Your first line of defense in a fire is automatic fire suppression. But what about server rooms, data centers, and other areas housing high-value assets? Here’s what you need to know about protecting your property from a Florida server room fire.
A Florida server room fire can be a company’s worst nightmare. With the amount of business that is done digitally nowadays, and the volume of information that is stored on the cloud, the servers that are kept in these rooms are mission-critical. Not only that, they need proper fire suppression systems installed to comply with fire safety codes.
Here’s the catch – while you could extinguish a server room fire with a standard sprinkler system, you would also cause some serious damage to the IT infrastructure inside. Protecting your server room from fire damage requires specialized solutions, and we know just the Fire & Life Safety experts for the job.
What Causes A Florida Server Room Fire?
The concentration of electronic equipment and the risk of high temperature can make a server room susceptible to fire for a variety of reasons, including:
- Faulty subfloor wiring
- Short-circuiting or overloaded IT equipment
- Overheating
- Unrelated fires spreading to the server room
Besides the fact that your server room is filled with costly equipment, the access points and wiring that connect it to the rest of the building provide the perfect avenue for fire to travel down, creating even more risk.
Do I Have Options For Server Room Fire Protection?
Luckily for you, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released the NFPA 75: Standard for the Fire Protection of Information Technology Equipment. This document is like the ultimate cheat sheet for Florida server room fire protection. Okay, ‘cheat sheet’ might be a strong word considering that it’s 45 pages long and pretty information-dense, but that’s why you’re hiring the professionals – we speak the language so you don’t have to.
Florida Server Room Fire Suppression
Clean agent suppression systems are the most common non-water-based suppression systems for server rooms and data centers. These systems release halocarbons like Novec 1230, inert gases like CO2, or other agents to extinguish fires by oxygen deprivation or heat absorption.
Clean agent fire suppression systems are an excellent solution for server rooms and data centers for a few reasons:
- No damage to the equipment
- Electrically non-conductive and non-corrosive
- Get employees back to work faster
- Provide options for occupied spaces
In some jurisdictions, local regulations will not allow a data center or server room to rely solely on an alternative suppression system and requires a pre-action sprinkler system as well. While the clean agent fire suppression system would still be the primary source of fire suppression in a data center or server room, these sprinkler systems can provide backup coverage that is required by code.
When you work with a licensed Fire & Life Safety company like DynaFire, you can rely on their expertise to keep your property in compliance with any regulations. Contact us today to learn more about the Florida server room fire suppression solutions we have to offer, you’ll be glad you did!
