The Best Server Room Fire Suppression Systems

The server room is the heart of any organization's IT infrastructure and contains critical hardware, software and data that keep the business running smoothly.

Fire incidents in server rooms can cause irreparable damage to the IT infrastructure and lead to costly downtime. Selecting the best fire suppression system for a server room is of critical importance. Let’s explore the various options available and discuss the factors that should be considered when selecting the best server room fire suppression system.

Server Rooms and Their Importance to 21st-Century Communications

The server room is a highly secure and controlled environment designed to house the organization's critical IT infrastructure. Even with the emergence of cloud computing, server rooms remain essential for businesses and organizations to store and manage data, run applications and services, and host websites or other online tools.

Most server rooms contain:

Servers
Storage devices
Routers
Switches
Other networking equipment

These components are arranged in racks that are carefully positioned to ensure efficient airflow and cooling. The server room also contains backup power supplies, environmental controls and fire suppression systems to ensure that the equipment is protected and maintained in optimal conditions.

Additionally, most server rooms are monitored through surveillance cameras and sensors to detect any potential security breaches or environmental issues that may affect the IT infrastructure.

Clearly the server room is an integral component of every business's operations and must be designed, constructed and maintained to provide maximum protection.

Server Rooms Are at High Risk for Fire Damage

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It is important to consider fire safety in server rooms for several reasons:

They contain a large number of electronic components that generate significant heat during operation that can cause electrical fires, especially if the equipment is not maintained or if there are component malfunctions.
The high concentration of electrical power in server rooms increases the risk of electrical fires caused by overloaded circuits, faulty wiring or other electrical issues.
Finally, server rooms are often located in central areas of buildings, which can make them vulnerable to fire spreading from other parts of the building.

Smoke and Fire Curtains Are Part of a Total Approach to Fire and Smoke Control

Compartmentalizing a server room with smoke and fire curtains is a smart strategy to reduce damage from smoke and flames in the event of a fire. They divide the room into smaller sections that can be treated by sprinkler systems or gaseous systems such as the Halon System.

Gaseous Fire Suppression Systems

Halon is a liquefied, compressed gas that has been proven to halt the spread of flames by disrupting combustion. Unlike other agents, it leaves no residue and is considered safe for human contact. Moreover, this potent fire suppressant can guard against:

Class A fires (common combustibles)
Class B fires (flammable liquids)
Class C fires (electrical fires)

Halon is an incredibly efficient fire suppressant, even in small amounts. The Halon Alternative Research Corporation states that three components must be present simultaneously to initiate a fire: fuel (anything combustible), air (ordinary oxygen) and some form of an ignition source (high temperatures can cause combustion irrespective of open flames or sparks).

To put out a fire, it is traditionally necessary to take away one aspect of the triangle: ignition, oxygen or fuel. Halon extinguishes fires by stopping the chain reaction between these factors. It does this by chemically reacting with each part so that they can no longer interact together.

Smoke and Fire Curtains Work With These Systems

Smoke and fire curtains are designed to automatically deploy in response to a fire in order to create a barrier that prevents the spread of smoke and flames between different sections of the server room and into the rest of the facility. This can limit the damage caused by smoke and flames and prevent the loss of critical IT equipment, data and other assets. Smoke and fire curtains not only help keep smoke and flames contained, but they also allow the fire suppressant to stay in that region longer, which results in a quicker extinguishing of the blaze.

Vertical smoke and fire curtains like the M2100 can be particularly effective in larger server rooms or data centers, where traditional compartmentalization with walls and doors may not be practical or sufficient. These curtains are mounted in the ceiling where they are out of the way and can deploy automatically or manually from a central station.

If elevators open into the server room, Smoke Guard offers state-of-the-art protection with high-quality elevator containment solutions. These types of curtains allow for the safe passage of personnel while inhibiting the transfer of smoke to other areas of the building.

Smoke Guard's Smoke Curtains Are an Integral Part of a Complete Fire Suppression System

At Smoke Guard, we provide fire and smoke-rated curtains in both standard sizes and custom builds to enhance the safety of high-rise structures. Our solutions work well with other fire mitigation systems and they can also be deployed from Fire Service Control Stations (FSCS) for additional assistance during evacuation efforts.