To understand what is Special Hazard Fire Protection Systems, one must know what a ‘Special Hazard’ is.
Special Hazards can be bracketed as:
- An area or process involving pieces of equipment that are of exceptionally high value.
- An area containing unique or irreplaceable assets.
- An area or process where the revenue produced or its function is of greater value than the equipment itself.
Standard fire sprinkler systems might not prove to be adequate for putting out a fire in the aforementioned areas. Special hazard fire protection systems are fabricated specifically to extinguish fires and minimize the destruction of valuable equipment, articles, and processes.
Applications of Special Hazard Fire Protection Systems
Special Hazard Protection Systems are installed in spaces where valuable assets and processes are kept and executed, respectively. A few examples of areas where one would find special hazard fire protection systems are:
- Power Generation
- Chemical Plants
- Aircraft Hangars
- Healthcare and Wellness Centers
- Museums
- Historical Archives
- Art Galleries
- Records Storage
- Manufacturing and Testing Facilities
- Data Centers
- Telecommunication Centers
- Machinery Spaces and more.
These areas are extraordinarily challenging from a fire protection standpoint. The fire alarm and sprinkler systems that one installs at their homes are certainly not appropriate as the only line of defense in such premises.
Commonly Used Special Hazard Fire Protection Systems
Special hazard fire protection systems offer invaluable safety to property and life. So, the following is a list of the most commonly used Special Hazard Protection Systems:
- FM200
- CO2
- Foam
- Inergen
- Novec 1230
- Water Mist
Special Hazard Fire Protection Systems speciate in their extremely swift and efficient act of extinguishing fires. These systems utilize the effectiveness of clean agents.
Clean agents
Clean agents are electrically non-conductive, volatile, or gaseous elements that do not leave a residue behind
Clean agents are electrically non-conductive, volatile, or gaseous elements that do not leave a residue behind after discharge. As these agents do not necessitate the act of cleaning assets after a fire occurs, they lessen the downtime and lower the amount of revenue lost.
Their effect of not destroying the invaluable possessions brackets them to be the most distinctive feature of special hazards fire protection system.
These fire protection systems are, therefore, fabricated to:
- Instantly identify an incipient fire or heat condition
- Suppress fires when regular sprinklers are not appropriate (as the sole means of fire protection)
- Alleviate the chances of business interruption
- Limit the loss of assets (such as those of art galleries or historical archives — which cannot be replaced), information, and revenue
Special Hazard Fire Protection Systems demand proficiently trained and qualified personnel to design, install, service, repair, and maintain them.
