A fire suppression system is an integral part of any fire protection infrastructure. ‘Fire suppression’ is a collective term for any engineering group of units that are designed to put out a fire. This can be achieved by applying an extinguishing substance such as water, foam or chemical compounds. This article explores the range of applications within a fire suppression strategy, so site teams and building owners can begin to comply with fire safety regulations and give peace of mind to building occupants and tenants alike.
How does a fire suppression system 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.
What is the difference between a fire sprinkler and a fire suppression system?
Both fire suppression systems and sprinkler systems can control or extinguish fires and are activated when detecting heat or smoke. A fire suppression system, however, doesn’t use water as it can be ineffective in certain types of fires. For example, a facility that uses combustible gas or oil, for instance, would not benefit from using water as a fire suppressing agent. For this reason, fire suppression systems are more common in industrial environments than traditional water sprinkler systems.
Why use an automatic fire suppression system?
Just like a traditional system, an automatic fire suppression system will consist of an element that detects heat and smoke and a suppression agent container. There will also often be a manual activation system that acts as a failsafe in the case that the automatic system isn’t triggered.
The main benefit of an automatic fire suppression system is that they eliminate the need for human activation or intervention. Not only does this reduce the risk to occupants’ safety, but it is also ideal for extinguishing fires in remote or less accessible areas of a building or estate.
Furthermore, automatic fire suppression systems are a particularly worthy investment for industries and companies containing flammable materials or high-value goods. This type of preventative measure could be looked upon favourably by insurance providers, who may reward business owners and landlords with lower premium rates for taking this type of precaution.
When is a fire suppression system required?
Fire suppression systems should be installed in buildings where a sprinkler system may not be the most effective method of fire protection. These can include rooms that contain a large amount of electrical equipment, irreplaceable assets or perishable items that could be susceptible to water damage.
