Data Center Handbook, 2nd Edition

28FIRE PROTECTION AND LIFE SAFETY DESIGN IN DATA CENTERS

Sean S. Donohue¹, Mark Suski², and Christopher Chen³

¹ Jensen Hughes, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States of America

² Jensen Hughes, Lincolnshire, Illinois, United States of America

³ Jensen Hughes, College Park, Maryland, United States of America

28.1 FIRE PROTECTION FUNDAMENTALS

Fire is a risk every business must deal with. For data and telecommunication centers, that risk includes not only the safety of people in the building but also the continuity of operations and the value of the equipment and data. Today, these centers are the nervous system of businesses and organizations throughout the world, and the more critical the site, the less acceptable the risk of interruption or downtime. Fire protection comes in many forms, but the goals are simple:

1. Construct buildings and systems that guide people away from and protect them from harm.
2. Give the user and responders accurate information in order to make informed decisions.
3. Limit loss (life, downtime, equipment, data, or other).

This chapter will discuss life safety and active and passive fire protection and will present the choices available to the designers typically used in data centers.

28.1.1 Fire and Data Centers

Electronic equipment and data center rooms contain a variety of combustible fuel, from printed circuit boards to wiring insulation and cabinet enclosures, which increasingly contain more and more plastic. Furnishings, backboards, batteries, and ...