Fire Safety Put First at Circa $1 Billion Hudson Detroit Megaproject

Currently under construction in downtown Detroit, at a cost of more than $1bn, the Hudson’s development includes a 54-floor tower, which recently held its topping out ceremony, alongside a 12-floor building and three-floor basement. Once complete, it will provide a wealth of opportunity for business and public use, including retail, office, residential, event, exhibition, and hotel space. Helping ensure workers are protected during the construction phase, Barton Malow has deployed the expertise of Ramtech and its Wireless Evacuation System (WES3). The forward-thinking solution, which includes a 24/7 monitoring response for fire safety and evacuation, is already having a transformative impact on site, evacuating all 350 workers in fifteen minutes during several drills conducted. Joe Beecher, vice president of sales at Ramtech, said: “This is a truly iconic project that will become a destination offering for the people of Detroit, so its important robust safety measures are in place.

“Traditional methods of fire safety, such as air horns and fire patrols are simply not good enough. Construction environments are loud and noisy, and safety officials cannot be everywhere at once. It only takes a split second for something minor to escalate quite quickly and become a massive hit to livelihoods and brand reputation, costing millions of dollars in the process. “Barton Malow really bought into our philosophy of incorporating site safety into project plans from the inception, and are a pioneer for the construction industry in terms of the role technology can play in making our lives more efficient and ultimately, safer. “Everyone at Ramtech is hugely proud to be involved in helping bring this project into fruition and look forward to its completion later this year.”

Official figures from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have revealed construction site fires cost the industry around $408m in damages and insurance payouts, putting renewed impetus on contractors to implement more robust safety measures on construction sites in recent years. The fire safety solution deployed at Hudson’s Detroit includes manual fire and medical alarm call points, which are installed onsite in accordance with the project’s fire plan, and are designed so that the system is interlinked, meaning that all areas receive the same audible and visual alert signal, even if the fire is contained to just area. The WES3 alarms are assigned to an exact location, so that pinpoint accuracy can be determined for any potential emergencies across Hudson’s Detroit’s extremely large footprint. Anna Kahl, project safety professional at Barton Malow, said: “Evacuation of a project this size would be extremely challenging, however the efficiency WES3 has brought to our site, with workers hearing the alarms at one time, is vital. With WES3 installed, we feel secure and our workers feel safe.”