New system to protect homes from fire

"There's an amazing statistic, that there's two fires in South East Queensland every week. I didn't know that until I started doing this.”

Specialised Plumbing Installation owner Col Considine. Picture: Col Considine

Laidley company Specialised Plumbing Installations have developed a fire sprinkler system for use in domestic properties.

The system includes automatic sprinkler heads, which deploy when smoke is detected, but only in the room or area where the fire is present.

The pipes that feed these sprinklers are connected to a self-contained water tank, which in turn has its own dedicated pump and interface.

The equipment has its own designated power supply from the board, so the sprinkler system can continue to function even if a home's mains or solar power is shorted out.

The system is designed to be modular, and is able to be connected to as many or as few areas as required, from external sheds to individual rooms within a house, including the roof space, where a fire wouldn't be detected as quickly by standard smoke alarms.

Specialised Plumbing Installations owner Col Considine said the technology could also be easily adapted to other structures such as stables or machinery sheds, or be expanded to exterior sprinklers to help against ember attack from other fires.

"It's a preventative system, and a proactive system," Col said.

Similar systems are already used in some commercial buildings and aged care facilities, but Col believes bringing the technology to residences is a necessary move.

"What's the difference between an aged care facility, and a family home? It's still people's lives," he said.

The idea for the system wasn't born overnight, but from a career of learning and working in the industry.

"I've been in the plumbing game for thirty-odd years, and in the last five to eight years, I've got involved in a lot of fire install work,” he said.

Since 1980, he has worked on commercial construction sites, in domestic housing projects, and carried out plumbing maintenance works, before he became involved in the fire protection industry.

His time spent installing sprinklers, hydrants, and hoses offered him a greater understanding of the work that goes into these systems, and a deeper insight into the dangers of fire.

"There's an amazing statistic, that there's two fires in South East Queensland every week. I didn't know that until I started doing this,” Col said.

He has fully committed himself to the development of his system, having consulted extensively to ensure it meets all safety standards and regulations.

He has even installed a prototype of the system in his own home, which met with positive feedback from QFES personnel.

Col is hoping to talk with local banks, builders, and politicians, with the hope of incentivising the use of his system in new homes, as the cost of installing it in an in-progress building is far cheaper than retrofitting an existing structure.

Prices can be high, due to the complexity of the work, and use of high-quality materials, but Col believes the protection and peace-of-mind the product brings means he can't afford to cut corners or use cheaper materials.

"What you're ultimately dealing with is people's lives, so the last thing I want to be doing is lying in bed wondering if I did things the right way."