What is FSSA?

The focus of fire protection has always been to limit the damage a fire can cause. Originally, the goal was to confine fire to a city block. Today's conventional water systems can confine a fire to a building, a floor and even to the point of containing a fire within a single room.

Water was, and still is, the primary tool to control structural fires. However, with today's technical sophistication, containing a fire to a single area is not always enough. Critical facilities require an even higher level of fire protection.

The Fire Suppression Systems Association (FSSA) is an organization of manufacturers, suppliers, and designer-installers, dedicated to providing a higher level of fire protection. FSSA members are specialists in protecting high value special hazard areas from fire.

A small fire, even one contained to one area or controlled by a conventional sprinkler system can cause problems in a critical operation. Most sprinkler systems activate when temperatures reach a pre-set level, often after a fire is established and equipment damage may have begun. Water based agents are electrically conductive and cause current flow which can damage sensitive equipment. Even with the power off, water discharges often cause equipment problems. Abrupt electrical shutdowns are hard on both equipment and operations; and the cleanup process, mopping up and drying out equipment, is often tedious.

The 1992 National Fire Protection Association Standard 75 on Electronic Computer/Data Processing Equipment offers the following guidance on minimizing water damage caused by the discharge of a sprinkler system:

1. Open Cabinet doors, remove side panels and covers, and pull out chassis drawers to allow water to run out of equipment.
   
2. Set up fans to move room temperature air through the equipment for general drying. Move portable equipment to dry air conditioned areas.
3. Use compressed air at no higher than 50 psi to blow out trapped water.
   
4. Use hand held dryers on lowest setting to dry connectors, backplane wirewraps, and printed circuit cards. (Caution: Keep the dryer well away from components and wires. Overheating of electrical components can cause permanent damage.)
   
5. Use cotton tipped swabs for hard to reach places. Lightly dab the surfaces to remove residual moisture. Do not use cotton tipped swabs on wirewrap terminals.
   
6. Water displacement aerosol sprays containing Freon-alcohol mixtures are effective in first step drying of critical components. Follow up with professional restoration as soon as possible.

Even with this extensive recovery process there is no guarantee the unit will ever properly function. Other specialized extinguishing agents, such as foam and dry chemical powders, extinguish most fires but may have a long lasting effect on equipment. They can even damage equipment not affected by the fire. While very effective fire fighting agents in the right applications, these agents are not normally used to protect sensitive hazards in normally occupied areas.

Fortunately there are fire protection tools that do protect highly valuable and sensitive areas; Clean Agent Fire Suppression Systems. Clean agent systems not only protect an enclosure from fire, they protect the contents as well! Including people, documents, and equipment.

Clean agent systems work on class A, B, and C fires and react quickly to extinguish a fire at its earliest stages. Using early detection and rapid extinguishment, clean agent systems eliminate the fire, reduce the damage to equipment, and increase the safety of people in the fire area.

Clean agents extinguish fires as a gas, which gives them the ability to permeate into cabinets and obstructed areas. It also makes them uniquely suited to protect the electronics hidden inside a piece of equipment, a likely place for a fire to start. By thoroughly flooding the area with a gaseous fire fighting agent, even obscured or hard to reach fires are quickly extinguished, usually long before they can be seen. After extinguishment, the agent is readily ventilated from the room along with any byproducts of the fire.

Unlike water, these fire fighting agents are non-conductive and non-corrosive, making them safe to use on and around live electrical equipment. There is no residue to cleanup, no lingering materials to slowly degrade equipment, and no need for an expensive "Disaster Recovery" process. Operations are brought back online and productive in a very short time.

Most agents are also safe to use in occupied areas. These agents have undergone extensive toxicity testing to prove they are compatible with people. While NFPA recommends always exiting the hazard in the event of a fire, it is important that people not be harmed by the extinguishing system.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in the Significant New Applications Policy (SNAP), provides toxicity guidance for the use of new clean extinguishing agents through the use of LOAEL (Lowest Observable Adverse Effect Level) and NOAEL (No Observable Adverse Effect Level) values. Occupied hazard areas can be safely protected by agents up to an agent's LOAEL concentration, provided the area can be exited in one minute. For longer exposures, agent concentration should remain below the NOAEL level.

The physical benefits of a clean extinguishing agent are many, but a greater value is what these fire-fighting agents can do for your business. In today's highly competitive global economy, any interruption or loss of service can be disastrous.

