Gaseous fire suppression systems

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The health and safety of people should always be the first concern for fire protection measures, but for many businesses it’s also important to have defences for equipment critical to their business operation.

The damage caused by a fire to specialist machinery or servers containing valuable data goes far beyond financial losses. Many businesses never entirely recover, losing orders, contracts and key employees during the interruption, and may even go out of business altogether.

Fires in computer and server rooms are typically caused by power problems in raceways, raised floors and other concealed areas.

While a detection system will identify the presence of fire, a properly designed gaseous fire suppression system can help reduce and could prevent losses altogether.

Key actions to take when considering and installing a gaseous fire suppression system

  • Tell your insurance broker you’re considering installing a gaseous fire suppression system before any installation work takes place and submit the outline specification to your insurer for review and approval.
  • Use a competent contractor who is independently approved under the LPS 1204 or BAFE SP203-3 scheme. This will make sure the design and installation of the system is in line with applicable standards.

    - Make sure your contractor does a risk assessment identifying the asset protection, business continuity and safety objectives of the system. There must also be suitable hazard analysis (analysing the potential impact to the building, people and equipment should the system activate) to work out which suppression agent to use.
  • Have a standalone fire detection system working with the gas suppression system, installed to an appropriate standard (e.g. BS 7273-1) by a company with suitable 3rd party accreditation, such as LPS 1014; the detection system will need to be linked to the main fire alarm panel for life safety protection.
  • Ensure the area being protected is only used to house equipment and not filled with combustible materials that would overstretch the system.
  • Put suitable ventilation systems in place to prevent over-pressurisation of the area, which could cause structural failure and stop the system from controlling the fire.
  • Consult the system installer if you’re thinking of changing the layout of the room – a redesign of the gaseous fire suppression system may be required.
  • Consider measures to enable remote monitoring of the gaseous fire suppression system when the building will be empty, like a CCTV system linked to a remote alarm receiving centre and/or a permanently manned location on site (e.g. the security control room).
  • Organise a service and maintenance contract for the system, considering the applicable standards, relevant guidance and recommendations from the contractor who installed it.

Templates for maintaining fire protection measures

Fire risk
assessment

Equipment

Health and safety

Emergency procedures

Additional resources

Getting the standard right

Your fire safety measures must meet the requirements of UK and regional legislation.
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Frequently asked questions

Find answers to some common queries about preventing and controlling fires and related issues.
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Related topics

Gaseous fire suppression systems can be of use for various risk topics, or it may need to be carefully considered alongside others.
Arson
Data management
Emergency procedures
Electrical installations
Fire detection and alarms
Fire risk assessment
Hazardous substances
Lightning and power surges
Passive fire protection
Process related fire and explosion hazards
Sprinkler systems
Storage of flammables and explosives

Useful links for gaseous fire suppression systems

You can get more guidance on gaseous fire suppression systems from these sources:
BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment)
BAFE - LPS 1204 Fixed Extinguishing Systems (Scheme No. SP202)
BAFE - Fixed Gaseous Fire Suppression Systems (Scheme No. SP203-3)
BSI (British Standards Institution)
BSI - BS EN 15004-1 – Fixed firefighting systems. Gas extinguishing systems. Design, installation and maintenance
BSI - BS 7273-1 – Code of practice for the operation of fire protection measures. Electrical actuation of gaseous total flooding extinguishing systems
FIA (Fire Industry Association)
FIA - BS 7273 Standards: Operation of fire protection measures
FPA (Fire Protection Association)
HSE (Health and Safety Executive)
ISO (International Organization for Standardization)
LPCB RedBook Live
LPCB RedBook Live - [PDF] LPS 1204: Requirements for firms engaged in the design, installation, commissioning and servicing of gas extinguishing systems
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