In the first phase of the project, Moorfields has replaced fire alarm bells with 250 multi-message Fire-Cryer Plus voice sounders and, when the project is complete, more than 500 Fire-Cryers will have been fitted.

The Fire-Cryers have been programed so that a realistic bell tone precedes evacuation and alarm messages. The system has been configured into 48 zones to allow phased evacuation in the event of a fire. This reduces the disruption to patients and staff in the event of a false alarm or an incident that can quickly be resolved. Use of unambiguous voice messages to accompany the traditional bell tone will aid safe evacuation.

Using Fire-Cryer Plus voice sounders is said to be a cost effective solution compared to standalone voice evacuation systems. Each voice sounder can be programmed with up to seven messages from a library of thousands, many of which are multi-lingual, ensuring that any site requirement can be fulfilled.