Fire detectors provide essential data protection
Apollo intelligent fire detectors have been installed to protect a new datacentre in Amsterdam operated by Equinix, a global supplier of data co-location, interconnection, support and monitoring services. Hi-Safe Systems, Apollo’s representative in the Netherlands, won the contract to supply and install the comprehensive fire protection and suppression system.
Equinix offers data support and core internet infrastructure to more than 300 networks and 2,000 customers worldwide. Some of the world’s leading companies are among its customers, including Google, IBM, PayPal and YouTube. The new datacentre in Amsterdam will not only house the multi-million pounds worth of equipment necessary to support this level of data transfer, but will also provide office space for up to 50 Equinix staff, plus some of its customers. Ensuring that its premises are protected from any risk of fire is therefore critical.
To meet these requirements, Hi-Safe supplied an intelligent fire detection system that includes around 400 Apollo XP95 smoke and flame detectors and 160 inert extinguishing cylinders with distribution valves. In addition to a central control panel, each of the 10 data suites has its own extinguishing panel. If any two fire detectors in a given location raise an alarm, the central control panel signals the appropriate extinguishing panel to trigger warnings and discharge inert gas.
A special requirement of the project was to ensure that the fire detectors located in the office areas do not detract from the décor. As the datacentre has very modern offices with black ceilings and sophisticated lighting, white detectors would have looked very out of place. Apollo was able to supply its devices with specially coloured black casings to match the office interiors.
Hans den Boer, Managing Director, Hi-Safe Systems comments: "We have worked closely with Apollo since the 1980s and have a very good understanding of its product range. The XP95 intelligent fire detectors met all the criteria for this project because they offer proven reliability in the field and have a unique addressing mechanism that enables the seat of any fire to be pinpointed. In addition, we were able to go the extra mile for the customer and offer colour co-ordinated devices so that the aesthetics of the building were not compromised."
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