Harper Adams University, a leading UK institution in sustainable agriculture and land management, has partnered with Nimbus to implement the fire system monitoring and maintenance solution across its Shropshire campus. The project, which began in September 2021, aims to enhance the safety of the university's students, staff, and facilities.

Founded in 1901, Harper Adams University is located near Birmingham in Shropshire. The campus boasts a mix of historic and modern buildings, including learning facilities, meeting rooms, and offices. Residential properties are planned to follow the implementation of the Nimbus solution. The university's Estates Maintenance Services team sought to improve the campus's fire safety by replacing an obsolete pager system and outdated equipment. They selected FireMate's Nimbus solution, and the completed network will include more than 50 Nimbus Fixed Gateways and two Control Room Monitoring systems, monitoring addressable panels from a variety of manufacturers.

"The adoption of the Nimbus solution aligns with our vision to ensure the latest fire safety solutions are utilised across the university’s estate," said Adam Gallagher, Assistant Manager of Estates Maintenance Services at Harper Adams University. "By removing outdated equipment and implementing a more advanced system, we are enhancing the safety of our campus for all who live, work, and study here. 

“The Nimbus solution's real-time monitoring, data exchange capabilities, and seamless integration with our existing fire systems have greatly improved our ability to respond to potential fire hazards and faults. This partnership with Nimbus will not only ensure a safer environment for our students but also contribute to the long-term sustainability and resilience of our campus infrastructure."

The Nimbus remote fire alarm management platform is designed to make life simpler and stress-free for fire installers, maintenance engineers and end users while ensuring that all compliance obligations are met, replacing multiple channels, such as spreadsheets, whiteboards, calendars and job sheets etc., with a simple, automated solution. Nimbus can be installed alongside new systems, or retrofitted to existing ones.

The implementation of the Nimbus solution is ongoing, with plans to expand its use to new properties under construction and further residential properties in the future. Adam Gallagher went on to say that “The university is over the moon with the support provided by the team from FireMate and with the capabilities of the Nimbus platform. Nimbus has been set up to forward alerts and notifications directly to the university’s two-way voice and data communication system, which provides on-site staff with immediate access to life-saving fire protection information. We couldn’t ask for more!”

Peter Martin, UK Business Manager at Nimbus, commented: "Harper Adams University's commitment to safety and innovation made it a perfect fit for the Nimbus solution. A case in point is the unequivocal proof-of-testing records for Manual Call Points that are now available. This increased visibility and transparency of testing is fundamental to fire protection at the university. We’re proud to partner with an institution that shares our dedication to the well-being of people and the buildings they live and learn in. 

“Nimbus’ state-of-the-art technology enables organisations like Harper Adams University to effectively manage and maintain their fire systems remotely, and our collaboration demonstrates our mutual commitment to fostering a safer and more sustainable future for all.”

Nimbus exists to fulfil a pressing and often legally mandated requirement for enhanced asset management, monitoring and reporting in the fire sector. Developed by industry experts with a passion for effective fire safety, the company’s fire protection maintenance software and remote fire alarm management represent a seismic change in the approach taken by many fire maintenance service providers and their clients, giving them greater oversight, awareness and reassurance than ever before.