Fire Suppression System

A fire suppression system is designed to extinguish, contain and prevent fires. The system can be easily managed, ensuring that fire ignition or re-ignition is prevented, helping to preserve and protect your environment.

Our fire suppression systems can be installed in a range of building types. There are many variables that need to be taken into account before choosing the right system for your property. Finding one depends upon factors such as: the nature of the risk to be protected, the location of the risk, the space available for the storage of fire suppression cylinders, as well as consideration of environmental and of course the financial cost.

At Total Safe UK we can accommodate and assist you with your needs to ensure safe, efficient, fire prevention

A Fire suppression system uses one of four agents. Each agent has its own unique fire fighting capabilities: INERT Gas Fire Suppression systems; Synthetic Fire Suppression Systems; Water based fire suppression systems; Foam fire suppression systems

Contact us today to find out more about our fire safety services for your building or to arrange a full fire risk assessment for your property.

What is a Foam Fire Suppression System?
The “foam” element in foam fire suppression systems is an extinguishing agent that can extinguish flammable or combustible liquid by cooling and separating the ignition source from the surface. The foam acts as a suppressor that smothers fires and vapours alike, as well as preventing reignition.

How do Foam Suppression Systems Work?
Foam suppression systems extinguish fires by separating the fuel from the oxygen. In layman’s term, it both cools and coats fires that prevent it from using oxygen as its fuel, thus reducing its combustion ability.

What are the common uses/applications for foam systems?
Foam Fire suppression systems are usually used in large areas where there are a lot of flammable or combustible liquids. Here are some common areas:

• Aircraft hangars
• Warehouses
• Marine applications
• Processing areas
• Flammable liquid storage
• Jet engine testing facilities

Foam suppression systems can cover larger areas, filling a huge warehouse, for example, in mere seconds. These systems are ideal if you need an extinguishing agent to dump and expand to cover a huge area fast.

What is a Water Suppression System?
Water has always been used as the most common substance to extinguish a fire. A Water-based suppression system is an inexpensive fire prevention system that uses the readily available medium of water to discharge onto the flames through a normally fixed piping system.
There are 4 main types of Water-based Protection Systems, each type is determined by what is most suitable for your business’s need:

• Wet Pipe System
• Dry Pipe System
• Preaction System
• Deluge System

Each water-based system has its own unique applicable use, that depends on the type of structure that needs to be protected, the contents of the building, as well as the probability of the severity of the fire.

What Are the Common Uses/Applications for Water Suppression Systems?
Because Water-based suppression systems have many system types, they are installed across many industries with their own separate needs. For example, a business that wants to limit water damage to important areas might want to need a dry pipe system. Whereas, restaurants might prefer a wet pipe system.

What is a Gas Suppression Systems?
Gaseous suppression systems generally consist of a detection and activation system linked to a pre-determined storing of gas. When a fire has been detected the release of the gas is initiated. Gaseous fire suppression systems as a whole will protect the area most at risk where the gaseous agent is released to suppress the fire.

How do Gas Suppression Systems Work?
Gas suppression systems extinguish fires by removing the oxygen content—an element fires use to grow—below 15%. The system is activated by a smoke detection system that detects the early presence of smoke.

What Are the Common Uses/Applications for Inert Gas Systems?
Inert gas suppression systems tend to be commonly used in businesses that harbour a lot of data. Here are some of the industries where you’ll find typical applications: Data Vaults; Network Server Rooms; Telecommunications Switch Rooms; Air Traffic Control Centres; Control Rooms; Power Plants; Cell Sites; Museum/Archive Store Rooms.

Using this type of fire suppression system will not only protect your appliances, but it removes the risk of any damage to equipment, data, and property that could be caused by water or chemical agent fire suppression systems.

Are Gas Suppression Systems Dangerous to Humans?
Inert gases are colourless and odourless, which means it is safe for people, the environment and causes no damage to property or data. Inert Gas Fire Suppression Systems work by removing enough Oxygen in the room to extinguish the fire, but leave enough for us to be able to survive in.

The air we breathe contains approximately 21% of Oxygen. Humans are able to survive with a minimum of 12% Oxygen. Whereas a fire cannot sustain its combustion under 15%.

What is a Synthetic Suppression System?
Synthetic fire suppression systems are quite similar to Inert gas suppression systems, but differ in how they achieve their respective goals. Inert gas systems use their natural properties to remove oxygen to stop fires from growing, whereas, synthetic systems use suppressant chemicals/gas to remove the heat element from the reaction.

How do Synthetic Suppression Systems Work?
Synthetic gases are stored as a liquid, with nitrogen used to pressurise it. When a fire is detected, the system releases its properties which chemically reacts with the fire and extinguishes it.

What Are the Common Uses/Applications for Synthetic Fire Suppression Systems?
Synthetic gas systems are used to suppress areas that are critically at risk. These areas are commonly found in a variety of industries, from computer centres to gas turbine enclosures, power stations and data storage sites:

• Electrical Data Processing Areas
• Data rooms/halls
• Switch rooms
• UPS rooms
• Communications rooms
• Substations
• Archive rooms/stores

Some small cabinet protection applications (with no leakage)
Again, similar to Inert gases, synthetic gas systems tend to protect areas that harbour a lot of data.