User Manual

Siemens Switzerland Ltd 5
Building Technologies Division
1. Introduction
Safe data centers are the indispensable backbone of today’s highly engineered society. They are processing an
ever-increasing quantity of videos, voice and data throughout a global network of several billion devices.
Applications such as social media, cloud computing, online banking and e-healthcare solutions impact our life
every day. In today's world, no one can afford not to be connected.
Failure of the internal data center or of the vital data center which serves the general public, poses a significant
problem within a short time. Employees who are not able to carry out their work and unhappy customers, who
cannot get in touch with their service provider or contractor, represent merely the tip of the iceberg of our
technical vulnerability.
Therefore, the most important objective in a data center is maximum availability (99.995% per year)
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For maximum protection, a comprehensive fire safety system is needed to ensure business continuity, personal
safety and damage mitigation in case of fire. The cornerstones of such a system are a fire detection system that
guarantees earliest and most reliable fire detection in a highly ventilated area and that activates the alarming
devices, the relevant fire safety controls and appropriate response measures.
. It is thus
understood that data centers have to be designed, implemented and operated in such a way that a high level of
availability can be guaranteed, even in case of a fire. High availability can only be achieved if all relevant
influencing factors are planned, implemented and put into effect in the company in a coordinated and consistent
way.
1.1. Fire hazards in data centers
Data centers face many challenges ‒ from managing complexity to improving energy efficiency and meeting fire
safety, security and business regulatory requirements. Human failure (e.g. non-observance of fire protection
regulation) or technical reasons can lead to a fire incident. A latent risk of fire exists due to the presence of both,
constant ignition source electricity and plentiful supply of combustible materials such as plastics in printed circuit
boards. Short circuits, due to the extensive cabling, can have serious consequences.
Major fires may be rare, but even minor ones can cause significant disruption. It is all about how an individual
owner or company views their risk strategy. However, the potential impact on the business could be huge. The
potential risks, however, can be drastically reduced by taking appropriate fire protection measures.
1.1.1. Fire load
Fire risks are largely determined by the fire load of a room, an area, or a building. This term describes the latent
energy which can be released by the combustion of materials in fixtures, fittings, furniture, cabling or electronic
equipment during an outbreak of fire.
The typical fire load in data centers can be classified as “low” to “medium”. Due to the construction and technical
level of the electronic equipment and installations, older data centers usually have a larger fire load than newer
ones.
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TIER IV, TIA 942 Standard