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Siemens Switzerland Ltd

Building Technologies Division

Fire protection in archives and storage vaults

Protection of people and cultural assets

Archives and storage vaults, in which documents, manuscripts, books or paintings are stored, are risk areas that need to

be especially well protected. The historical and cultural value of the objects stored in such facilities can often be

considered priceless, since most of the items will be unique. This means that a tailored fire protection concept is

required. The first priority is obviously the prevention of fire occurring at all, although even when all structural

measures have been implemented and all organizational measures strictly enforced, there will always remain a small

possibility of fire. However, the high value of the contents means that the fire risk will still be high.

To limit any fire damage to the absolute minimum, it is essential that an incipient fire is detected at the earliest possible

stage and dealt with quickly and efficiently. Aspirating Smoke Detection (ASD) systems are able to detect even the

smallest aerosol concentrations and offer the ideal solution for fire detection in archives.

A quick response to the detection of a fire is also an essential requirement, which can only be met by an automated

extinguishing system. In this case we not only need to extinguish the fire and prevent any danger of re-ignition, we also

need to ensure that the extinguishing agent used will not cause any damage to the stored objects. The Sinorix H2O Gas

system fulfills all these requirements and is a perfect solution for applications in closed rooms where damage to cultural

assets is not acceptable.

Archives are generally dedicated rooms in buildings such as libraries and museums. In many cases these rooms are not

visited on a daily basis, so early detection and suppression of incipient fires in these rooms also ensures that smoke and

fire cannot spread throughout the building and become a life-threatening danger.

Summary of content (12 pages)

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Fire protection in archives and storage vaults Protection of people and cultural assets Archives and storage vaults, in which documents, manuscripts, books or paintings are stored, are risk areas that need to be especially well protected. The historical and cultural value of the objects stored in such facilities can often be considered priceless, since most of the items will be unique. This means that a tailored fire protection concept is required.
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Content Content ........................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Basic conditions .............................................................................................................................
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Introduction Archives are places where public records, manuscripts and historical documents (including film and other media) are stored. In general the stored objects are unique and consequently extremely valuable. Their purpose is to collect and catalog information and make it available for both present and future generations.
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Basic conditions Objectives Typical fire hazards Typical development of a fire · Recognition of an abnormal aerosol concentration and transmission of this information to a technician so that the situation can be evaluated and the appropriate counter measures can be taken (e.g. disconnecting an overheated air conditioning unit or closing the air intake to prevent contaminated air from entering the room).
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Solution When all technical equipment has been correctly installed and regularly maintained, and all organizational measures are being strictly enforced, then the probability of a fire occurring should be very low. However, the fire risk in an archive is still very high as the stored items are usually extremely valuable.
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Details Comments/Notes Automatic fire detectors: Aspirating Smoke Detection system ASD systems ensure early detection of incipient fires and activation of the automated extinguishing system. They also provide information on air pollution in the archive. · Connected to the fire detection panel directly via the detection line · High sensitivity: for alarming in the case of fire · Medium sensitivity: for activating the extinguishing system · Recognition of air pollution (e.g.
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Further Comments/Notes Positioning of the ASD system, extinguishing control panel and gas cylinders These elements should always be housed in a neighboring room. In cases where there is no suitable room in the immediate vicinity of the archive, however, the following positioning can be selected. · The evaluation unit of the ASD system should always be installed outside the archive (e.g. in the corridor and next to the archive door).
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Practical experience Due to the high concentration of valuable cultural assets stored in archives and storage vaults, these facilities present a number of exacting requirements relating to early detection and fire suppression. Even a fire starting in a partially enclosed area (e.g. manual mobile shelving) must be detected early.
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Aspirating Smoke Detection Early fire detection with excellent reliability and genuine alarm guarantee Aspirating Smoke Detection (ASD) systems from Siemens ensure reliable fire detection in demanding application areas, where very early fire detection is required and business continuity is paramount. Aspirating smoke detectors continually draw samples of air from the areas requiring protection and evaluate these samples for the presence of smoke.
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Everything you need for comprehensive fire protection Incorporated in a concept tailored to your customers´ requirements, Siemens and its Solution Partner network provide: · Early and reliable fire detection solutions, offering an unrivalled financially backed ‘‘Genuine Alarm Guarantee”. · Fully forwards and backwards compatible systems, to ensure any system provided is equipped to integrate the latest technology Siemens has to offer. · Clear and fast alerting and evacuation processes.
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Siemens Switzerland Ltd Building Technologies Division
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Answers for infrastructure. Our world is undergoing changes that force us to think in new ways: demographic change, urbanization, global warming, and resource shortages. Maximum efficiency has top priority – and not only where energy is concerned. In addition, we need to increase comfort for the well-being of users. Also, our need for safety and security is constantly growing. For our customers, success is defined by how well they manage these challenges. Siemens has the answers.