Trafalgar Fire were the passive fire stop suppliers for a 250-room hotel in Queenstown, New Zealand. Above the door to each room, a multi-penetration box would carry services (water, power, internet, plumbing) to the room. The box design had to be tested to make sure it complied with the fire engineering strategy for the building.

Site-specific fire testing can be stressful and commercially risky. John Henry – Trafalgar Fire’s National Technical Manager – knew it was important to find a testing company that understood the industry and could make the process run smoothly. When John heard about our onsite furnace and our reputation for attention to detail, he said the choice was easy.

“The real benefit for us was that there was a lab close to site that could cater to our needs in a reasonable timeframe”.
– John Henry, National Technical Manager, Trafalgar Fire.

John reached out to Holmes to chat about the job and see what we could do to help. Fire engineers Reuben Costello from Holmes ANZ and Tom Moser from Holmes Solutions worked together on the project scope and provided Trafalgar a detailed quote within a week of first contact. John and his team were happy with the scope, so we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.

The set-up

In one of our designated specimen prep areas, we built a replica of the multi-penetration box. Our fire engineers worked with Trafalgar Fire to make sure the specimen was built to the exact final-build specifications.

With any testing, confidentiality is very important. The guys from Trafalgar Fire loved having space to build their specimen in our private lab. It was easy to make modifications and our team were on hand to offer help and advice as needed.

The test

Our fire engineers installed the specimen in the furnace and set up the test equipment (as required by AS1530.4) to demonstrate compliance with the New Zealand Building Code. Beyond code compliance, we also set up to collect thermal data that Trafalgar Fire were interested in.

We live-streamed the test for the Trafalgar Fire staff who couldn’t make it to site due to COVID19 travel restrictions. This meant they could see the results in real-time.

The test was a success! The multi-penetration box performed as they hoped it would.

The report

We gave Trafalgar Fire the raw test data straight after the test and supplied an official test report a few days later. They said it was one of the best reports they had ever seen and that it was obvious that the right people, with the right skills had written it. To them, this comprehensive report was so valuable. It saved them time and money and made the compliance process run smoothly.

The wrap up

This successful test provided Trafalgar Fire with the compliance information they needed to gain access to the broader New Zealand market. We think that’s a pretty great return on investment.

Trafalgar Fire were impressed with the outcome and how smoothly the project ran. Our ‘whole business’ approach helped us create true partnership with their team. We worked closely with them to make sure we completely understood their business goals, then we helped them get there.

John Henry said we will be their first call for future projects, and we look forward to collaborating with them again.

If you have a burning question, contact Tom.

He’d love to chat with you about how we can help:

E:  tomm@holmessolutions.com
P: +64 3 363 2180

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