Fire emergencies start when you least expect them. By installing easy-to-use and effective fire suppression systems in your commercial facility, you can protect your business and keep your customers and employees safe.
However, if you’re wondering how these fire suppression solutions affect the people around when they are activated, then today’s blog post may be of interest to you.
There are three types of gases that clean agent suppressions systems use. These gases include aragonite, nitrogen, and inergen, and they have a significant benefit over using water. These gases will target the fire promptly.
Additionally, using gas in the suppression systems instead of water will leave the other valuables in the room unaffected and intact. The main advantage to these systems is their total harmlessness to people occupying your commercial facility.
Fire suppression systems that use chemicals are also available to use. The chemicals consume the heat emanated by the fire. The traditional fire extinguishers tend to leave residue behind that needs a cleanup. With chemical fire suppression systems, there are no remnants. Additionally, these systems are not hazardous and are more affordable than the ones that use gas.
The systems that use carbon dioxide are ideal in industrial spaces when there are no more people in the facilities. Carbon dioxide can have harmful effects on humans; thus, we shouldn’t be anywhere near a carbon-dioxide based system when it’s activated.
The success of water-based sprinklers will depend on the type and size of the fire that needs to be extinguished. Water coming out of sprinklers don’t pose a threat to any of your employees or guests especially if you’re using water mist extinguishers.
With that said, water can make fires grow bigger – and the fire damage that ensues may force you to keep your business closed longer – which is something that should be avoided.
Additionally, while using water as a fire suppressant doesn’t have any harmful effects on our health, it can do significant damage to documents, electronics, and other items. This is the reason why clean agent fire suppression systems were created.
There are many fire protection companies and systems out there for you to choose from. Thus, picking one may get confusing. We’ve listed some helpful tips below on how to select the best suppression solutions for your business.
If you can, opt for an automatic fire suppression system. If a fire breaks out and no one is in your building, then no one will be there to initiate a manually-operated system.
Also, you have to make sure that the system you have installed is self-sufficient. This means that it won’t require an outside power source. An efficient suppression solution will still work in the event of a power failure.
Research what the safety certification and consulting agencies are in your area and make sure that the system you are using comply with their requirements.
Acquire a system that will work well with fire suppressing agents that are commercially available. You definitely wouldn’t want to be stuck with a system that needs some particular component that can only be ordered somewhere far away from you.
Only work with a fire protection provider that has a good reputation and has been in the field for a long time. Keep in mind that the best fire suppression systems won’t work right if they are not installed correctly. Thus, have yours done by a certified professional.
In the end, deciding on what type of suppression solution to use will be dictated by what kind of business you have.
Furthermore, you need to think about other factors such as what the health effects are on human operators.
Ensuring that your business remains open is another critical consideration. You don’t want to be in the position where you have more downtime because you didn’t install the fire suppression system that is most suitable for your business.
If you have any questions about how these fire suppression systems work, it’s best to turn to your local specialist. They have the knowledge and expertise to guide you in choosing the best product for your facilities.