The
purpose of a fire suppression system is to either put out a fire or stop it
from propagating. These systems are often used together with fire alarms and
smoke or heat detectors to safeguard people and physical structures. The three
main fire suppression system categories use water, inert gases, or various
chemical agents to suppress a fire. These systems can also be automatic or
manual, depending on whether they require outside intervention to activate.
Some fire suppression systems can be hazardous to anyone in the general
vicinity, including the danger of asphyxiation associated with pumping inert
gases into an area to starve a fire of oxygen.
Water
tends to be one of the most commonly used types of fire suppression, and is
typically utilized in a sprinkler system. This type of fire suppression system
can be either wet or dry. A wet sprinkler system is constantly charged, meaning
there is always water in the pipes. This type of fire suppression system can be
automatic, and it will activate if the system senses smoke or an excessively
high temperature. Dry sprinklers are manual systems that can only be activated
after a water source is connected to a stand pipe.
Another
method of fire suppression involves filling an area with inert gas. Since fires
require oxygen to burn, this can have a smothering effect.These fire
suppression systems are commonly used in sensitive areas where water could
potentially damage items such as computer equipment or documents. Computer
server rooms are one area where inert gas, such as argon, is often used to
suppress fires.
Inert gas
can suppress a fire without damaging electronics or other equipment, but it can
also pose other health and safety hazards. In some cases, an inert gas fire
suppression system can lead to asphyxiation. Most of these systems come
equipped with alarms to warn personnel to leave the area before the gas is
released. Another potential issue with these systems is pressure, since the
sudden introduction of a previously compressed gas into a small space can
potentially blow out windows or walls.
Both
wet and dry chemicals can also be used in fire suppression systems. These
systems are typically automatic, though they can also have manual controls to
activate the release of fire suppressing chemicals. Some materials can react
poorly to the presence of water or inert gases, in which case a dry or wet
chemical fire suppression system is often the safest option. Since these
chemicals may be hazardous to human health, a delay is often built in
