On the evening of April 3, 2009, a financial institution located in downtown Chicago was protected from the possibility of a large fire. Earlier that evening, an electrical component in the self-contained air conditioning unit had overheated and caught fire. The AC unit was located near highly sensitive equipment in a computer room.
Fortunately, the computer room was protected with a Fike clean agent suppression system, using the gaseous chemical suppressant, DuPont™ FM-200® — designed to extinguish the fire without the use of water. This is vital to the protection of computer rooms and data centers where the effects of water on critical electronic equipment can be as devastating as the actual fire.
Fike’s fast-reacting clean agent suppression system quickly extinguished the fire, limiting damage to the air conditioning unit and preventing computer room downtime.
Fike Experts Evaluate the Situation
The Fike clean agent system worked exactly as it should and there was no damage to the computer room"
Fike distributor, Reliable Fire Equipment, who originally recommended and installed the FM-200 system, was called to assess the situation and service the fire suppression system.
“We sent technicians out that same night to download the history of the fire and reset power to the equipment,” said Robert Pikula, Vice President of Reliable Fire Equipment. “Approximately four surrounding detectors had detected the smoke and discharged the FM-200. The Fike clean agent system worked exactly as it should and there was no damage to the computer room.”
Service the Suppression System
“Fike’s clean agent cylinders are designed to be refilled, recharged, and reused to reduce costs to the customer,” continued Pikula. “With the Easter holiday weekend approaching, we knew we had to retrieve and replace the discharged cylinders quickly so that the fire suppression system was up and running as quickly as possible.”
“Even with the short week for the holiday, the cylinders were removed from downtown Chicago, filled, and installed back in our customer's facility within a very quick turn-around period,” said Pikula. “The customer was pleased with the effectiveness of the Fike FM-200 system, and with the service, we were able to provide them. It was a great team effort between Reliable Fire Equipment and Fike.”
Critical Project Success Factors:
- Fike’s clean agent suppression system using DuPont™ FM-200® discharged properly, minimizing damage to the air conditioning unit and protecting the data center from receiving any damage.
- The ability to recharge, refill and reuse the Fike clean agent cylinders reduced costs to the end customer.
- Rapid service response times by employees at Reliable Fire Equipment and Fike, allowed the fire suppression system to quickly be restored to full operation, protecting the bank’s computer room.