Fire, Security and Safety

Advanced has launched Smart Walk Test, a new feature within AdvancedLive, the smart management platform available on MxPro 5 Gen-2 fire panels. Designed to support the testing and record-keeping requirements highlighted in the latest revision of BS 5839-1:2025, Smart Walk Test simplifies routine fire system testing and helps organisations demonstrate that testing has taken place.

Acis Homes Gainsborough, part of the charitable Acis Group, is dedicated to managing high-quality social housing for local people in need. In 2025, they launched a programme to install Aico’s Gateway and Environmental Sensors into their properties, with 91 installations completed so far. Across these properties, 536 rooms are being monitored across 627 connected devices, integrating with existing Aico fire and carbon monoxide (CO) alarm systems 
in place.

The initiative is driven by safety, energy efficiency, and compliance with expanding regulations like Awaab’s Law. This rollout was prompted by ongoing damp and mould concerns, as well as the need to gather energy performance evidence following recent solar PV projects.
 

An innovative new fireproof safety product from industry experts Ritherdon & Co is being described by a well known supplier as a game changer and “possibly the best on the market.”

“No one wants to see another Grenfell incident,” said Shane Porter, Managing Director of Comyn Ching Architectural Components: “Ritherdon’s Mark lll FireSeal product is the only one we know of on the market today, that has been so rigorously tested including though penetration testing.”

Fire safety in residential construction is no longer a single line item in a specification—it sits alongside acoustic performance, thermal efficiency and buildability as part of a wider design conversation. As housing projects become more complex and regulations more demanding, specifiers are increasingly looking for materials that do more than satisfy a single requirement.

For housing associations, ensuring residents live in safe, well-maintained homes is a responsibility that sits at the heart of everything you do.

Managing ageing housing stock, meeting regulatory requirements and delivering improvement programmes all require careful planning, specialist knowledge and trusted partners who understand the challenges of working within occupied properties.

John Street, Newham, a high‑rise residential development comprising Blocks A and C, has been equipped with a comprehensive life safety solution from Advanced, incorporating SmokeGo smoke control and EvacGo evacuation alert systems to support a stay‑put fire strategy and enhance resident safety.

If you are responsible for building safety, you are expected to know where your risks sit, understand your responsibilities and be able to evidence control. Some risks are obvious. Others sit just outside immediate view: in the detail, in how systems interact and in where responsibilities overlap.