Fire protection technologies for sites with ”special fire hazards” differ from conventional sprinkler technology in how they mitigate damage in case of fire. These innovative solutions use special extinguishing agents to rapidly suppress the fire by absorbing heat or removing oxygen from the combustion process, but without catastrophic losses of building contents and business continuity.
The well-known sprinkler systems have long been used to protect buildings and their occupants from fire. However, these systems are typically intended to protect a building structure. In contrast, new technologies protect not only the structures, but also building contents and the ongoing operations inside the building. This is the advantage of special fire suppression systems with clean gas agents, water mist, powder or foam. They work quickly, efficiently, with no or minimal amount of water, they are environmentally friendly, safe for people and help prevent catastrophic damage.
Special firefighting systems have a very wide range of applications – from electricity generation facilities and data centres with complex and expensive equipment to archives, galleries and museums with valuable historical property. These systems are designed to quickly and completely extinguish a possible fire, preventing catastrophic losses for owners of such special fire hazard sites.
WHAT IS A SITE WITH “SPECIAL FIRE HAZARDS”?
The sites with “special fire hazards” can be identified as follows:
- Any site containing equipment or a special process of exceptionally high value
- Any site containing unique or irreplaceable material property (museums, archives, art galleries or data storage centres)
- Any site or process where the revenue produced or its function is of greater value than the equipment itself.
Special hazard fire protection systems can be installed in an entire building, an area, a room or locally for a specific machine, equipment or material assets. For example, applications can range from computer rooms in data centres and equipment at healthcare facilities to facilities in large industrial plants or public kitchens. Special fire protection systems include a fire detection system combined with a fire extinguishing system. The fire extinguishing systems are designed to quickly and completely extinguish a fire without damaging building contents or endangering building occupants.
HOW TO CHOOSE AN APPROPRIATE FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM?
Not all types of fire suppression systems are suitable for every application. That is where the experts come in – fire protection engineers and fire system integrators who have specific and specialized expertise. Their role is to study the specific application and requirements of each building, recommend the type of extinguishing system that best meets building’s needs, assess the existing fire protection status of the site, determine the size and location of the protected premises, the necessary ventilation and a number of other considerations to offer the most suitable protection. For example, there are very different needs for fire protection of a large-scale data centre compared to protection of multiple separate data closets in an office building.
Once an area or building is identified as a special hazard site requiring additional protection, a multifaceted fire hazard analysis should be performed. Understanding types of potential fires and differentiating the ignition sources in Class A (solid combustible materials), Class A high hazard (active electrical equipment), Class B (flammable liquids) and Class C (flammable gases) fires, significantly contributes to selection of the most efficient detection and suppression technology for special fire hazards. A thorough analysis of potential ignition sources makes it possible not only to choose an appropriate fire protection system, but also to eliminate some ignition sources.
Continued in Part 2.
Contact details:
SYNCHRON-S Ltd.
Phone: + 359 2 944 14 04
E-mail: synchron-s@synchron-s.com
Website: www.synchron-s.com
