In 2017, REACT by Labor Strauss heralded the mobile era in fire protection. The innovative APP for mobile phones, tablets or PCs allows mobile access to the LST fire detection systems BC600 and BC216. As a result, costly false operations can be avoided, and in the event of a fire, valuable time is saved. The innovation impresses with easiest handling, maximum user-friendliness and numerous features, and is equally helpful to users, installers and public safety personnel. "We have designed the APP in such a way that it can also be used for existing systems, and it is well received by our customers" says Helmut Friedl.
Fire protection of the future
For Helmut Friedl it is difficult to predict the future. „So far, there are no moderately priced alternatives to punctual fire detectors, even if there are always attempts to spatially detect characteristics of fire. Another topic is the current trend toward networking of fire detectors through radio transmission, because modern fire detectors only need very little electrical energy and therefore can work for a long time without battery replacement. But at the moment, the fact that due to the batteries used, they are not safe from an environmental point of view is hardly taken into account. Networking of fire detectors via the Internet (catchword „IoT“) is also conceivable, but places considerable demands on the protection against external influence which are not met at the moment.
A trend which LST does not approve of is the relaxation of regulations at the expense of quality and reliability. „In Europe we have to meet stringent requirements for devices, planning and maintenance, that are based on experience – device tests and approvals by test laboratories as well as periodical examinations performed by independent experts such as fire brigades, fire prevention authorities, etc., provide security. This is different in other countries where often anything is screwed onto the ceiling and nobody checks whether it works."
We never were the cheapest. We have our development, manufacturing and engineering in Austria, and we pay Austrian salaries. We do not outsource, that means we do not send potatoes across Europe just because somewhere they can be washed or deep-fried at a lower price. Here we are in competition with suppliers from low-wage countries. But the customers have confidence in us. A system can cost millions, but then it has to work reliably for many years. There is no point in purchasing the cheapest product if the system breaks down within a few years and can not be repaired any more. Especially in the case of governments' invitations to tender this is difficult to justify, but for private capital expenditure this is not an issue. Because there you have to be sure that everything will function for a long time.
