Ahead of the new football season, AFC Telford United needed to replace their aging, restricted closed-protocol Gent fire alarm system. The club needed an upgraded, reliable setup to meet strict BS 5839 fire safety standards and secure full stadium compliance certification prior to their opening fixture.

This was a major, complex commercial installation due to the size and diverse usage profile of the New Bucks Head Stadium complex. The system needed to protect multiple distinct zones with varied fire risk profiles, including:

• Hospitality & Events: 2 large function suites, 11 executive boxes, and a main conference facility alongside the football stadium.
• Leisure & Well-being: On-site gym with swimming pool & sauna 
• High-Volume Public Areas: Matchday concourses, bar areas, and commercial kitchen space

To add to the tight seasonal deadline, a critical technical obstacle arose during the works. Stadium regulations mandate that the fire alarm system must automatically interface with and override the Public Address (PA) system to deliver emergency evacuation messages.

When third-party PA engineers attempted the interface setup, the integration was misconfigured, threatening signal conflicts and risking compliance failure just days before matchday inspections.

The Solution

Premier Security & Electrical Solutions (PSES) managed the full-scale overhaul, deploying experienced fire safety engineers to deliver a comprehensive open-protocol upgrade while resolving site integration issues on the fly.

• Large-Scale Open-Protocol Migration: PSES removed the obsolete Gent infrastructure across all stadium zones, from the moisture-heavy pool area to high-occupancy suites and commercial kitchens. In its place, PSES installed high-performance Advance fire panels paired with Apollo XP95 intelligent addressable detection devices.
• Future-Proof Freedom: Upgrading to Apollo XP95 open-protocol technology eliminated single-vendor restrictions, giving the club complete flexibility and lower life-cycle operational costs.
• Rapid On-Site Troubleshooting: PSES engineers immediately intervened to fix the third-party PA interface issue. Our team re-engineered the relay connections between the fire panel and PA system, restoring seamless automated voice override functionality.
• On-Time Delivery & Hands-On Training: Despite the vast footprint of the stadium and the unexpected integration roadblock, PSES completed installation, zone programming, and full testing prior to the first home fixture. Following completion, PSES engineers spent dedicated time on-site conducting hands-on training with stadium staff and matchday safety stewards, ensuring the team fully understood system operation, panel controls, and emergency protocols.