When we talk about fire suppression systems, they are the most important component of fire protection. Fire suppression systems can encompass any fire protection tool to put out smoke, fire, or a combination of both. Remember, when we are talking about fire suppression systems, point to your professionally installed fire extinguisher located near an exit and up to the sprinkler systems that should be installed and connected to your water line.
A fire suppression system is either suppressed by water or a combination of chemicals.
Water
A sprinkler system is commonly found in homes, apartment buildings, and government buildings like schools. Libraries still even use water-based sprinkler systems. However, each sprinkler operates individually. Wherever the heat of the fire is located, only those sprinklers discharge water at a minimum, not at a maximum rate. In certain scenarios, sprinkler systems have the ability to operate any one sprinkler and do not cause the operation of any other sprinkler.
Combination of Chemicals
A fire extinguishing system, or a paint booth system, is needed as an all-purpose solution to extinguish many classes of fires.
5 Special Fire Suppression Systems
The most common fire suppression systems are the kind that use special agents to extinguish a fire. The special agents are overall dissolvable and won’t cause damage to property and a business’ assets, so they are a better alternative to water. The five special fire suppression systems considered by the NFPA standard to be up to code are:
- CO2
Suppressed by carbon dioxide, CO2 doesn’t leave a residue nor requires clean up like water from a sprinkler does.
- Dry chemical
The dry chemical suppression system is a powder made of monoammonium phosphate and is used to successfully extinguish debris, fuel, and electrical fires (Class A, B, and C fires, respectively).
- Foam
Using foam as a suppression system prevents harmful vapors from being released upward. Foam is used as a barrier and protects firefighters and others nearby.
- Cleaning Agent
Environmentally friendly, a cleaning agent is made up of gases like nitrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide. All cleaning agents are stored as either a gas or liquid, and when the system activates, it releases the clean agent as a gas to suppress the fire, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
- Commercial Kitchen
Located in eating and drinking establishments, commercial kitchen fire suppression systems use wet chemicals to extinguish a fire. The kitchen hood over a stove or fat fryer automatically turns on to remove the smoke caused by the fire.
All of the above special fire suppression systems extinguish fires in the same fashion that water from a firefighter’s hose does. You can request a special fire suppression system for your business from Safe-T Fire Protection in order to protect your assets holding irreplaceable, expensive, and valuable items from damage that a water sprinkler system could cause. Limit the worst damage that a fire ultimately causes, and invest in a special fire suppression system.
Is Your Suppression System Up to Code?
Safe-T Fire Protection is certified to install and maintain fire suppression systems for your home or business in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. There are different codes per area, and we can make sure your property meets all the fire safety codes.
If your fire suppression systems are not up to code, a fire could easily take over your home or business without any warning. If the combination of heat or smoke gets past your fire suppression system, like a sprinkler system or special fire suppression system, it would cause irreparable damage to items and your property more than any of the above combinations of chemicals or water would.
How Many Fire Suppressions Does My Home or Business Require?
The number of fire suppression systems needed in your commercial building, industrial business, office, or home is something Safe-T Fire Protection can provide. We know all the safety codes and regulations, and we can advise you on the proper number of fire suppression systems. During our initial consultation or inspection, we will advise you on how many fire suppression systems you need.
