A fire Suppression System is not an extinguisher, though it may extinguish some fires. Its primary
function is in the name: suppression. It’s a requirement for us to have a fire risk measurement in
place and have adequate resolutions to potential fires, as we see a high tonnage of waste in and out
of site. For some businesses/establishments, it’s a requirement by either the insurance or fire station
to have a procedure in place, for us it’s the Environment Agency. Here’s a rundown of what it is and
how it works.
On site, we have a 90,000L water storage tank and pumping station, this is connected to our control
room. Our suppression system has 3 water cannons and 3 thermal imaging cameras constantly
seeking out abnormal heats in our stock piles of waste.
So how does it work? When the ever-watching cameras pick up abnormality in temperature or a
spike of any sort, they’ll locate the area using coordinates. Naturally, we understand that
temperatures fluctuate all the time, especially with vehicles passing through and machines operating
in the vicinity. This is why we have one specific pathway for trucks and lorries to drive through, the
cameras are programmed to ‘ignore’ these increase heats within the plant corridors around site.
Once an area is picked up to be 50% above ambient temperature, the camera will check the area. It
will then rotate to check the entire shed, as standard procedure, and check that one area for a
second time. If the temperature hasn’t decreased, or if it has increased, the camera will do one more
round of checks. After the third round, if the temperature is above 250 degrees, the water cannon
will be set off. It will locate the area using those coordinates and point to the hot spot, spraying
water in that area to avoid a fire. If it’s the case of a fire, it will be suppressed before the fire brigade
can get here and extinguish it.