Hong Kong approves smart IoT fire alarms for 3,600 old buildings after pilot scheme

Detectors installed in flats and public areas of building send warning to fire department within 60 seconds of detecting carbon monoxide or smoke

Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department has given approval for 3,600 old low-rise residential buildings to install a new Internet of Things (IoT) smart fire alarm system as an alternative to traditional fire-safety equipment, following a successful pilot scheme in the first quarter of this year.

The IoT-enabled system consists of detectors installed in individual flats and public areas of the building, which send warning signals to the department within 60 seconds of detecting carbon monoxide or smoke

“The gateway in the building’s corridors, once receiving the detector’s signals, will activate a synergising effect where if one fire alarm sounds, the rest of the alarms in the building will also sound,” Simon Sze Man-yuk, divisional officer for building improvement strategy and special operations, said on Thursday.

The department will also receive a copy of all data transmitted to the service provider’s 24-hour monitoring system, which tracks all signals and actions of the system.

“This is a replacement, or an additional choice, for residents. They can choose accordingly and we don’t have any mandatory requirements for them to choose which system,” Sze said.

The roll-out follows a pilot scheme covering 10 buildings earlier this year targeting old buildings of six storeys or fewer that were not fitted with adequate fire-safety equipment. The scheme achieved an effective operation rate of more than 99.95 per cent, according to the department.