The solution was found in a range of products from leading provider of safety at height solutions Combisafe International.
Designed by architects Cooper Cromar and built by main contractor Lend Lease, the 30 acre site in Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire is the most advanced of its kind in the UK and will offer specialised training for every modern emergency, including rail and road crashes, building explosions, and blazes in high rise buildings. The site will include four zones dedicated to the main training areas of fire and rescue; residential, industrial, transport and academic. A 5000 sq metre academic building is the centrepiece comprising a bespoke incident command training suite, lecture rooms, library, canteen and meeting facilities.
Modern fire fighting is more about prevention than cure which shares the same ideology as the construction industry where prevention and collective safeguards are essential when working at height. With this in mind it was essential that during the construction of these buildings, edge safety solutions that would effectively negate the risk to the operatives working at height were incorporated.
Specified as a fall prevention solution for both roofs on the academic building and practical facility, approved Combisafe installer One Stop Roofing Supplies installed nearly 600 metres of its lightweight and versatile Steel Mesh Barrier. The system was installed to the steel frame using the Combisafe Steel Clamp, a secure attachment which has the added benefit of being attached either to the top or bottom flange of a steel beam.
The forerunner in edge protection for over a decade, the Combisafe Steel Mesh Barrier is a temporary fall prevention system that is essentially guardrail, toeboard and mesh rolled into one product. Available in two standard sizes 2.6 metres and 1.3 metres, this is a lightweight and versatile system that has the added benefit of being able to span trades, accommodating their different edge protection needs at different phases of the construction project.
On the auditorium facility and a church within the residential training zone, One Stop also installed 90 metres of the Combisafe Net Barrier System. Fitted on the perimeter of each of the two roofs, the Net Barrier System not only protects roofers from falls, but also offers a high degree of material containment and protection for those working below. Hugely flexible in a variety of roofing applications, the Net Barrier System meets the European Standard EN13374 (Class C) and in combination with internal safety netting provides a cocoon in which the roof operative can operate in complete safety.
“Curtis Moore is pleased to be associated with the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Project, working in partnership with Lend Lease, and our supply chain,” said Yvonne Devlin, Financial Director at Curtis Moore (Cladding Systems) Ltd. “Having been involved in the design and development of the Combisafe system with One Stop and Lend Lease, we are pleased to see its continued use on many projects.”
One of the largest rescue services in Western Europe, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue will soon benefit from this state of the art training centre and its unique practical zones which will give the next generation of fire-fighters the ideal opportunity to receive training for every modern emergency.
For more than two decades, Combisafe International has set the standard in safety at height technology, delivering preventative and protective systems for the construction industry. The Steel Mesh Barrier and Net Barrier System sit perfectly with the company ethos of designing solutions that eliminate or minimise the risk of working at height.
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