S 1.48 Fire alarm system

Initiation responsibility: Management

Implementation responsibility: Architect

In addition to special fire protection arrangements tailored to the IT area, alarm plans and plans to guide the fire department in a fire, the installation of a fire alarm system is extremely important.

As more than 90% of all fire damage in computer centres is caused by fires in the environment, it is recommended integrating these areas into the ambit of monitoring by the fire alarm system. Pulse and trend detectors (which operate according to the scattered light principle) should be used.

It must be possible to identify which annunciator has been set off. This identification of the fire alarm is especially useful when it comes to pinpointing the source and spread of the fire.

A recommended minimum configuration for a fire alarm system in the infrastructure consists of

• sensors in the inlet and outlet ducts for the air conditioning system

• sensors in the fresh air intake, with automatic blocking of fresh air when abnormalities are detected.

All alarms produced by the fire alarm system and also fault messages should if possible be sent to an office that is continuously manned e.g. the porter's lodge.

If possible there should be a direct line through to the professional fire service.

Example

During a meeting attended by the management of a computer centre one of those present, who spent a short time in an adjacent room, happened to notice a major fire getting under way in a nearby chemical plant. His noticing the fire enabled the manager of the computer centre arrange for the fresh air inlet to be disconnected. Only a few minutes later the sooty fumes would have been carried into the computer rooms by the intake, which did not have any chemical detection system.

All the components of a fire alarm system must be checked regularly to ensure they are working properly. Even when the fire alarm system is maintained and operated by a maintenance firm, there should be two employees who have an understanding of the elementary basic functions of the system (as a minimum they should be familiar with all the operating states and status messages) and act as contact persons for the maintenance company.

Some of the detectors should be sporadically tested manually to ensure that the alarm is forwarded properly.

Additional controls:

• When was the fire alarm system last checked to ensure that it is working properly?