Decades ago, before computers became mainstream, an organization was often most worried about protecting physical inventory and mountains of documents that were housed in various areas. But the dynamics that drive growth have changed. With the digital age, data centers have become a primary asset. These information technology hubs are incredibly important to the livelihood of a business \u2013 they often house critical data and customer information that could cause catastrophic harm to a company if lost or damaged.<\/p>\n
According to FEMA<\/a>, 40% of businesses do not reopen after a disaster and 25% fail within one year. If you\u2019re looking to go against this trend and protect your organization and sensitive digital information from a major fire, it\u2019s critical that your organization is practicing proper fire safety procedures to safeguard IT resources.<\/p>\n NFPA 75<\/a>, the Standard for the Fire Protection of Information Technology Equipment, lays out the minimum requirements to protect data centers and computer systems from fire. There are two main factors to consider when selecting fire extinguishers for IT equipment:<\/p>\n This table\u2019s minimum requirements apply to occupancies classified as \u201clight hazard;\u201d in the case of \u201cmoderate hazard\u201d occupancies, the requirement increases to at least one extinguisher for every 3,000 square feet.<\/p>\n To determine Class A protection, it\u2019s critical to do a walk-through of the facility to determine the number of fire extinguishers needed based on the 75 feet travel distance rule within NFPA 10. This rule states that the walking distance from any point to a fire extinguisher must not exceed 75 feet. This travel distance rule must be used in conjunction with the table listed above. If there\u2019s any difference, the higher number of fire extinguishers must be used.<\/p>\n In addition to the rules that govern how many and where fire extinguishers are to be placed, signs are also required that identify the type of fire the extinguisher is capable of containing. These signs must be located directly adjacent to each extinguisher.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also critical that designated personnel are well-versed in the compliance requirements related to fire safety in IT environments. This level of training must outline the benefits and drawbacks of the different types of fire extinguishers, and how and where to use them.<\/p>\n For more information on fire safety as it relates to IT equipment, or for a free consultation on your organization\u2019s safety preparedness, don\u2019t hesitate to reach out to LifeSafety Management today at (800) 330-1158 or through our contact form<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Protect your company\u2019s IT infrastructure with proper fire safety procedures and equipment Decades ago, before computers became mainstream, an organization was often most worried about protecting physical inventory and mountains of documents that were housed in various areas. But the dynamics that drive growth have changed. With the digital age, data centers have become a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifesafetymanagement.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How to protect computer equipment from fire<\/h3>\n
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Minimum quantity of fire extinguishers necessary for Class A hazards in data centers and computer areas<\/h3>\n
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\n Square footage<\/strong><\/td>\n 2-A Rated Fire Extinguishers<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 20,000<\/td>\n 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 40,000<\/td>\n 7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 60,000<\/td>\n 10<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 80,000<\/td>\n 14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 100,000<\/td>\n 17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Importance of the travel distance rule in NFPA 10<\/h3>\n
Signs are also critical to identify the type of fire extinguisher<\/h3>\n
Training is critical to maintaining compliance and preparedness<\/h3>\n