Focus Fire Protection
At the revitalised WEFO Wool Store precinct, Focus Fire Protection delivered a performance-led fire safety solution that balanced modern compliance with heritage preservation, engineering a full-system overhaul within one of Melbourne’s most complex adaptive reuse environments.
“Our scope included stripping out and replacing the damaged concrete fire tanks, installing fully compliant modern replacements, refurbishing and recommissioning the site’s fire pumps, replacing every sprinkler head across the facility, and delivering a new, networked fire detection and evacuation system,” explains Mike Donohue, Project Lead at Focus Fire Protection.
The biggest challenge came in protecting the main warehouse, which required a fire safety overhaul within the high-ceilinged, heritage-sensitive, multi-use environment, with void ceilings approaching 20m high. Traditional point or beam detection was either non-compliant or impractical due to ongoing maintenance requirements.
Instead, Focus Fire Protection implemented a KIDDE MODULASER aspirating system, using long sample pipe runs with modular detection heads feeding into a central FIP. “It gave us reliable coverage in a harsh, dusty environment while respecting the heritage aesthetic,” Mike explained. “It’s a great example of performance-based engineering being done right.”
Focus Fire Protection also played a critical role in identifying flaws in early consultant drawings, saving the client more than $500,000 through targeted value management, refined layouts and smarter material strategies. Their collaboration with Fusion Fire also ensured full compliance with AS1670 and AS7240 battery recharge standards, an area often overlooked.
“WEFO is a project we’re incredibly proud of, but our work in the BESS sector is equally exciting,” says Mike. “We’re doing some great things in battery energy storage fire protection right now, and the level of risk and innovation required in that space makes it a natural fit for our expertise.”
By combining heritage sensitivity with advanced detection technologies, Focus Fire Protection delivered a performance-based fire safety solution tailored to a challenging adaptive reuse environment—demonstrating the practical application of intelligent design in achieving lasting safety outcomes.
For more information contact Focus Fire Protection, phone 1300 565 002, email admin@focusfireprotection.biz, website
www.focusfireprotection.biz