Case study · CCTV
Early warning for battery fires
Lithium-ion batteries hidden in waste can start fires that smoke detectors miss. Thermal cameras now watch Derwen’s processing area and raise the alarm before anything ignites.
alerts: early warning and urgent
site staff in hours, PC1 out of hours
a PC1 client for more than 15 years
The challenge
Fires that start deep in the pile.
Lithium-ion batteries in waste transfer stations can ignite without oxygen. In dusty, debris-heavy buildings, standard suppression systems and ceiling smoke detectors often fail or react too late.
Heat also builds up inside waste piles over time. As a precaution, Derwen turned piles over by hand, which was slow and expensive.
What we did
What we put in place.
Thermal coverage
Thermal cameras across a large part of the processing area, measuring temperature continuously.
AI analytics
Software that spots small temperature changes and how quickly they are rising.
Two-tier early warning
Separate early-warning and urgent alerts for pre-combustion temperatures and sudden heat spikes.
Out-of-hours monitoring
Alerts go to site staff during the day; PC1 monitors outside working hours.
Joined to the existing CCTV
Staff can click any area of the picture to see its exact temperature.
The outcome
What changed.
Continuous watch on high-risk areas
Accurate temperature surveillance, day and night.
Works on a busy site
Detection allows for moving vehicles and machinery, so it stays reliable during operations.
Insurance requirements met
The system helps Derwen meet its insurer’s fire-safety requirements.
Less manual pile turning
Fewer precautionary turns saves time and money.
Kit & technology
Built with.
- Thermal cameras
- AI temperature analytics
- Early fire detection
- CCTV integration
- Out-of-hours alerting
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