Final year students at Nottingham Trent University have been learning about careers in the fire safety industry – with advice from the company which is helping protect the lives of tens of thousands of fellow undergraduates, visitors and staff.
Two of the team from fire detection and life safety systems specialist, CDS, joined representatives from other industries at this month’s careers fayre to provide insight and advice on professions they have been mulling over during their time on campus.
They discussed graduate careers in bid writing, finance and business development – all roles CDS is seeking to fill as it expands both geographically and in the services it offers. The company has already moved into Wales, the North, the West Country and along the M4 and M5 corridor into London and recently acquired a water compliance company.
CDS specifies, supplies, installs and maintains fire safety systems for many of the country’s universities and has worked with NTU for more than 30 years. In fact, the Honeywell Gent Vigilon networked fire safety system it installed and maintains there is one of the largest in the UK and operates across more than 60 buildings and three campuses.
The scope of the work has grown enormously over the decades and CDS now exclusively oversees NTU’s fire safety strategy throughout all three of its campuses. Each has numerous Gent Vigilon analogue addressable systems which are networked together and then ‘globally networked’ between each of the three sites – Clifton, City and Brackenhurst.
The project, which saw CDS install an integrated visual fire alarm and detection system using ‘Text and Graphics’ software, was implemented throughout the university’s estate a few years ago. It can be managed via PC, tablet or mobile device, making it the ultimate in system control and end user management.
CDS also works closely with its university clients in helping students stay safe during national Student Fire Safety Week, offering potentially life-saving advice in the form of posters in halls of residence and on social media including Instagram, in partnership with the National Union of Students.
CDS national sales manager Sophie Kelly and bid manager Nigel Smith will be repeating the experience later this month at Leicester University, whose fire safety systems are maintained by CDS’ Leicester-based team.
