…but it’s also a potentially dangerous time of year with opportunistic criminals looking to take advantage.

Statistics provided by UKCrimeStats show that each year around December and leading into January the total crime rates reach their peak.

Criminals know that many commercial premises including offices, retail outlets, warehouses and many others will be empty from 24^th until 27^th December, and some right up until 2^nd January.

With this in mind, we have prepared some top tips to keep your business safe over the Christmas period.

1. Establish a lock up procedure

A little bit of planning and communication before the busy season will help ensure security while your premises are empty. If you have Remote Monitoring then please let us know your closing times.

2. Avoid lone workers

Even in the busiest offices, there is often one person left to lock up for the Christmas holidays. This person will be vulnerable to criminals in waiting, or to missing security procedures in the rushed atmosphere of the festivities.

ConnectMe, our Lone Worker Solution, ensures your people are protected. Or use a Keyholding Service which can secure your building with an open and lock service.

3. Be aware of everyone entering and exiting your premises

Christmas is a busy time for deliveries and having extra delivery people accessing your business is not unusual. Installing an Access Control System can alleviate this threat, keeping your staff and assets safe.

4. Confirm keyholder contact details are up-to-date

Confirm Keyholder details as well as confirming who will be available over the holiday period. Don’t just assume people will have their phones on and be contactable – ensure everyone involved is clear on when they are expected to be contactable.

5. Keep perimeter well-lit with appropriate lighting

Keep your building well lit with floodlights, in place to deter unauthorised activity and ensure clear visuals of would-be intruders. This makes it difficult for criminals to stake out your premises and should lead to recognisable images for the authorities to use.

6. Display signage in an obvious place

If you have an Intruder Alarm and/or CCTV system active on your site, ensure you have clear signage highlighting this fact. This will act as a great deterrent to intruders.

7. Ensure all electrical appliances are in safe mode

With your premises closed, and little or no staff attending, there is always a fear of fire or flood damage. Make sure that all electrical devices are in safe mode and it’s a good idea to keep the heat coming on for a few hours each day to avoid pipes becoming damaged.

We would like to wish all our customers a safe and Happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

The post Stay Safe this Christmas appeared first on Marlowe Fire & Security.

Marlowe Connect, our Cat II Alarm and Video Receiving Centre, based in Birchwood, Warrington is among the most sophisticated and advanced integrated monitoring centres operating today.

Our highly skilled, 24/7 Team utilise the latest in innovative security and communications technologies to provide a comprehensive range of Connected solutions and services to our customers including:

Alarm monitoring

CCTV monitoring

False alarm management

Remote maintenance and diagnostics

Lone worker solutions

Asset tracking

Our facility has also been adapted to accommodate our 24/7 Call Receipt and Technical Support Desk facility ensuring we always remain connected to our customers.

By maintaining this certification we continue to provide our customers with the assurance that their people and property are protected 24/7.

The NSI ARC Gold scheme is a certification that we greatly value.

Well done to all of the Marlowe Connect Team who worked hard to maintain this distinguished credential.

The post Marlowe Fire & Security achieves NSI Gold certification appeared first on Marlowe Fire & Security.

Supported by IFSEC and FIREX the awards highlight the very best people, projects and processes that the security and fire sectors have to offer.

The Active/Passive Fire Project of the Year category was designed to showcase successful Fire Projects developed over the past 12 months, which demonstrate Best Practice in design as well as demonstrable success in areas including customer satisfaction, performance, implementation, innovation and overcoming specific challenges.

Our entry focused on our long term Partnership with Nottingham City Homes (NCH) and the delivery of the Sprinklers Save Lives initiative that we have worked to deliver across their estate.

NCH have always been proactive in ensuring their residents safety. In light of recent tragedies, NCH affirmed their commitment to investing in their vision to provide an active fire protection initiative throughout their High rise properties. Our Solution was to provide NCH with an effective firefighting solution by designing, installing and commissioning a cost-effective retro-fit sprinkler system throughout their social housing scheme while ensuring Resident engagement throughout the process.

Our sincere thanks go to; our partner Nottingham City homes, our dedicated Project, Design and Account Management Team, our Administration Team, our Service Delivery Team and our Marketing Team for putting our application together.

This project exemplifies our Collaborative Working ethos which will drive our organisation forward.

Congratulations All!

