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Fire Suppression for your IT Solution

Fire Suppression for your IT Solution. Presented by Alex Knost aknost@radford.edu www.radford.edu/aknost. Contents. Drawbacks of Traditional Sprinklers Photographs of examples Alternatives to Sprinklers Final Thoughts. Part I: Why Not Traditional Sprinklers?. Sprinklers use water

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Fire Suppression for your IT Solution

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  1. Fire Suppression for your IT Solution Presented by Alex Knost aknost@radford.edu www.radford.edu/aknost

  2. Contents • Drawbacks of Traditional Sprinklers • Photographs of examples • Alternatives to Sprinklers • Final Thoughts

  3. Part I: Why Not Traditional Sprinklers? • Sprinklers use water • A lot of water (15-40 gpm) • Firefighters use even more water when they arrive • A typical fire engine can pump 1500-2000 gpm • Water and building materials don’t mix • Water and IT hardware don’t mix either.

  4. Water in Action: Blacksburg Middle School • March 14, 2016: Thunderstorm in Blacksburg • Lightning strike on roof at BMS • Roof ignited, prompting massive response • Water Damage forced closure of several classrooms

  5. Photographs taken June 2016. Left: A tarp covers the portion of the roof that firefighters had to cut away to access and extinguish the roof fire Right: Classrooms 8A6 and 8A7 nearly devoid of ceiling tiles that were removed due to water damage

  6. A tarp hangs from the drop ceiling in classrooms 8A5 and 8A6

  7. Part II: Alternatives to Water Systems • Inert Gas • Clean Agents

  8. Inert Gas Systems • Gases that displace oxygen are discharged into the room • Oxygen level reduced • Normally ~21% • Reduces to 11% - 15% • Typically use Nitrogen or Argon

  9. Clean Agent System • Uses carbon dioxide or other chemicals • Often safe for occupied spaces • Many do not leave residue or damage equipment • Pictured right: Diagram of Kidde FM-200 installation Image source: https://www.controlfiresystems.com/media/uploads/htmlimages/2016/06/30/Suppression_System_Layout.jpg

  10. Stat-X Animated Demo

  11. Part III: Final Thoughts • Consult with your fire department • Entry Plan – how will firefighters get into the building/room? • Ensure compliance with other codes • Close the Door! • Keep doors closed when possible • Closed doors inhibit spread of fire/smoke • Saves Lives • Protects Property • See Close the Door! A Civilian’s Guide to Saving Lives and Property on my website for further information • URL for website on last slide of this presentation

  12. Final Thoughts (cont) – Fire Drills Save Lives! • Planning an office fire drill • Consult with your fire department • Is your Fire Alarm system monitored? • Executing an office fire drill • Time the evacuation • Following up • Have a security camera system? Review the footage after the drill to identify and correct mistakes.

  13. Visit radford.edu/aknost/fire_suppressionfor links to references

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