Do Different Fire Suppression Systems Have Different Requirements?

To answer the question in the title of today’s blog article, yes, different fire suppression systems have different requirements. They have different requirements for installation and for testing. What they have in common is that they all try to extinguish fire or at least keep it from spreading and prevent loss of life.

There are many different types of fire suppression systems that are used in different types of potential fire environments. The type that most of us are familiar with is a water sprinkler system in a high-rise building. There are, however, lots of other types, and a complete treatment of this subject is beyond the scope of this short blog article.

Types of Fire Suppression Systems

• Water Pipe (Sprinkler)
• Dry Pipe (Sprinkler)
• Foam
• Gas
• Wet Chemical
• Dry Chemical
• “Clean Agent”
• Condensed Aerosol

What is useful to understand, here, is that water is not effective against some types of fires, and, in fact, the addition of water can make some fire environments worse. Also, in places where there is cold weather, water sprinkler systems have pipes filled with gas instead of water (dry pipe) because of the risk of pipes freezing and bursting in the winter if they were always filled with water. In those systems, the gas has to be released from the pipe first before water will flow.

In environments where water may be ineffective against fire, such in an oil refinery, chemicals or foam is used to extinguish fire. So, what type of fire suppression system is needed depends on what type of fire could break out and what type of building or buildings is/are involved.

These systems are all different and all have different testing requirements. These systems all have different costs associated with them, too. Fire experts such as us (Radius Fire) are typically hired to help companies decide which suppression system is needed for a given application.

Your employees and customers depend on your fire protection systems and plans. This is why most businesses hire professionals to design them. If you need help with your Vancouver fire protection system or plan for your business, then call us at (604) 232-3473.

Radius Fire is Vancouver’s largest and best-known fire protection, fire safety, and security monitoring company serving all areas from Whistler to Hope, BC. If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about fire safety, please call us at (604) 232-3473 or use the convenient form on our contact page.