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Gold Membership includes all the benefits and audits of traditional Silver membership, plus an extended verified PQQ (covering Environmental Management, Equalities and Diversity, and Quality Management, and ensuring legislative compliance). All Gold Members must also possess a valid SSIP certificate.

Constructionline is the UK’s largest register of contractors, consultants and material suppliers for the construction industry, with over 10,000 key decision makers from over 3,800 buying organisations using Constructionline to select quality suppliers.

Constructionline is a great tool for us to promote our services and assure our customers and prospective customers of our dedication to providing a quality fire life safety and security service.

The post Marlowe Fire & Security achieves Constructionline Gold Membership appeared first on Marlowe Fire & Security.

Marlowe Fire & Security is committed to ensuring the principles of our robust Quality Management System are maintained, communicated and enforced throughout all areas of our business.

Commitment is provided by all top management and is cascaded throughout the business to all interested parties as we aim to achieve our business objectives.

The rigorous audits undertaken by our chosen certification body, the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) in accordance with all relevant approvals, British Standards and BAFE Scheme documents, explored and scrutinised the established technical and administrative controls in place.

The successful audits resulted in our continued certification under:

NSI Fire Gold Scheme

NSI NACOSS Gold Scheme

NSI Life Safety Fire Risk Assessment Gold Scheme.

Our thanks go to the whole Marlowe Fire & Security Team who seamlessly managed the transition with the support of our dedicated Compliance Team.

The post Marlowe Fire & Security Successfully Transition to ISO 9001:2015 Standard appeared first on Marlowe Fire & Security.

Firecrest Services will now join us as part of Marlowe Fire & Security Group, the fire life safety and security division of Marlowe Critical Services.

This acquisition places Marlowe Fire & Security Group as the sixth largest provider of Fire and Security services in the UK.

The merger further realises the acceleration of our buy and build strategy generating more and more opportunities for all committed and ambitious Team Members.

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We were awarded the certificate in recognition for our efforts in dramatically reducing our CO2 and CO2 equivalent emissions in accordance with the objectives of our established and certified ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.

Over the past year we have reduced our CO2 and CO2 equivalent emissions by 21.4%

This dramatic decrease has been achieved through our commitment to developing our national fleet of lower emitting vehicles and our smarter and more efficient operational dispatching techniques.

Our thanks go to Pete Johnson, Fleet Manager, our Scheduling Team and dedicated Compliance Team for their hard work in realising this objective.

The post Marlowe Fire & Security certified as a Gold Fleet by the Energy Saving Trust appeared first on Marlowe Fire & Security.

Last week, our CEO Rob Flinn presented a cheque to Natasha Foxford of Cancer Research UK for over £9,000 to support them in their important work.

Over the past 12 months our Team Members have organised numerous fundraising activities, giving their time to support our chosen charity. Our initiatives have included our Charity Climb of Mount Snowdon where 25 of our daring, and slightly mad Team Members, braved treacherous conditions to reach the summit.

We would like to thank our Customers, Suppliers and most importantly all our Team Members, Family and Friends for their generous donations and support over the past year.

If you would like to find our more about Cancer Research UK and the important work they are doing on behalf of all of us, please visit www.cancerresearchuk.org

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Now in their nineteenth year, the Security & Fire Excellence Awards has consistently broken new ground in highlighting the very best people, projects and processes that the security and fire sectors have to offer.

We have been shortlisted in the following 3 prestigious categories:

Customer Care Initiative of the Year:

Our entry for this category focused on the establishment of our Customer Charter and the innovative monitoring processes we have implemented as a business to track and respond to all customer enquiries and complaints.

Active Fire Project of the Year:

Our entry for this category was a case study focused on the ‘Sprinklers Save Lives’ initiative implemented throughout the Nottingham City Homes estate.

Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year:

Our entry in this category focused on our partnership with Cancer Research UK and the work we have done as a team to support the communities we serve.

The Awards will be held at London’s prestigious Hilton on Park Lane on Wednesday 21 November 2018 where around 1,000 of the fire and security industry’s foremost practitioners will gather to recognise and honour the magnificent achievements of their peers, at the sell-out event.

For more information go to www.securityandfireawards.com/

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The Marlowe Fire & Security Group was created following several significant acquisitions. What challenges did this pose to the existing well-known brands?