Our increased reliance on sophisticated electronics, telecommunications and other valuable equipment, requires protecting those assets as effectively as possible. Clean agent systems are the best way to keep critical operations running. Historically, fires have had a significant negative impact on business. Industry studies show that 43 percent of business closed by a significant fire never reopen, and another 29 percent fail within three years. A strong testament to the value of good, effective, fire protection.

The immediate effect is lost assets. Most people view assets in terms of tangible items: equipment, computers, supplies, and product inventory. The dollar value of these items can range into the millions. In some circumstances the value is immeasurable. Consider the effect of a fire in a museum, a one-of-a-kind piece of equipment, a library, or a record storage vault. The lost items are irreplaceable at any cost.

For these hazards, fire damage and the collateral damage that can occur with some protection methods is simply unacceptable. Saving valuables from fire makes good sense. But destruction of tangible assets is only one problem. A study by the Network Reliability Council, an organization established by the Federal Communications Commission, found advances in technology have created a higher level of risk exposure.

It is no surprise that businesses are doing more today, with much less equipment and staff. The repercussions of a fire, even a small one, have a greater impact today than the same size fire of 10, or even five, years ago.

Clean agent extinguishing systems are not new. For many years, fire protection experts have called upon Halon 1301 and Carbon Dioxide to protect essential property from fire.

Halon has been a reliable, effective, and safe fire protection tool for protecting people and valuable facilities. However, due to concern over potential ozone depletion, the manufacture of Halon has been prohibited in most countries. But the need for a clean, effective, safe, and environmentally acceptable agent remains. Fortunately there are several excellent clean agents available to continue protecting critical hazards.

FSSA members have been the key to developing, testing, and engineering clean agent suppression systems. In addition to the industrial workhorse, Carbon Dioxide, eight new clean agents have been introduced by our manufacturing members; FE-13, FE-25/ECARO-25, FM-200, FE-227, INERGEN, Novec ^TM 1230, ProInert and Argonite. These agents are often referenced by their ASHRAE designation.

Trade Name: Argonite
ASHRAE Name: IG-55
Agent Manufacturer: Several
Systems Manufacturer: Chemetron Fire Systems, Fike Corporation, Kidde-Fenwal, Inc.

Trade Name: Carbon Dioxide
ASHRAE Name: N/A
Agent Manufacturer: Several
Systems Manufacturer: Ansul Fire Protection, Chemetron Fire Systems, Fike Corporation, Kidde-Fenwal, Inc.

Trade Name: FE 13
ASHRAE Name: HFC-23
Agent Manufacturer: DuPont Company
Systems Manufacturer: Kidde-Fenwal, Inc.

Trade Name: FE-25
ASHRAE Name: HFC-125
Agent Manufacturer: DuPont Company
Systems Manufacturer: Fike Corporation

Trade Name: FE-227
ASHRAE Name: HFC-227ea
Agent Manufacturer: DuPont Company
Systems Manufacturer: Fike Corporation

Trade Name: FM-200
ASHRAE Name: HFC-227ea
Agent Manufacturer: Great Lakes Chemical Corporation
Systems Manufacturer: Cerberus-Pyrotronics, Chemetron Fire Systems, Kidde-Fenwal, Inc., Pem Systems, Inc. 

Trade Name: INERGEN
ASHRAE Name: IG-541
Agent Manufacturer: Ansul Fire Protection

Trade Name: Novec ^TM 1230 Fire Protection Fluid
ASHRAE Name:  FK-5-1-12
Agent Manufacturer: 3M ^TM
Systems Manufacturer: Ansul Fire Protection, Chemetron Fire Systems, Kidde-Fenwal, Inc., SEVO

Success Stories

Here are some instances in which special hazards fire suppression systems made, or could have made, a significant difference in the outcome of events.

Successful Suppressions
Not So Successful Suppressions

Successful Suppressions

New England Gas Company

Protected Space: Corporate computer room staffed 24 hours a day. The company needed protection that was safe for both its employees and equipment.

Suppression Event: At 10:54 p.m. a power interruption was detected. By 11:09 p.m. the suppression system had discharged, triggering a call to the fire department.

Recovery: Damage was limited to the UPS device that failed. Operation was restored within an hour.

Source: Kidde Fenwal, Inc.

New York City Hospital

Protected Space: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) unit at a New York City Hospital

Suppression Event: While in use on a patient, a circuit board caught fire inside the MRI console. Before the technicians could reach the machine to free the patient, the suppression system discharged, eliminating the hazard.

