In the sketch, we show the operators' bridge as sharing the fire protection installed for the machine room.

Should the control room be isolated from the facilities it is managing, then similar protection is still required for such an important facility.

The room, its voids and surrounding corridors need automatic fire detection by means of ionisation, particle and heat detectors.

Detectors located in the floor and suspended ceiling voids are attached to extended neon lamp indicators, which indicate both the status of the detector and its location. These are wall and ceiling mounted respectively.

The room will also be fitted with manual break glass units located next to each fire exit from the room.

The sketch indicates the MBGU inside the computer room. However there usually needs to be another exit from a room within a room. Should that exit lead directly to outside the premises, another MBGU will be installed next to it.

The break glass units connect to the house alarm and instruct all occupants to evacuate. These fire detection alarms do not and as such need different sounders to those connected to the house system.

The control panel for the bridge/control room is located inside the room, with mimics taken to the main premises control panel or a point designated by the fire brigade.

In the case of the bridge indicated in the perspective sketch, as there is no classified fire separation, it will be considered a zone within the computer room. It will be shown on the computer room control panel, which will be repeated in the bridge or control room.

The requirement
Where the control room contains racks of wiring and telecoms equipment, the fine wiring is vulnerable and we need a rapid notification should a fire condition begin to develop inside.

Equipment description
The solution is a system, which constantly takes samples of the air in the room and passes it through a chamber in which it is scanned by a laser.
The system is referred to as HSSD – Highly Sensitive Smoke Detection, and was developed by the Australians to detect forest fires.

The sensitivity is such that a fire condition is detected before it actually develops into full-scale combustion.

Installation
We install lengths of perforated pipework across return air paths to wall mounted air handling units and above the exhausts in the tops of any equipment racks.

The pipework is connected to fan units, which provide the aspiration and draw the sample air through a detection chamber.

Sensitivity is variable but can be so high that it can cause false alarms until it familiarises itself to the environment and learns what the norm for that space is.

Attention
Their high sensitivity means that these systems are not used alone for detection. Remote commercial monitoring stations will not accept autodial call-outs from them.

Whilst they provide immediate notification of a fire condition developing, this is of little use unless that condition can be attended to immediately.

The operators’ bridge indicated in the perspective sketch has no fire separation from the machine room it adjoins. It will therefore be protected to the same level of the machine room.

Notes on computer room automatic fire protection apply to a variety of rooms containing computer equipment and associated machinery. The same systems would be installed to protect control rooms, whether or not they were connected to the room/s they were managing.

To read these notes – see Computer Rooms.

There are a variety of hand extinguishers which complement the automatic systems previously mentioned. The fire officer will confirm requirements.

It is worth mentioning that whilst training must be carried out to ensure staff are able to find and operate these devices, it is also useful to find out whether contract staff are permitted by their employers/unions, to use them! - Pitfalls