DUPONT presented its leading range of clean agent fire suppressants at the 17th edition of Intersec, the trade fair for safety and security in the Middle East.

Showcased was its FM-200 systems, which protect thousands of Middle East facilities, including electrical rooms of royal family palaces in Riyadh and Makkah, the Dubai Metro, substations in Jeddah and Madinah, Burj Khalifa, Makkah Railway and Dubai International Airport as well as numerous datacentres and telecommunication facilities.

“FM-200 systems present the most cost-effective, safe and sustainable protection offering the best combination of the properties desired in a waterless agent characterised by extremely low toxicity,” a Dupont spokesman stressed. “FM-200 is being treated differently than HFCs in other more emissive applications due to its negligible emission, as evidenced by the recent regulatory decisions of the US EPA and the revised F-Gas II Regulation, which recognise the value, importance and sustainability of FM-200 and impose no restrictions on its use.”

Fire extinguishing systems using agents that do not deplete stratospheric ozone fall under Section EA, Energy and Atmosphere, in the latest version (V3) of the Green Building Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating systems guides introduced by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2000. DuPont FM-200 does not deplete stratospheric ozone and hence total flooding fire protection systems utilising FM-200 can contribute to obtaining Leed certification, the spokesman explained.

With 300 debut exhibitors and the world’s top 10 commercial security companies taking part, Intersec 2015 was the global launch-pad of new products and services.

“With Intersec now among the most influential trade gatherings for the global security community, we are glad to see a sustained increase in interest in reaching the substantial Middle East market,” said Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the event organiser.

“Intersec is not only an interactive networking and knowledge-sharing platform, but it also facilitates some of the game-changing partnerships that make an impact on the regional security scene.”

US-based FLIR Systems was among the world’s top 10 commercial security companies that launched innovative systems at Intersec, with live demonstrations of its K55 thermal imaging camera that helps firefighters see while working through smoky and hazy environments.

Bosch Security Systems, the world’s second largest commercial security provider,  presented its latest video surveillance, fire detection, and intrusion detection systems.

While the global security market continues to grow by 5.5 per cent annually, demand in the Middle East is estimated to be much higher as regional governments spend heavily on surveillance systems to protect against threats of crime, smuggling and illegal immigration.

This is expected to push up the sales of network surveillance systems by 89 per cent by 2016, according to global analysts Frost & Sullivan.

Eyeing this lucrative market, international players including Panasonic, Dahua, Sony, Grundig Security, and Samsung Techwin, were among those presenting video surveillance systems with a focus on 4K imaging technology – ultra-high definition video with over eight million pixels, or four times the resolution of high definition video.

CP Plus, a world leader in high performance security surveillance products and solutions, introduced i-Wizard, an intelligent video surveillance IP solution including cameras and NVRs.

The strong international flavour at Intersec 2015 was reinforced by the largest-ever presence of German exhibitors taking part, including 71 pavilion exhibitors and 16 standalone exhibitors – 37 per cent more than in 2014.

Other country pavilions included those from the UK, the US, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Korea, Pakistan, Singapore, Taiwan, and the UAE.