Fire Protection: Only You Can Prevent Server Room Fires

Information Management Online, January 12, 2010

Info-Tech Research Group

Fire protection is a critical and obligatory part of server room design and planning. Because a fire can happen at anytime, IT must be prepared to protect the server room with the necessary equipment for the following reasons:

Life Safety. The primary concern when assessing server room fire protection requirements is to protect the lives of server room and surrounding personnel. Failure to do so can end in tragedy, and can also result in legal action.

Protection of Property. Servers and other equipment located in the server room are extremely expensive to replace. A fire protection plan should safeguard all equipment from excessive loss or damage. Many business insurance policies have fire protection requirements built into them. In order to pay for the replacement cost of damaged equipment, these requirements must be followed in order to receive any benefits from insurance in the case of a fire. Not only can equipment be lost, but invaluable data and information located on server can also be compromised.

Continuity of Operations. A minor server room fire may not cause long-term interruption to daily business activities, however, the fire suppression system must be able to extinguish a fire before it spreads and affects the continued operation of the enterprise infrastructure. The cost of downtime in critical business activities can cost the company thousands of dollars and interrupt employee productivity.

Codes and Standards. IT managers must comply with the state, local, federal, and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes and standards, specifically, the NFPA 72 (National Fire Alarm Code), NFPA 75 (Standard for Protection of Computer and Data Processing Equipment), and NFPA 76 (Standard for the Fire Protection of Telecommunications Facilities). However, it is ultimately the authority having jurisdiction that will dictate the majority of fire protection requirements. Under the NFPA 75, the server room at a minimum must have a sprinkler system, fire detection and alarm, portable fire extinguishers and Emergency Power Off. Any other form of fire protection, such as a clean agent suppression system, is classified as an add-on.

What It Is & How It Works

Fire Detection Systems, Alarms, and Emergency Power Off

Fire detection systems and alarms identify the early presence of a fire through heat and smoke sensors. Info-Tech recommends installing a combination of both smoke and heat detection systems for optimal results.

Smoke detection systems are the most effective detection device for the server room because they can detect fire at the incipient stage. There are two types of smoke detection systems for the server room:

• Ionizing and photo electric spot systems use laser beams to intelligently detect and locate the source of smoke in the server room. These systems should be programmed to both sound the alarm and activate the suppression system when smoke is detected.
• Aspirating systems take in samples of the air through piping installed throughout the server room. The air is sent to a detection unit where it is sampled for irregularities such as smoke. These systems are highly sensitive and should only be programmed to sound off an alarm; they should not be programmed activate any suppression system, such as water or clean agent, when irregularities have been detected.

Heat detection systems identify abnormal sources of heat in the server room. They are only required in some jurisdictions; however, it is best practice to install heat detectors along with smoke detectors in the server room.

Alarm systems are used to communicate the presence of a fire to personnel and authorities. They should contain both signaling and notification characteristics as well as a control system.

• Signaling and notification devices should be both audible (bells or sirens), and visible (flashing lights). Signaling devices alert personnel that a fire has been detected. Notification devices alert the authorities that a fire has been detected. The most common signaling device is the pull station. 
• Control systems are a more intelligent system that can be preprogrammed with requirements such as time delays, thresholds and passwords. They can also be programmed to activate the suppression system under predetermined rules and alert authorities of a fire.

Emergency Power Off (EPO) will automatically shut down all equipment in the server room when fire suppression is activated. Typically it is also installed with a manual EPO station, which when activated disconnects power to the room. This button should be protected and labeled so that it is not accidentally pressed, as the costs of shutting down all equipment are high.

Sprinkler Systems

Sprinkler systems are mandatory in the server room under NFPA 75. There are two types of sprinkler systems to consider: wet and pre-action sprinkler systems.

Wet sprinkler systems are located throughout the server room and can be activated by the control systems or heat sensors in the nozzle. They hold a supply of water in the pipeline and spray (or mist) to suffocate the fire. When the bulb in the nozzle reaches a certain temperature, the sprinkler system will activate. Wet sprinkler systems are not recommended for the server room as the risk of accidental discharge is high. This can be extremely detrimental in the server room as water can severely damage electrical equipment.

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