How an East Midlands MRF Neutralised 14 Lithium Battery Runaways and Protected Its EA Permit
Processing 12,000 tonnes of mixed WEEE and domestic waste monthly created frequent vapour flashover threats. By deploying FireVision onto 8 existing Hikvision cameras, the operator eliminated permit suspension risks, cut false evacuations by 98.7%, and protected £180k in operational throughput.
Why Conventional Fire Alarms Fail in Modern Waste Facilities
With high-capacity sorting bays, constant telehandler traffic, and volatile battery waste, conventional optical beam sensors and aspirating sniffers are structurally inadequate.
Environment Agency FPP Scrutiny
Processing 12,000 tonnes of mixed domestic and WEEE waste per month, the site faced recurrent ignition events from concealed single-use vapes and lithium-ion cells entering the trommel and primary shredder infeed.
Failure of Legacy Detection Beams
Standard optical beam sensors and aspirating sniffers mounted 11 metres high in the ventilated transfer shed reacted too late due to forced cross-draft ventilation. By the time smoke accumulated, thermal runaway had already penetrated adjacent RDF bunkers.
Permit Cancellation & Insurance Hikes
Two previous thermal incidents triggered formal Environment Agency compliance audits threatening suspension of the site operating permit, accompanied by an impending 40% increase in property insurance deductibles.
Zero Hardware Disruption: 8 Cameras Connected in 45 Minutes
Rather than closing bays for multi-week cabling and expensive infrared flame cannons, FireVision tapped into the operator's existing CCTV network via a secure, stateless outbound WireGuard tunnel.
Zero-Downtime Deployment
Connected 8 existing 2K Hikvision IP cameras monitoring the tipping floor, shredder hopper, and RDF bays to a pre-configured FireVision RTSP VPN bridge over the local network in under 45 minutes with zero plant stoppage.
Ambient Filter Tuning
Calibrated the neural network models to ignore high-velocity diesel exhaust plumes from telehandlers and persistent shredder dust clouds, achieving a verified 98.7% noise rejection rate during peak operational shifts.
Multi-Channel Escalation
Configured automated SMS, mobile alert chimes, automated audible telephone calls, and 10-second looping video clips pushed directly to the control cabin monitor and yard supervisor handsets within 6 seconds.
Measured Outcomes Over 6 Months of Continuous Live Monitoring
Average time to visual flame and smoke detection from initial battery cell rupture on the infeed belt.
Caught and suppressed with targeted localized fire hoses before activating broad deluge systems.
Eliminated nuisance false alarms and unnecessary plant evacuations during high-throughput morning shifts.
Fully auditable, timestamped video telemetry provided to Environment Agency and insurer inspectors.
“Conventional beams in an open transfer bay are virtually blind until the roof is filled with black smoke. FireVision caught an e-bike battery flare on our picking belt in four seconds. That single alert saved our plant from a multi-day shutdown.”
Protect Your Facility Before Your Next FPP Review.
Test FireVision on your highest-risk shredder or tipping bay for 30 days at zero commercial cost. No rewiring. No new cameras.