Recovery: The fire was detected and suppressed so quickly that the damage was confined to a single circuit board. The MRI unit was repaired and tested, and began operation again in less than 24 hours.

Source: Great Lakes Chemical Company

New England Distribution Center

Protected Space: A New England-based distribution center's UPS system.

Suppression Event: The UPS system began to smolder and, upon visual inspection, burst into flames. The suppression system discharged immediately, extinguishing the flames. Power the UPS unit was automatically shut down by the suppression system.

Recovery: The local fire department responded and found no fire damage to the building, only damage to the UPS unit. The system was recharged and the owner was back in business within 24 hours.

Source: Advanced Safety Systems, Inc.

Little Flower Manor

Protected Space: Power room containing high-voltage switching panels and transfer coils.

Suppression Event: A smoke detector in the power room tripped an alarm. A fire started in the 500 KVA transfer coils and spread to a 13,200-volt switch. After holding the alarm for the required time period, the suppression system flooded the room and extinguished the fire.

Recovery: The fire was suppressed within five minutes of the initial alarm. There was no damage to any other area of the facility. Little Flower Manor installed temporary electrical equipment and resumed normal operations within hours of the fire.

Source: Great Lakes Chemical Company

Carnival Cruise Ship

Protected Space: Auxiliary generator on a cruise ship.

Suppression Event: The ship's auxiliary generator caught fire around midnight and was extinguished within minutes by the suppression system.

Recovery: Power was restored within six hours and the ship was able to return to port.

Source: Associated Press

Red Cross Data Processing Facility

Protected Space: Red Cross Data Processing Facility in South Melbourne, Australia.

Suppression Event: A fire was detected in its incipient stage by smoke detectors. The clean agent suppression system discharged and extinguished the fire in seconds. If left unchecked, this fire could have spread through the facility causing catastrophic damage. The protection of the data was a major priority because it held all donor records, donor test results as well as financial and personnel records for all Victorian branches including mobile blood banks.

Recovery: The computer was undamaged and continued to operate normally with no loss of data. The suppression system was recharged and back in operation within 12 hours.

Source: Great Lakes Chemical Corporation

Not So Successful Suppressions

Here are a few examples of organizations that probably wish they had visited this site before disaster struck.

Portland Art Gallery

Protected Space: Arson in a Portland art gallery.

Result: Damage was estimated at $200,000. Damaged artwork accounted for $190,000 of that loss. Three automatic sprinklers quickly extinguished the fire, but also soaked irreplaceable works of art and antique furniture.

Source: The Oregonian

Piano Experts

Event: A sprinkler pipe burst in the studio of a Toronto-area piano builder.

Result: Many one-of-a-kind pianos were drenched and completely destroyed. Damages to the building and pianos were estimated at up to $1 million. The full amount of the damage won't be known for some time because a small amount of contact with water, or even excessive humidity, can harm a piano.

Source: Toronto Star

National Weather Service

Event: An electrical fire inside a Cray C90 supercomputer in Suitland, Md.

Result: Firefighters sprayed the buring computer with dry chemicals that corroded its insides and destroyed the $45 million computer. The nation's most advanced weather models collapsed and the center was forced to turn to two back-up computers with only 40 percent of the capacity of the Cray. At the height of hurricane season, the NWS' capabilities were severly impacted for more than two months.

Source: Washington Post

National Archives

Event: Fire at the Washington National Records Center in Suitland, Md.

Result: Sprinklers activated in a 3,000-cubic-foot area of the 3.7 million-cubic-foot facility. Damage was limited to a 300 cubic foot area which contained approximately 700,000 pages of government documents. Arhivists used hot air and blotting paper in an attempt to salvage these irreplacable documents.

Source: Washington Post

Bell Canada

Event: Electrician dropped a copper rod while working on an electrical panel in a Bell Canada office.

Result: Phone lines went dead. Service was knocked out at thousands of instant teller machines. High-speed Internet connections were reduced to a crawl. Traffic lights went out at more than 500 intersections. Even some cell phones didn't work in certain parts of the city during the five-hour system crash, which Bell officials said affected 113,000 phone lines. One travel agency owner estimated that his business lost $150,000 in sales because of the disruption. At the Toronto Stock Exchange, trading volume was down 81.3 million shares as many brokers were without phone and stock-trading services. This is not a fire-related event, but it demonstrates the impact of a critical piece of equipment going down for even a short period of time.

Source: Toronto Star

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