The Ultra Fog high pressure watermist fire protection system, supplied by Ultra Suppression Systems (Ultra SS), is being installed in the historic post office at the National Trust village of Lacock in Wiltshire. The timber building was featured in a recent television news broadcast (ITN 19.03.08) about post office closures.
Ultra Fog is ideal for protecting heritage buildings and assets, providing highly effective protection while causing minimum post-fire water damage. The cylinder-based pump-free system uses approximately 12-15 litres per minute as opposed to 110 litres per minute for a conventional sprinkler.
Ultra Fog is also very discreet. With pipework only 12mm in diameter and the five main cylinder components situated in the basement of the village post office, visitors will be unaware of the 21st century state-of-the-art technology protecting this attractive early 19th century building.
Peter Kemp, Managing Director of Ultra SS, explained that Ultra SS was working closely with the National Trust and English Heritage in their campaign to preserve Lacock Post Office as part of this country’s social heritage. Ultra Fog was the ideal system for this particular project.
“Being a timber building with a collection of books and documents, Lacock Post Office is particularly vulnerable to fire,” he said. “The installation covers public areas of the main office and behind the counter, together with a further store area at the back of the building. Ultra Fog is easily configured to protect adjacent rooms, in this case covering a total area of approximately 40 square metres.
“Watermist technology is a new concept in fire protection and has a wide range of fire protection applications, from heritage sites with historic assets such as this to care homes for the elderly and vulnerable, where its relatively gentle functionality as compared with conventional sprinkler systems can relieve trauma as well as ensure safety.”
Ultra Fog was specified as part of a refurbishment being undertaken at Lacock Post Office, which retains its original counter, shelving and equipment, to convert the working post office to a visitor attraction. The project also involves the creation of a holiday apartment in the upstairs area.