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Initiation responsibility: Head of Site Technical Services, Head of IT Section
Implementation responsibility: Site Technical Services
Installation of an emergency circuit-breaker is advisable in rooms where electrical devices are operated in such a way that, for instance, an increased fire hazard exists due to the heat given off by such devices, to the close proximity of multiple items of equipment or to the existence of additional fire loads. These include, for example, server rooms or plant rooms As staff are required to activate the emergency circuit-breaker, these are only worth considering in areas in which people are present all, or at least most, of the time. In areas which are only sporadically occupied, if at all, a device that will initiate an emergency shutdown following early detection of a fire is considerably more effective.
Activation of an emergency circuit-breaker will eliminate a major source of energy for any fire, and as a result, minor fires can go out. At the very least, the risk posed by electrical power will be eliminated during fire-fighting operations.
A point to be borne in mind is that local uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems automatically step in to supply power after the external power supply has been switched off, so that the connected devices will remain live. Therefore, when installing an emergency circuit-breaker, steps must be taken to ensure that the UPS is also switched off and the device is not merely separated from the external power supply.
The emergency circuit-breaker should be installed either in the room, next to the entrance door, (possibly with a note, on the outside of the door, indicating the location of the switch) or outside the room, next to the door. However, it should be borne in mind that such an emergency circuit-breaker could be activated inadvertently or intentionally, even in the absence of a threat. The emergency circuit breaker must therefore be protected with a cover against accidental activation.
Example
In the server room of a medium-sized agency, about ten servers, five laser printers and other devices were installed. The walls, windows and doors of the room were designed to protect against break-ins. There was no emergency circuit-breaker. There were only two points from which it was possible to disconnect this room from the power supply: the building main distribution frame in the basement and the distributing frame of the room. However, the latter was located on the wall opposite the entrance door and thus would have been virtually inaccessible in case of fire.
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by Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik |
last update: July 2001 |