How Do Fire Suppression Systems Work?

It’s important to have fire safety equipment in your business, both for legal reasons and to keep your employees, your work and surrounding buildings and businesses from sustaining too much damage in the event of a fire.

There are multiple types of fire safety systems available to install in your business, but they’re not all the same, and each has its own benefits and specific uses. For example, do you know the difference between sprinkler systems and fire suppression systems in Longview, TX?

While both of these types of fire safety systems can activate automatically by sensing heat or smoke, they are different in how they handle a fire. Sprinkler systems spray water over the affected area, dousing the fire and everything around it to control the spread of the flames. Fire suppression systems don’t use water, but have a variety of ways to contain a fire.

Different kinds of fire suppression systems

When triggered, fire suppression systems release an external substance to extinguish a fire. This is used in situations where water would not be an effective fire extinguisher—for example, in instances of electrical or grease fires.

As mentioned above, most fire suppression systems automatically activate at the detection of excess heat or smoke. But some have a manual activation as well, so you can trigger them to activate if the automatic detection fails.

Here are a few different types of fire suppression systems used in Longview, TX:

• Carbon dioxide fire suppression: This uses carbon dioxide gas (CO2) to extinguish fires. It is not electrically conductive and easy to clean up. They are used in a variety of situations and industries, including marine applications and metalworking industries. CO2 is a colorless and odorless gas.
• Clean agent fire suppression: As the name suggests, this is a clean, environmentally-friendly fire suppression system. It uses chemical reagents to extinguish a fire with minimal cleanup needed afterward. It works by eliminating heat or oxygen (two of the three things a fire needs to survive). It does not leave a residue after application, and is significantly more environmentally friendly than other options.
• Industrial fire suppression: This uses dry chemicals to extinguish a fire. As the name suggests, it’s primarily used in industrial plants where there may be a lot of hazardous materials, liquid fuels and chemicals.
• Restaurant fire suppression. It’s likely no surprise to learn that restaurants are the type of business where a fire is more likely to occur, but the most common type of fire safety control, water, is not a good choice. That’s because grease fires, which are a common hazard in kitchens, actually spread more with the application of water. These fire suppression systems use wet chemicals in a fine mist to extinguish a fire, and are often combined with a high-power vent fan to remove the remaining smoke.

With more than 50 years of experience in fire safety, Anchor Safety Inc. is your best choice for installing a fire suppression system in Longview, TX. Call us today for all your fire safety equipment needs!

Categorised in: Fire Suppression Systems

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