Server rooms and switch rooms have unique fire risks that should be addressed with effective fire suppression solutions.
Server rooms and switch rooms are essential in the modern world – and they’re only getting larger. Today’s data centres are often made up entirely of server rooms.
Due to the vast quantities of electric used to power these rooms on a daily basis, the risk of an electrical fire is significant, and it can cause extensive damage to valuable equipment.
At Fire Shield Systems, we offer bespoke design, installation and maintenance of fire prevention and suppression solutions that assess and mitigate the specific fire risks of your switch rooms and server rooms.
To find out more, call us on 0800 975 5767, or get in touch:
The risk
Electrical fires are one of the most common types of fires.
The high voltages and amount of electricity present in server rooms and switch rooms means that they have extremely high fire risks that need to be assessed and mitigated.
Server room fire protection
The constant flow of electricity in server rooms brings a high risk of overheating – creating the need for an effective ventilation or cooling system.
However, cooling systems can bring their own fire risks if they’re not properly maintained, and ventilation can reduce the effectiveness of fire suppression systems in action. Cooling fans also attract dust, which can build up to insulate components, causing further risk of overheating, and act as a fuel once ignited.
As server rooms increase in size, so do the server room fire safety requirements. It’s essential that your data centre fire suppression solution is able to effectively protect the whole space, and the valuable equipment contained within it.
Switch room fire protection
In switch rooms, high voltages increase fire risks. Every switch room is different – and you’ll need to assess your risks differently, considering factors such as:
- The type of equipment present
- The site the room is located on
Manual switch rooms are also prone to a build-up of dirt and humidity, which increases the likelihood of an electrical fire.
Although it’s important for switch rooms to be properly ventilated, ventilation systems can remove suppression agents, making extinguishing and suppression more challenging if a fire does take hold.
If your switch room contains oil-filled equipment, there are also further risks at play that can affect people in the surrounding area, and the building itself, if not controlled properly.
Depending on what you’re powering with your switch room, you may not be able to shut down the systems, even in the case of an emergency. This makes effective fire suppressions systems vital.
A safe solution
In server and switch rooms, detecting fires quickly is critical in reducing the risk of fires spreading.
Fire detection systems reduce the damage caused by fire, by identifying risks as early as possible. Traditional heat and smoke detection systems are best suited to these high-risk environments. For example, an aspirating smoke detector actively draws air into the system, providing highly sensitive smoke detection to protect valuable equipment.
Historically, switch rooms and server rooms have used large gas suppression systems for server room fire protection. However, these are large systems which require manual labour to refill the gas cylinders once they’re deployed. To counteract this, our water mist solution provides effective fire suppression which is unobtrusive and simple to reinstate at low costs.
Pre-action water mist systems are also well-suited for these environments, as they protect valuable equipment from false activations. These systems will fill with water only after heat or smoke is detected in the switch or server room.
Every switch room and server room has its own individual fire risks, to find out how we can help you get in touch or call 0800 975 5767.
