Warehouse, or pallet, racking is shelving that is designed to store materials or products on pallets. It is used in most modern warehouses, manufacturing facilities, retail centres, and other distribution facilities.
Although there are many varieties of warehouse racking, all types allow for pallets to be stored in horizontal rows across multiple levels. Forklift trucks are usually necessary to place loaded pallets onto the racks for storage.
What are the Fire Risks and Challenges Associated with Warehouse Racking?
There are a number of fire risks and challenges associated with warehouse racking, including:
- Combustible materials such as wooden pallets and dust can easily ignite and allow a fire to spread quickly.
- Faulty, or ill maintained machinery such as forklifts or conveyor belts can easily overheat or create a spark that could easily start a fire.
- Moving equipment such as forklift trucks could also damage fire alarm cabling if proper care and attention is not taken.
The increased risk of fire in warehouse facilities means that suitable fire detection must be employed to ensure the safety of personnel and visitors, prevent damage to materials and structures as well as maintaining smooth operation of the facility, with as little downtime as possible.
What are the Challenges?
There are a number of challenges to overcome when designing a suitable fire detection system to detect a fire within warehouse racking. Large voluminous areas mean that traditional type detection may be ineffective and that detection time can be delayed.
As well as this, with vast amounts of racking and multi-level shelving it can be difficult to accurately pinpoint the location of a fire, further delaying response times.
What is the Solution?
FyreLine Linear heat detection provides the perfect solution for protecting warehouse racking from fire. FyreLine heat sensing cable can detect heat at any point along its length and can be installed along the shelving of warehouse racking, providing reliable heat detection at the source. Fyreline Linear heat detection can also provide an accurate location of fire, or excess heat.
Eurofyre’s linear heat detection system is available in two versions:
FyreLine Digital
FyreLine Digital offers fixed heat detection that triggers an alarm once its rated temperature is reached. It is available with heat ratings of 68°C, 88°C, 105°C or 185°C.
FyreLine Analogue
FyreLine Analogue is capable of detecting significant increases in temperature. This allows the installer configure both pre-alarm and full alarm temperatures, allowing the end user to investigate a rise in temperature before a full alarm is triggered.
Protective Coating
There are a number of different coatings available for FyreLine linear heat detection cable, making it safe for use in a number of different environments. For example, nylon coating can be used in areas where the cable may be exposed to high levels of UV or when hazardous hydrocarbons are present, and a high temperature coating can be used for areas that have continuously high temperature.
When used for protecting warehouse racking from fires, linear heat detection cable benefits from a stainless steel braiding. This helps to prevent the cable from being accidentally cut or damaged by forklift trucks, mobile steps or other moving machinery.
For more information about the FyreLine Linear Heat Detection System, or to discuss any of the other products that Eurofyre have to offer, please feel free to get in touch either by phone on +44 (0) 1329 835 024, by email to sales@eurofyre.co.uk or via the online enquiry form situated on our contact page.
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