A fire can start when you least expect it. Fire suppression systems are essential elements of protecting your business against fires and resulting fire damage.
A fire can start when you least expect it. Fire suppression systems are essential elements of protecting your business against fires and resulting fire damage. But how do the systems themselves affect the people who might be nearby when they activate? Here is a closer look at the effects of fire suppression systems.
Water-Based Sprinklers
Depending on the size and type of the fire you need to extinguish, a water-based sprinkler system can be your best friend. The water itself won’t pose a risk to any of your employees or guests, especially if you depend on water mist fire extinguishers. However, water can actually make some kinds of fires worse. The resulting fire damage can keep your business closed longer, which is a situation you should do your best to avoid. Water can also do significant damage to the electronics and other items inside your building, which is the main reason why clean agent fire suppression systems were invented.
Clean Agent Suppression Systems
Clean agent suppression systems depend on different types of gas to extinguish fires. Three types of gases used to suffocate a fire include inergen, nitrogen, and argonite. These gases have one major advantage over water – they’ll target the fire directly. The gas used in these systems will also leave other items inside the affected rooms intact. But the best thing about these systems is that they are completely harmless to the human occupants of your building.
Chemical fire suppression systems also exist. These chemicals swallow up the heat given off by the fire and unlike traditional fire extinguishers, will not leave any residue behind to clean up. These systems tend to be less expensive than the gas-based fire suppression systems and are, again, harmless to people.
Carbon dioxide based fire suppression systems are best used and deployed in industrial settings once human operators have been evacuated. The reason for this is because unlike the other gas-based fire suppression systems, carbon dioxide can be harmful to humans.
Choosing the Right One
Ultimately, choosing the type of fire protection and fire suppression depends on what it is your business does. In addition you need to consider other factors along the way, such as if the systems you use could accidentally harm a human operator. Keeping your business open is also important – you don’t want to risk additional downtime because you didn’t select and install the fire suppression system that is the best one for your company. Luckily, if you have any questions, Fireline can answer them for you.
Fire Prevention and Protection Services from Fireline
Whether you need smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, or an automatic sprinkler system installed at your rental property, Fireline has you covered. We have been protecting people and properties from fire damage since 1947—and our experience shows in our excellent work! We are known for our wonderful customer service, our expertise, and our reliability. For more information on how we can help your residential or commercial property, visit us online or give us a call at (800) 553-3405. We are located in Baltimore, MD, with a second office in Leesburg, VA. For more fire safety tips, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.