A Degree of Approval for Nobel Fire Systems

Nobel Fire Systems has installed an Argon-Nitrogen Inert Gas (IG-55) fire suppression clean agent system to protect five different communications and I.T. rooms at Lancaster University.  The work was commissioned by the Fire & Security Division of the Smith Group, a leading services engineering company on behalf of the University.
The Nobel system was sized to meet the requirements of five server rooms across the university campus, with diverter valves and distribution pipework and nozzles immediately protecting four of the server rooms that are currently in use. A diverter valve and pipework has been installed to a fifth server room for extension in the future.
While the focus of fire suppression is usually one of quickly limiting the amount of damage a fire can cause, sometimes that’s just not enough. Critical facilities such as server rooms require an even higher level of fire protection.
Traditional water based agents are electrically conductive and can cause current flow resulting in damage to sensitive electrical equipment such as computers. An responsible establishment like Lancaster University cannot afford the potential problems associated with  clean up, drying out equipment and any resultant loss of service capability as practically the whole of the campus depends on the continuous smooth, efficient running of the system.
After taking into consideration the potential effect on the environment, the specific type of fire risk, all physical constraints, building structure and location, together with practicality issues and economic considerations, Nobel Fire Systems designed and installed a gaseous fire suppression systems that covers all risks within the main server room.
Ben Parker, Nobel’s Commercial Director commented, “Nobel provides the design, installation and servicing of all gaseous systems with the risk to be protected dictating the choices available. In this particular case, working with the Smith Group we were very conscious that they wanted a professional partner who would work with the company, understand the specific needs, and then design and install a fire protection system that met all requirements. We were able to prove that the Nobel system met all the criteria and also remained very competitive on price. An important issue in these challenging economic times”.
“We’re really pleased to have worked with both the Smith Group and the University on this project and that they had the confidence to choose our products for this critically important protection of the five server rooms. We carry out a lot of work in both private and public sectors and have installations in many universities and places of education throughout the UK. None of us can afford to be complacent when it comes to fire risk and safety issues because as we well know, complacency can have devastating consequences.”