Fire protection in Server Room

[radioraiders]

I was in a police station last week (invited on buisness, not in dragged in bracelets ), and noticed fire sprinklers above their server/communication racks. I really, really hope the sprinklers weren't active ...anyway, it got me wondering, what is the norm for fire protection in server rooms? I guess just a CO2 fire extinguisher near-by?

[Barry]

Originally Posted by radioraiders

I was in a police station last week (invited on buisness, not in dragged in bracelets ), and noticed fire sprinklers above their server/communication racks. I really, really hope the sprinklers weren't active ...anyway, it got me wondering, what is the norm for fire protection in server rooms? I guess just a CO2 fire extinguisher near-by?

Ours is water. Our office in Mass has an inert gas system. I'm not sure what they use any more as halon is a greenhouse gas and banned.

[Snayler]

Originally Posted by radioraiders

I was in a police station last week (invited on buisness, not in dragged in bracelets ), and noticed fire sprinklers above their server/communication racks. I really, really hope the sprinklers weren't active ...anyway, it got me wondering, what is the norm for fire protection in server rooms? I guess just a CO2 fire extinguisher near-by?

Well, it's a known fact that water and electronics won't go well with each other. Unless the sprinklers are CO2 sprinklers, which i don't know if that exists, you should talk to someone on the police station on that matter, just to be sure, because if a fire sets the sprinklers on and there is someone in or nearby the server room, they could be in a really dangerous situation.

[streaker69]

I actually just found the same thing in my server room here. I had actually never noticed the sprinkler head up there before. We're having someone come in and cap it off.

You can still buy Halon systems, but I believe it's a different form than what was banned. I have a halon extinguisher in my office right now that was is to be used in case of a fire in the server room.

If you do talk to them and they resolve it, do not go with any kind of dry chemical system in there either. Dry chemical extinguishers are very hard on computers. CO2 or halon is really the best way to go.

[archangel.amael]

Originally Posted by streaker69

You can still buy Halon systems, but I believe it's a different form than what was banned. I have a halon extinguisher in my office right now that was is to be used in case of a fire in the server room.

You may be thinking of Halotron I or II those are the replacements of Halon itself and many people use the same name for all.

If you do talk to them and they resolve it, do not go with any kind of dry chemical system in there either. Dry chemical extinguishers are very hard on computers. CO2 or halon is really the best way to go.

A good type of suppressant for use in computer rooms and around computer equipment itself would be FE36 Cleanguard or FM200, now if you want the Good stuff and money is not an object go with the FM200 it's "mil-spec" and like crack-cocaine in the fire-suppressant world, basically it's the fastest acting and well can help mitigate damage due to fires and the subsequent suppression thereof.

[radioraiders]

Originally Posted by Barry

Ours is water.

Originally Posted by streaker69

I actually just found the same thing in my server room here. I had actually never noticed the sprinkler head up there before. .

So water sprinklers in server rooms are the norm?

Originally Posted by Snayler

because if a fire sets the sprinklers on and there is someone in or nearby the server room, they could be in a really dangerous situation.

I was thinkng of the equipment, it didn't cross my mind that I could be in danger....shows my dedication I guess ...gotta ask for a raise

[streaker69]

Originally Posted by radioraiders

So water sprinklers in server rooms are the norm?

No, not really. My "server" room is a converted utility closet, since the stupid architects decided that we needed a glass atrium instead of an actual server room. Damn glass atrium now throws off the HVAC system because of all the extra sunlight entering the building. They never considered that sets of 20' high windows facing south would be a bad thing for the HVAC system.

I was thinkng of the equipment, it didn't cross my mind that I could be in danger....shows my dedication I guess ...gotta ask for a raise

I had worked for a defense contractor many years ago when Halon was still legal. In their mainframe room they had signs that basically said that if the firealarm sounds you have 30 seconds to leave the room before the firedoor goes down and halon is dropped. If you're in there at 31 seconds, you're dead.

[=TAPE=]

That same goes for CO2 as well, allbeit not as immediately toxic as Halon was.
Regrettably have had a few incidents in CO2 cylinder holding rooms..

The firealarm is one thing.. the alarm that sounds when halon / co2 release unit is triggered (usually a solanoid trigger on the casing) thats the one that gets the heart pumping

[floyd]

Originally Posted by streaker69

I actually just found the same thing in my server room here. I had actually never noticed the sprinkler head up there before. We're having someone come in and cap it off.

Backup first, you can imagine the horrible mess if the cap off goes wrong

Originally Posted by Snayler

CO2 sprinklers, which i don't know if that exists

Wouldn't that kill everybody who is in the room?

[Bestia]

Hi

Sprinkler system may have been a dry pipe sprinkler system as seen in lots of data centres

eg

Fire Suppression
Dry pipe pre-action system that will not pressurize until two (2) monitors are triggered. The fire suppression system is a pre-action, dry pipe which would discharge water only from the appropriate locations if the heat in the data center increases enough to trigger a fire sprinkler head. The discharge of a sprinkler would signal the emergency power off switch which would simultaneously turn off the electrical power to the entire data center room.