Jim Mickowski, an engineer with PSJ Engineering, has more than 25 years of experience in the design and installation of fire suppression systems. His experience ranges from working on stadiums, museums and office buildings to high-security, high-risk areas in correctional facilities and nuclear facilities where there is “no access allowed.”
Inmates will abuse any building component within reach. So how do you design a system to detect and protect while keeping it safe, too?
Many of us can relate to the logic that there’s no sense reinventing the wheel: Why start fire and life safety design from scratch when there are already so many tried-and-true procedures and examples from which to borrow?
Environments with high airflow or excessive temperatures, such as freezer or cold-storage warehouses, require robust and flexible fire protection solutions. These extreme environments present unique fire detection and suppression challenges that do not follow standard fire and life safety design. For example, while extremely cold, these warehouses can have such dry atmospheres that fire can spread faster than normal. As a result, each scenario needs to be evaluated to provide the necessary protection. Because there is no one-size-fits-all fire and life safety solution, familiarity with all technologies associated with fire detection, notification and suppression are important for designing a dependable and suitable system.
Dan Ubelhor is the corporate engineering manager for Koorsen Fire & Security, headquartered in Indianapolis.
He oversees design and engineering of fire protection for Koorsen, which has been in business since 1943. Dan implements design policies for the company and consults with branches around the country on their fire protection design and engineering projects.
The Science Museum of Minnesota installed FAAST Fire Alarm Aspiration Sensing Technology® for maximum protection in its hazardous fluids and equipment storage area.
To protect information assets, a fire protection strategy must incorporate specific emergency identification and suppression alongside detection.
Different applications call for different fire and life safety technologies. See how System Sensor detection products cover the bases.
Packer Engineering tests demonstrate that the System Sensor FAAST® and the Xtralis™ VESDA® aspirating smoke detection systems perform similarly, yet FAAST fares better in dust test conditions. Aspirating smoke detection systems (ASDs) promise very early detection for critical application requirements, yet not all systems are created equal. Third-party testing done by Packer Engineering and sponsored [...]
One type of fire and life safety system does not fit all, and System Sensor is proud to have a wide range of high-quality options.