It’s certainly been a busy couple of years. Since April 2016 we have made 11 acquisitions of leading independent fire and security service providers across the country. As with any organisation pursuing an aggressive buy and build strategy, the acquisition and integration process presents unique challenges and it can initially be very difficult for our colleagues to embrace the changes that come with being part of a large group. Unlike most businesses, our acquisition strategy is very much a two-way street. Our Integration Team has driven improvements through applying technology, innovation and standardisation as well as identifying what has made these businesses successful and how we can incorporate their successes into the Group’s wider model. From experience, I respect that successful integration can only be achieved by communicating comprehensively with both internal and external stakeholders and gaining support from all; through recognition of the vast benefits of bringing individual businesses together as one. I’m very proud of what we have achieved so far.

The majority of these acquisitions have focused on the Fire Sector. What do you see as the key future developments in this industry?

As we know, the Fire Sector is and always has been driven by legislation, compliance and unfortunately tragedy. Never has this been felt more strongly in the UK then following the Grenfell disaster and we are fully prepared to embrace the stricter regulation and tighter governance which I’m sure will soon come into force. These unfortunate events have firmly placed fire at the top of the pecking order in the Board Room Risk Register and our customers are aware of the importance of fire safety and are seeking out professional support. As with the security industry, the Fire Sector is also progressing through the application of innovative technology. At Marlowe, we have the capability to remotely monitor fire alarms through our 24/7 ARC, provide CCTV verification of fire alarm activations and manage fire alarm system compliance through our cloud-based asset management tool. As an industry we must recognise and embrace the importance of the work we undertake and come together to share and publicise best practice, ensuring that the services we deliver to our customers are always to the highest standards of compliance.

In terms of the new technologies utilised by Marlowe, how important are these to the continued growth of the business?

The application of innovative technology underpins our Group, from our internal operating systems through to the products and services we provide to our customers; new technology has been key to our success. With an established Innovation Council, we work closely with our trusted supply chain partners and our customers to drive the application of innovative technology across both the security and fire focused areas of our business. Since joining I have been amazed by what we can achieve with our great team of dedicated and energetic staff; who are all enthusiastic about our journey. The correct application of the right technology has allowed us to resolve any issue our customers have presented us with and support them in improving their security and safety in ways they had not even considered. We have an unrivalled supply chain incorporating the most innovative security product manufacturers and distributors – including CSL of course!

How are the demands from your customers changing especially with the growth of DIY systems?

Despite the rise in DIY systems, over the past 18 months I have seen a significant increase in customers looking for a comprehensive range of services to be delivered by a single, certified and competent service provider. Our customers are now taking their responsibilities seriously and are seeking long-term Partners to support them in delivering their fire safety strategy and mitigate their security risks. The growth of these DIY systems and the dominance of Google, Apple, Amazon and other significant e-commerce, is certainly something we are aware of. I feel it is best for all of us within the industry to embrace this as an opportunity to provide our customers with something more than an off the shelf solution. In response to this we have invested heavily in Connected Services. We are providing our customers with round the clock Remote Alarm and CCTV Monitoring, Remote Diagnostic, Support and Maintenance to provide them with assistance when they need it most. No doubt consumers today are looking for a cost-effective solution, particularly when it comes to Home Security,but they also want peace of mind that if their home is burgled appropriate action will be taken. A DIY solution will certainly make a noise if you have an intruder and may even send you a text and provide you with a live stream of video on your phone, but it won’t ensure the Police attend.

To meet these increasing demands and embrace the new technologies associated with them, how important is upskilling your workforce?

Keeping up to date with technological advancements within the fire and security sector is imperative if we are going to achieve our ambitions to become the best of the best. Investing in our Engineers and supporting them in their personal development is one of the key pillars upon which my long-term business strategy is built. I’m well aware that they are our most valuable asset and if we don’t invest in them, someone else will. To that end, I’m looking at investing in the development of the 3 existing Training Facilities we already have across the Group, providing additional resource to create Centres of Excellence, offering all our workforce the opportunity to learn new skills and progress in their careers. In addition, we need to recognise not just that we need to invest in upskilling our existing workforce, but to recruit and train Apprentices for the future health of the industry. There is a huge resource shortage in our sector and Marlowe as well as our competitors cannot continue to fish from the same pond without restocking it. Each of us has a responsibility to create the next generation of fire and security professionals, and future proof the sector for our customers.

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