An Apollo-based fire detection system that includes over 1,170 individual Apollo devices has been installed to protect the Bahrain Telecommunications Company's (Batelco) Salmaniya Complex in Bahrain.

The contract to upgrade the fire detection system at the complex was awarded to Khayber Trading Company, the UK-based manufacturer's long-standing representative in the kingdom.

"The Salmaniya Complex comprises two multi-storey buildings - Telephone House and Telegraph House - and a new security control building," explains an Apollo spokesman.

He continues: "Telephone House and Telegraph House were built 20 years ago to house the state-of-the-art equipment that is vital to the country's global communications network.

''Since banks of electrical equipment area major potential fire hazard, Khayber Trading needed to supply a fire system that would provide reliable, 24- hour protection."

''The company specified a fire system that uses Apollo's open digital protocol and includes 650 Apollo XP95 detectors, 147 manual call points and 375 ancillary devices. The latter are used for controlling sounders on different levels of the buildings and for interfacing with critical plant and equipment, such as the automatic carbon dioxide fire extinguishing system.''

The Apollo devices are arranged around three main fire alarm control panels and 15 repeater panels, strategically situated across the complex.

"These individual panels are networked and link back to a master computer with graphics display that allows swift visual identification of the location of any alarm,' the spokesman says. 'There is also a slave graphic user interface in the ground floor control room of the security building, duplicating the graphics display from the master computer.'