When the Extra Motorway Service Area (MSA) Group opened its facility on the M25 at Cobham in September 2012, it marked the culmination of a project that had first been discussed some 19 years earlier.

Now, for the 190,000 or so motorists that use the biggest ring road in the world every day, the new £75m Extra MSA provides a welcome opportunity to refresh and relax, and it is home to a number of household names including McDonald’s, Starbucks, M&S Simply Food, WH Smith & KFC.

While those wishing to stretch their legs can take a walk around the large lakeside terrace and landscaped grounds, most of the visitors need one thing only – fuel.  Extra MSA Group developed what is now Europe’s biggest petrol station on the Cobham site. With 36 forecourt pumps and six dedicated high-speed heavy goods vehicle (HGV) pumps – totalling 141 nozzles – it can serve around 3,500 vehicles a day.

Worthing based Electrical Services & Projects Ltd (ESP) won the contract to supply the electrical services and fire alarm system. ESP’s Director, Colin Garwood says, ‘We needed a fire detection system that could ensure complete safety for the those visiting and working at the service station, while minimising the possibility of unwanted alarms. Having previously worked with Southern Fire Alarms Ltd (SFA), we brought them in to design, supply and commission a system that could fulfil these objectives, while we handled its installation.’

SFA is one of the south of England’s leading life safety specialists and the company’s Sales Director, David Fell, explains, ‘Based in Bognor Regis, over the last 35 years we have demonstrated the highest levels of technical competency, professional working practices and ethical conduct. We work across a diverse range of sectors and have an excellent reputation for our quality of service.’

Following a comprehensive site survey, a BS 5389 compliant category L1 addressable fire detection system was recommended. The chosen system is based around Hochiki’s Enhanced Systems Protocol which is a robust total communications solution for intelligent fire detection and fully integrated systems.

A wide variety of devices were installed including ALG-EN optical smoke sensors that feature the Hochiki High Performance Chamber Technology, which minimises the differences in sensitivity experienced in flaming and smouldering fires. In addition, HCPE-E call points, YBN-BSB base sounder beacons, ACB-E multi-heat sensors and CHQ-MRC mains relay controllers were used. Remarking on the speed at which the system was configured, Fell comments, ‘Once the base is installed, fitting the devices is a fast and efficient process – usually taking about 30 seconds. This is considerably quicker than most other products on the market.’

Just as importantly, it also helped to reduce the number of site visits. During the construction process the area was made highly secure – all vehicles had to be liveried and only approved personnel were allowed on site. Therefore, gaining access could often be a time consuming process, so being able to limit the amount of times this had to be done proved highly beneficial.

The installation and commissioning process was incredibly smooth, which meant that the project was finished on schedule. Since it opened Southern Fire Alarms has not been called back to the Extra MSA, a fact that reaffirms Fell’s confidence in the reliability of Hochiki Europe’s products. He concludes, ‘This was a fantastic project to work on and we are delighted to have been able to carry it out using the industry’s leading life safety solutions.’