Fire Suppression System

What is a fire suppression system?

Fire suppression systems are typically used to control, put out or prevent fires from spreading by applying an extinguishing substance such as water, foam, inert gas or chemical compounds.

How does it work?

A fire suppression system will have built-in components to detect fires as early as possible. These components will first identify the presence of flames and smoke. The suppression system will then initiate an alarm, so the blaze can be subdued before it has the chance to spread. A fire suppression system can be considered an ‘active’ fire protection method because the system is triggered in response to the presence of fire. As will be explored further in this article, a fire suppression system also contains a range of components that ‘actively’ work to extinguish flames and smoke.

Which industries commonly use fire suppression systems?

1) Industrial and manufacturing – This article has made multiple references to the presence of highly flammable materials in industrial settings, but it’s also worth mentioning that industrial and manufacturing plants also contain large amounts of raw materials. Therefore, one of the biggest risks of fire (excluding personal safety) is the potential disruption to supply chains, making a fire suppression system a critical investment.

2) Warehousing and storage – Storage facilities will usually make the most of available space, providing that it complies with workplace health and safety regulations. A fire suppression system would effectively manage the risk of having large amounts of potentially flammable goods in close proximity, and provide the amount of coverage needed to protect a large commercial space.

3) Data centers and server rooms – After power supply issues, fires are the second most common cause for data center outages. They also have an average downtime of over 24 hours, and for the many businesses and organizations relying on data centers for their activities the impact can be catastrophic. Data centers and server rooms also contain a large amount of electronic equipment that is highly sensitive to changes in temperature. For both of these reasons, a fire suppression system is an imperative investment.

What are the different types of fire suppression?

Broadly speaking, there are three main types of fire suppression systems – all of which have unique properties and benefits based on the respective space in need of protection: