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We must be clear that regardless of the time a fire can occur in any type of structure, then, we will mention a couple of examples of fires occurred and how we can prevent such incidents occur within their companies or businesses.
On Saturday May 4th, 2020 a devastating fire occurred at industrial level in the warehouses of the company: Empaques Santa Ana, where piles of cardboard packaging burned in several structures of the company leaving a balance of 80% of the company disabled. As a consequence, this caused the stoppage of the production and packaging processes of the company, resulting in losses of millions of dollars in finished product, equipment and building structures.
Another example that we can mention this time talking about the Hospital sector was the one that occurred on July 12, 2005 at the Calderón Guardia Hospital (HCG), where another fire occurred on the fourth and fifth floors of the oldest part of the hospital, close to the main staircase (which was the only access way); after a thunderous explosion shook the fourth floor of the hospital. Combustion ensued and flames broke out. The fire took hold in a storeroom that stored serums and medical instruments. Smoke began to saturate hallways and rooms. There were no emergency lights or stairs, the fire alarm did not work, nor did the building’s hoses.
In summary, the fire consumed 1800 square meters and claimed the lives of 21 people, of whom 18 were hospitalized patients (16 of them died in the fire and 2 due to the evacuation of the hospital) and 3 were nurses. The building did not meet the standards set by the fire department, nor did it have a fire detection and suppression system. The losses are estimated at approximately US$20 million.
How can we avoid this type of accidents?
Through our applications for fire detection and suppression we can avoid and prevent this type of accidents, safeguarding human life as well as active equipment and high value data for your company.
If we talk about fire suppression systems, we can mention the clean agents that are gaseous extinguishing agents, not electrically conductive and evaporate when applied without leaving residues, thus being much friendlier to the environment.
Among its most important benefits we define the following:
- These systems are fast, effective, safe, clean and environmentally friendly.
- Most systems can reach extinguishing concentration levels in only 10 seconds or less.
- Clean agents are designed to suppress the fire while it is still in its initial stage, which means that it will suppress the fire before it grows and enters the heat/flame stage.
- Clean agents that are dispersed in a fire suppression system are safe to use in human populated areas, do not reduce oxygen and have a short or no atmospheric life.
We can also mention within the suppression systems the water mist system which is a fire protection system based on the dispersion of very small water particles. These particles will be the
responsible for controlling, suffocating and suppressing the fire. This suppression system is one of the simplest and most effective systems available, optimizing the use of water.
Among its most important benefits we define the following:
- Quick response with immediate activation.
- It reduces the damages produced by the use of water.
- It is a more environmentally friendly system.
- Great power of action against many types of fire.
- Reduces almost to zero the toxicity hazards presented by other systems.
The other fire protection system is the pre-action system which protects sites where accidental discharge of water must be avoided and is activated by 2 smoke sensors. Such water-sensitive sites include, for example, data centers, museums, archives and historical or cultural heritage.
When talking about Fire Detection we can mention conventional systems by means of smoke detectors or early detection systems. Both allow us to recognize dangerous events and thus be able to act in a timely manner.
Therefore, the ideal is to contemplate within your company or business a budget for the installation of such systems that will provide security to both administrative staff and the public visiting the premises, and will allow your production processes or daily work will not be affected because it can be detected in time any possible outbreak of fire, avoiding situations such as those mentioned in the previous examples.
In Edintel we have these solutions, do not hesitate to contact us and we will advise you to provide the best solution according to your needs.
