A warehouse is a pivotal component of the supply chain, serving as a storage facility for goods and materials awaiting distribution. Warehouses are designed to efficiently store and manage inventory, optimising space utilisation while ensuring easy accessibility to stored items. They often feature high ceilings, wide aisles and sturdy shelving or pallet racks to accommodate diverse types of merchandise.
Warehouses play a crucial role in facilitating transportation logistics by serving as distribution centres where goods are consolidated, sorted and dispatched to their final destinations via various modes of transportation including trucks, trains, ships and aeroplanes.
A warehouse can store millions of pounds worth of goods, materials, machinery and equipment. They can also welcome thousands of workers and personnel 24/7. Therefore, it is essential that suitable fire detection is in place to help prevent loss of revenue, downtime and, most importantly, injury or death.
What are the Risks?
There are a variety of fire risks associated with warehouses. Some of these risks include:
- Electrical Malfunctions
- Faulty wiring, overloaded circuits or damaged electrical equipment can lead to electrical fires. These issues may arise due to ageing infrastructure, improper installation or lack of maintenance.
- Flammable Materials
- Warehouses often store flammable liquids, such as oils, solvents or chemicals. Improper storage or handling of these materials can increase the risk of fire. Even combustible packaging materials like cardboard boxes can contribute to fire spread.
- Combustible Dust
- Certain materials stored in warehouses, like wood, metal or plastic, can generate combustible dust. If not properly controlled, the accumulation of dust in ventilation systems or on surfaces can pose a significant fire hazard.
- Hot Work Activities
- Welding, cutting, soldering and other hot work operations can generate sparks or flames that may ignite nearby combustible materials. Failure to implement proper safety measures during these activities can lead to fire incidents.
- Heating Systems
- Inadequately maintained heating systems, such as furnaces or space heaters, can malfunction and cause fires. Poor ventilation or placement of heating equipment near flammable materials can exacerbate the risk.
What are the Challenges?
There are also a number of unique challenges that become apparent when designing a fire detection solution for warehouses. These can include:
- Large Spaces
- Warehouses are typically expansive, with high ceilings and vast floor areas. Ensuring effective coverage of such large spaces with fire detection sensors can be challenging, requiring careful placement and configuration to detect fires promptly across the entire facility.
- Warehouses often contain numerous obstacles, such as racks, shelves and equipment, which can obstruct the line of sight and hinder the distribution of smoke or heat from a fire. These obstacles can create “dead zones” where traditional fire detection methods may be less effective.
- Environmental Factors
- Warehouses may experience environmental conditions such as high humidity, dust, temperature variations and airflow patterns, which can impact the performance of fire detection equipment. False alarms triggered by environmental factors can diminish the reliability of the system and lead to operational disruptions.
- Diverse Materials
- Warehouses store a wide range of materials, including flammable liquids, combustible solids and potentially hazardous chemicals. Designing a fire detection solution that can accurately differentiate between normal warehouse operations and the presence of a genuine fire amidst diverse materials is a significant challenge.
- Maintenance and Testing
- Maintenance and testing of fire detection systems must be conducted at regular intervals. Ensuring that these systems are consistently tested can be challenging, especially in large facilities.
What is the Solution?
Beam detection can provide a reliable and effective solution for protecting warehouses from fire. Beam detection uses a transmitter to shine a beam of light across the protected area to a receiver. If the beam of light is interrupted by flames or smoke particles, the system triggers an alarm.
Beam detection is less prone to false alarms caused by dust or insects and offers several advantages over other types of detectors when covering expansive areas, such as warehouses, efficiently.
Fire Beam BLUE
Fire Beam BLUE Detectors are an innovative beam detection solution that can be commissioned and controlled via a mobile application, the Fire Beam BLUE app.
The Fire Beam BlUE detection system consists of two key components, the Fire Beam Head and the Fire Beam Reflector. It works by emitting a beam of light from the Fire Beam Head across the protected area to the Fire Beam Reflector. The reflector bounces the light back to the head and, if the returning signal is obscured by fire or smoke, a fire event is registered.
The Fire Beam BLUE beam detector is easy to install using the system’s built-in auto-alignment facility to align the beam of light to the centre of the reflector. This will automatically keep alignment if there is any building movement. The whole installation and commissioning process is very quick and can be completed in a little over three minutes.
- Set-up and commissioning via mobile app
- Range of up to 140 metres
- Self-aligning
- Automatic drift compensation
- EN54-12:2015 approved
Distance
Fire Beam BLUE can operate at distances of 7m to 70m, or can be extended for distances between 70m and 160m.
The standard Fire Beam is suitable for distances of 7m to 70m using the single reflector supplied.
The mid-range extension kit enables the Fire Beam to operate at 70m to 140m.
A long-range extension kit enables the Fire Beam to operate at 70m to 140m.
The App
The Fire Beam BLUE app allows the installer to quickly and easily commission Fire Beam BLUE and align the beam. Using the app, the user can also adjust beam parameters such as time to fire and fault. The Fire Beam BLUE app also allows the user to observe the beam status and make a variety of different adjustments.
Once commissioned, the app’s home screen provides details such as the beam name, air quality and status.
Why Choose Eurofyre?
- Complete System Supplier
- Eurofyre supplies all aspects of fire detection including beam detection and its associated products and can provide expert advice and consultation.
- Demonstration and Training
- We offer demonstrations and expert training on a range of systems, including Fire Beam BLUE detection systems, in our very own sophisticated training facility.
- After-Sales Support
- Eurofyre offers both on-site and telephone support to assist you in ensuring that your system is fully functional and operating at maximum efficiency. Our after-sales care and support are second to none.
For more information about Fire Beam BLUE or to discuss any of the other products that Eurofyre has to offer, please feel free to get in touch either by phone on +44 (0) 1329 835 024, by email to [email protected] or via the online enquiry form situated on our contact page.
Don’t forget you can follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook or sign up to our newsletter (in the footer below) to receive all the latest information from Eurofyre.