Hello World! Welcome Friends! Automatic Opening Vent systems or AOV’s are an essential part of fire safety and prevention for commercial properties as well as HMOs, offices and apartment blocks.
What is an AOV System?
Automatic Opening Vents are controlled systems that are designed to help ventilate buildings in an emergency to extract and clear smoke, heat, toxins and harmful gases. They are critical for any commercial building and in the event of fire work to quickly remove smoke, maintaining visibility and preserving oxygen so that occupants can safely evacuate.
Because they play such an important role in keeping people safe, AOV systems are typically mounted on roofs and installed in key areas that work to protect corridors, stairwells, lobbies and common escape or access routes.
How Does an AOV System Work?
There are different types of AOV systems but the majority work in basically the same way and are coupled with a detector system or alarm such as a smoke detector. This means that if a fire breaks out, the call point or detector is triggered and the AOV system will open the vents, actuators or windows to create the much-needed ventilation and help clear the smoke.
The Benefits of AOV Systems
When a fire occurs, smoke can quickly become thick and heavy, making it difficult for those inside to see or breathe properly, but when AOVs are activated and opened, the smoke can flow out of the building. There are many benefits to installing an effective AOV system in your commercial property, some of which include;
Regulations
AOVs are a required safety measure for commercial properties as well as multi story residential buildings, shopping centers, factories, warehouses and car parks to name just a few.
As the person responsible for the fire safety of a commercial property, having the necessary and sufficient AOV system in place helps to ensure that your premises comply with AOV building regulations.
Safe Evacuation
During a fire, it is not the fire itself that is the biggest threat to life, but actually, the smoke inhalation that can occur. However, with an effective AOV system in place, smoke and other hazardous fumes are drawn away from exit routes, which provides improved visibility and better air quality for occupants, making their escape easier, safer and quicker.
Reduced Chance of Flashover
A flashover can occur when a fire reaches a critical temperature in an enclosed area and ignites the directly exposed combustible materials at the same time. This rapidly intensifies the heat and smoke making the fire even more dangerous, larger and harder to control.
AOVs work to contain the area, restrict airflow to the fire and reduce smoke and heat build-up which can greatly help to prevent or delay flashovers.
Faster Emergency Response
Not only does the quick ventilation of exit routes help to give occupants more time to escape but it also aids the emergency services a great deal. By reducing smoke and fumes, AOVs have been proven to cut the time it takes the fire department to source and put out the fire as well as making the building safer for them to rescue and recover anyone inside.
Reduce Damage
Fire can be devastating for businesses and in some cases is something that they cannot recover from because of the amount of damage done to the property or the equipment, stock, assets, inventory and products that were inside.
However, with effective AOVs in place, the overall building and contents damage is often significantly lower and means that companies can quickly recover and get back to doing what they do best.
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