S 1.51 Fire load reduction

Initiation responsibility: Top Management

Implementation responsibility: Planner, Head of IT, Building Services Manager

High fire loads can arise, for example, through the concentration of IT systems, incorrect selection of building materials, highly flammable office furnishings and large quantities of paper. In many cases such fire loads can be avoided quite easily.

In computer centres, just as in other buildings, consideration should already be given at the design stage as to how to reduce unnecessary fire loads. Non-flammable materials are to be preferred for the finishings (building materials class A).

To ensure safe operation from the point of view of fire protection and to avoid exceeding limits, at the planning stage a rough calculation of subsequent fire loads should already be carried out. The fire classes of the facilities and the building material classes of the materials should be considered for the purposes of this calculation. In this way any potential difficulties in gaining approval from a fire protection point of view from the construction supervisory board and fire service later on can be avoided.

During ongoing operation it must also be ensured that fire loads are reduced. Unnecessary fire loads must be removed promptly. For example, care must be taken during ongoing computer centre operations that fire loads in raised floors in the form of unnecessary cables are removed. Files that are no longer required should be removed from offices and stored in special archives provided for this purpose.

One of the most common examples of unnecessary fire loads in rooms containing IT equipment is packaging material, for example cardboard or styrofoam. Packaging material that is still needed should be removed immediately from IT rooms and transported into storage rooms provided for this purpose.

Regular disposal of waste, above all waste paper and waste packagings, represents an act of active fire protection.

Review questions:

• Are regular checks made as to whether fire loads are building up in the areas used?
• Are unnecessary fire loads removed promptly?