SPIE installs four kilometres of cable in one weekend at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

Fire-alarm installation to be upgraded
 

Amsterdam, January the 18^th, 2018 – SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, has been tasked with laying four kilometers of “Linear Heat Detector” (LHD) cable at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in only 52 hours. This kind of fireproof cable, capable to emit a signal in case of a fire incident, is an essential part of the new fire-alarm installation.

To meet the 2012 Building Decree requirements about fire safety, the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has commissioned SPIE to set up a new automatic fire alarm system, in order to provide enough monitoring throughout its station and surroundings. The Schiphol Airport Station is located under the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Arrival Hall/Plaza and connects Amsterdam to Hoofddorp. Except for the technical areas, the station of the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is currently only equipped with manual call points and doesn’t comply with the new standards.

SPIE will upgrade the current station’s fire alarm system by installing four kilometres of cables in less than 52 hours. Work begins on Friday January 18th at 9’00 pm and ends on Sunday January 20th at 11’59 pm. It includes the installation of glass-fibre LHD cables and sensors through the tunnels of the station, and the integration of additional controls related to LHD into the existing fire alarm control panel.

Ron van Ginkel, account manager at SPIE Netherlands, stated: “Doing the work in a so short time is the biggest challenge. We need to efficiently use the 52 hours available!”

Also called “heat ribbon”, these LHD sensor cables are fixed to the roof and comprise two steel conductors individually insulated with a heat sensitive polymer. Once a fixed level of temperature is reached, they are capable to signal and locate any incidents on the fire alarm control panel.