Patol
Patol is a British manufacturer of specialist fire detection systems, based near Reading, supplying linear heat detection, aspirating smoke detection, and infrared sensing for industrial and transport infrastructure.
Patol Ltd was founded in 1968 and operates from Padworth, near Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom.
Since November 2022, Patol and its sister company Linesense Fire Detection have been owned by Sdiptech, a Stockholm-listed infrastructure technology group. The two companies form part of Sdiptech’s Special Infrastructure Solutions business area and reported combined annual turnover in excess of GBP 3.2 million at the time of acquisition.
Products and rail applications
Patol’s core product is Linear Heat Detection Cable (LHDC), available in digital and analogue variants, which detects fire and overheating continuously along its length. Analogue zones can extend up to 500 metres.
Paired with Patol’s LDM-series DDL distance-location interfaces, the cable identifies the fire position to within one metre — the configuration Patol specifies for tunnel installations.
The company positions LHDC for environments where point-type smoke detectors are impractical, including rail tunnels, cable tunnels, escalators, and rail vehicle engine compartments. In tunnels, airflow tends to trigger false alarms in conventional smoke detectors, which is the operational case for cable-based heat detection.
The range also covers aspirating smoke detection for early-warning applications, infrared transit sensors that detect heat and flame in material moving on conveyors, and FireTIR thermal imaging for continuous temperature monitoring, which the company markets for transport applications including railways.
Market position
Patol designs and manufactures in the UK and exports across several continents, supplying both end users and fire protection contractors that integrate its detection products into larger systems. Its installed base spans power generation, waste recycling, petrochemical, and transport infrastructure.
Design and engineering to national standards and client specifications is part of the standard offering, according to the company. Independent certification details are not published in a consolidated form and are not listed here.
Current activity
Patol is listed as an exhibitor at the Fire Safety Event 2026 in the UK, following its participation in the 2025 edition, and has exhibited at FIM Expo in Portsmouth. The company has recently published application guidance on fire detection for air-source heat pumps and commercial solar arrays, extending its LHDC positioning into newer infrastructure categories.
