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The federal government has established the Fire Protection Industry Board to manage the use of scheduled extinguishing agents (ozone depleting substances and synthetic greenhouse gases) in the building industry and to implement the Fire Protection Industry Scheme. Board member Brett Staines outlines requirements under AS 1851.

Commercial and industrial premises have many types of fire protection systems and equipment. These are for the most part, provided to meet the mandatory life safety measures required by law.

In relation to fire equipment and systems, Australian Standards (AS) specify installation procedures and the correct location of fire extinguishers, among other things, and state that all fire equipment and systems including gaseous fire suppression systems are to be regularly tested, serviced and maintained. AS 1851 Routine service of fire protection systems and equipment sets out these requirements.

The objective of AS 1851 is to maximise the reliability of fire protection systems and equipment and to meet the requirements of the relevant design, installation and commissioning standards.

Due to the large number of Acts and Regulations regarding fire safety requirements that may apply, it would be advisable to check with local authorities.

Owners also often install additional systems voluntarily, or at their insurer’s insistence, to further reduce risk to property. Gaseous fire suppression systems typically fall into this non-mandatory category.

Gaseous fire suppression systems are installed widely throughout the building industry sector to protect facilities such as: computer rooms and data centres; switch rooms and motor control centres, process equipment, other business critical assets and systems. These systems are typically installed so as to: protect high value assets; guarantee business continuity, safeguard people and processes.

Gaseous fire suppression systems are extinguishing agent storage cylinders coupled to a network of discharge pipework and nozzles that deliver the extinguishing agent to the room to be protected. They are typically installed with dedicated fire detection and control systems which provide an automatic discharge if a fire starts.

The extinguishing agents used in these systems are also sometimes referred to as clean agents because they don’t leave any residue after discharge. This makes them particularly suited to protect delicate equipment, documents or artefacts.

There are two broad groups of gaseous extinguishing agents:

Inert gases - are naturally occurring gases such as nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide or combinations of these. They extinguish fires by reducing the available oxygen to a level below that which a fire needs to burn (typically less than 15%).

Synthetic gases – are man-made manufactured gases and they extinguish fires by reducing heat and using chemicals to interfere with the fire chain reaction.

Both types of gaseous extinguishing agents have their own advantages and disadvantages. This means that choosing the most suitable fire extinguishing agent for a specific application will depend on a range of factors including their impact on the environment.

One environmental consideration which building owners and those responsible for maintaining gaseous suppression systems should take into account when making a decision is whether the extinguishing agent used in their system are scheduled under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989 (the Ozone Act) and the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Regulations 1995 (the Regulations).

Scheduled extinguishing agents are those listed in the Ozone Act and include those synthetic gases that deplete stratospheric ozone, ozone depleting substances (ODS) agents that contribute to global warming and synthetic greenhouse gasses (SGG).

All individuals / companies in the building industry that handle any ozone depleting substances or synthetic greenhouse gases must hold the appropriate licence and/or authorisation. These are issued by the Fire Protection Industry (ODS & SGG) Board.

If your facility has a gaseous fire suppression system which contains scheduled extinguishing agents you are encouraged to download a copy of the Good Practice Guide and the fact sheet from www.fpaa.com.au/ozone

About the Author

Brett Staines holds an Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering and has been actively involved in the fire protection industry in a variety of roles for over 20 years.

For the last 14 years, he has been employed by Chubb Fire Safety and is currently the company's technical development manager.

Staines has been actively involved in FPA Australia's and Standards Australia's technical committees since 1995, and has been a member of the Fire Protection Industry (ODS & SGG) Board since 2005.