sector.
An essential event for all operators in the field, the Fire Prevention Forum is organized by the Antincendio magazine, in collaboration with the Department of Firefighters and the Permanent Special Commission for the Safety of the National Cultural Heritage.
SV Sistemi di Sicurezza will be present in the rooms dedicated to the technical seminar, and this presentation will be curated by Eng. Fabio Turani and will take place in the seminar area of the Fire Prevention Forum.
The meeting will focus on the many areas that nowadays concern fire detection systems: from the EN 54-1 standard, which sets the general requirements for detection systems, to the standards concerning the control of automatic extinguishing systems and protection systems (EN 12094, EN 14637, etc.), to the functional safety standards (IEC 61508), and to the requirements for gas detection systems (EN 60079). Innovative design solutions will also be presented using fiber optics and the Can Bus communication protocol.
On September 26 and 27, Rittal will be present at the Fire Prevention Forum scheduled in Milan, at Studio 90 of the East End Studios, as a guest within the stand of SV Sistemi di Sicurezza.
SV Sistemi di Sicurezza has long used Rittal DK TS cabinets for housing its EXFIRE360 fire control panels. The EXFIRE360 panels are programmable modular units, extremely versatile and capable of performing integrated fire protection functions, technological alarm management, and serial communication via multiple protocols. The TS cabinets, with front opening, IP55 protection rating, and predetermined dimensions of 2000 (h) x 800 (W) x 800 (D) mm, are modularly equipped with 19-inch racks, into which the detection, extinguishing, and technological control boards can be inserted. Alongside the DK TS cabinets, already approved for this use, there will be a preview of a special Rittal EXP cabinet, soon to be certified, capable of housing custom fire protection systems built by the client company.
The staff of SV Sistemi di Sicurezza (company team) present at the Fire Prevention Forum 2012 has worked to advance the development of the EXFIRE360 control panel with reference to the new certifications that SV aims to achieve.
The new path undertaken is demanding; the previous certifications have severely tested SV Sistemi di Sicurezza, but despite this, thanks to the company’s values such as tenacity, determination, competence, and professionalism, it has managed to achieve the set objectives.
However, the objectives of the previous year were the fire protection standards for product construction and the patent No. MI2011U000115.
The certification of the EXFIRE360 control panel, obtained in accordance with the fire protection product standards (EN 54-2:1997 A1:2006, EN54-4:1997 A1:2006, EN12094-1:2003), also includes authorization for product construction (Construction Products Directive) under 0051-CPD-0369 and 0051-CPD-0370.
In the current year 2012, SV Sistemi di Sicurezza obtained a new integration of the ISO 9001:2008 certification, including “Design, production, configuration, start-up and maintenance of fire and security control panels.”
Another fundamental commitment undertaken by SV Sistemi di Sicurezza is the certification of the Hochiki ESP Loop communication protocol for the EXLOOP-E board, obtained directly from the manufacturer. This guarantees the customer that the communication algorithms and the firmware are perfect and created with the specific purpose of saving human life by detecting the early stages of fire.
SV Sistemi di Sicurezza has secured the Hochiki Protocol Italy, ensuring and protecting the safety protocol, creating a reputation for reliability across the national market, and making its technical team available for any problems that may arise.
SV Sistemi di Sicurezza is also committed on the ATEX front; requests for fire detection systems complete with extinguishing control systems have often been accompanied by requests for certified gas detection systems. To this end, SV has seized the opportunity by committing to certify the control panel, with particular attention to the EX2GSI board, according to EN 60079-29-1:2007-11 ATEX by the end of 2012.
In recent years, based on our national and international experience, we have found that fire detection and extinguishing systems require highly detailed engineering and design. All applications involving industrial high-risk processes to be protected are included in the IEC 61508-1/7 reference standards, effectively linking EN54-2, EN54-4, and EN12094 with IEC61508.
The purpose of the design and construction of special certified panels for Fire & Gas systems, designed for high-risk industrial environments in ATEX-classified areas, with EN-TÜV certified gas configurations, is to alert operators at the first level of gas leakage, process the signal, and execute a predefined logic dedicated to performing a safety function, designed for the continuous protection of people and environments.
The benefits derived from these technologies are associated with an increase in Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) (in reference to IEC 61508, for which a specific EXFIRE360 certification is in progress) and the reduction of the average repair or replacement time of boards, since the system becomes fault-tolerant and the replacement of boards can be performed directly by the client, under possible remote assisted monitoring.
EXFIRE360 has been designed with the specific goal of enabling remote monitoring of the modular units of the control panel (also exploiting the advanced diagnostics developed to meet functional safety requirements) in all hardware and software aspects, as well as monitoring the status of the detection and extinguishing systems connected to it.
The remote management of systems offers numerous advantages: the ability to provide real-time assistance to customers, perform periodic updates on control panels, enhance troubleshooting activities with strong optimization of time and costs, and minimize downtime and repair time.
The remote assistance service of SV Sistemi di Sicurezza, combined with the SIL safety levels achieved for fire protection functions, makes EXFIRE360 the natural solution for applications requiring high system performance, reliability, and operational continuity.
This makes the EXFIRE360 control panel suitable for critical applications where constant operation of the automatic fire protection system is required (turbines, oil & gas plants, storage warehouses, etc.). Functional tests are performed on hardware and software, as well as the validation of maintenance, modification, and decommissioning phases, to further guarantee product efficiency.