Sprinklers/watermist
extinguishes fires by physical cooling and chemical inhibition of the flame. However, the potential impact of HFCs on
global warming has raised further questions across the fire suppression industry. In fact, European legislation on fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases) in 2014 outlined mandates to cut the use of HFCs to 79% below average 2009-2012 levels by 2030. As such, increasing numbers of plant managers are looking to retrofit HFC systems with more compliant, sustainable solutions. The gap created as fewer HFC systems come onto the market is being filled by inert gas technologies, alternative synthetic agents such as 3M Novec 1230 and watermist fire suppression, depending on the application.
Smart solutions
Already a key trend in the built environment, the use of ‘smart’ technology, looks set to change the fire suppression industry too. Manufacturers are continuing to develop cutting edge equipment that integrates into platforms, as part of a wider solution to enable smart building monitoring through digital devices. By monitoring a suppression system through cloud based connectivity, operators could monitor any fire protection activity remotely – a particularly important consideration for high risk areas where physical access may be difficult. As such, smart systems are predicted to gain popularity in the coming years. As well as the benefits of remote monitoring, these systems also make it possible for individual components that are critical to the successful activation of a suppression system to run self diagnosis checks and report any failures found. In this way, they can be quickly identified and replaced. This can help improve efficiency in fire
suppression equipment, helping to address issues at the earliest opportunity rather than only when an engineer spots them on their bi annual service visits.
Path to safety
Over the past decade, we have seen plenty of innovation in the fire suppression sector, but it has been relatively slow compared to the wider built environment industry. As demands from insurers continue to increase and legislation changes, further progress needs to be made to ensure increased reliability and efficacy. By anticipating the needs of the market and the potential challenges that users will face,
FOCUS
manufacturers can help ensure that the sector evolves with the industry. However, it is important that fire protection
systems are seen as part of a wider holistic solution that includes detection as well as suppression. Awareness of current legislation and potential future issues is crucial. Three decades ago the emphasis on safety was far less than it is today, when it is unacceptable for businesses to be ignorant of the potential environmental and health implications of their systems or of any local regulations. Business owners worldwide are more conscious than ever of their responsibility to provide safe and effective systems now as well as in the future by developing new technology
Henrik Johansson, Steve Sims and Arjan ten Broeke are business development managers at Johnson Controls, Arjan’s remit being for water based products in Benelux and the UK. For more information, view page 5
www.frmjournal.com MARCH 2019 29
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