This article covers the requirements for the protection of information technology equipment, facilities, and critical areas from damage from a fire or its associated effects i.e. Smoke, corrosion, heat, and water. The course content used in this module is based on NFPA 75 – Standard for the Protection of Electronic Computer/Data Processing Equipment, NFPA 76 – Standard for the Protection of Telecommunication Facility, and NFPA 2001 – Standard on clean agent fire suppression system. These standards pertain specifically to the protection of IT equipment, IT equipment areas, and telecom facilities. The rest of the facility will be designed to the applicable codes and standards for hazards other than fire and life safety
Nigeria joins the rest of the world in increasingly becoming dependent on the Internet, currently, more than 45% of the world population are connected to the internet, and this number is growing across the globe. In Nigeria, the number of Internet users has grown from less than a million in 2003 to over 80 million in 2016. The growth in Internet utilization grows increasingly relevant to our daily lives, and this extrapolates to all sectors of the nation’s economy. The Internet has not only revolutionized the modern approach to governance but also transformed the way essential services are provided. As private and public organizations continuously migrate their operations and services online, modern industrial facilities and production systems are becoming increasingly connected to computer networks for their control and security. Facilities that provide IT, data, and telecommunication services are classified as Mission critical facilities.
Mission-critical facilities, such as data and telecommunications centers, must maintain operations without interruption. Fire in these facilities can threaten business and human life. The key to defending against a catastrophe is a sophisticated fire protection system that integrates seamlessly with the entire environment. There are many ways of detecting and suppressing fires, but only a few should be used for mission-critical applications. For example, the main goal of the fire protection system in a data center is to get the fire under control without disrupting the flow of business or threatening occupants. That is why it is advisable to protect most facilities with clean agent fire suppression systems, due to the critical nature of the equipment that they contain.
Due to the critical nature of the IT sector in Nigeria NFPAWA decided to focus its EFRM 01 module on the fire protection benchmarks for these Mission Critical facilities as indicated in this standard. On attending NFPAWA EFRM 01 training Participants will learn the various benchmark and mitigative measures for fire protection in such facility, The use of early and Very early detection systems as opposed to the normal fire alarm system, the right fire protection mechanism that will best suit such facility and other fire prevention methods.
The purpose of NFPA 75 is to set forth the minimum requirements for the protection of IT equipment and IT equipment areas from damage by fire or its associated effects, namely smoke corrosion, heat, and water. Chapter 4 of the standard addresses Risk Consideration. It states in section 4.1 that “the following factors shall be considered in determination of the need for protecting the environment, equipment, function, programming, records, and supplies: (1) Life safety aspects of the function (e.g., process controls, air traffic controls), (2) Fire threat of the installation to occupants or exposed property, (3) Economic loss from the loss of function or loss of records, (4) Economic loss from the value of the equipment, (5) Regulatory impact, and (6) Reputation impact.” The following chapters address building construction, materials, and equipment permitted in the IT equipment area, the construction of IT equipment, fire protection and detection equipment, records kept or stored in IT equipment rooms, utilities, and finally, emergency and recovery procedures.
NFPA 76 provides the requirements for fire protection of telecom facilities where telecom services such as telephone (landline, wireless) transmission, data transmission, voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) transmission, and video transmission are rendered to the public. Telecom facilities include signal-processing equipment areas, cable entrance facility areas, power areas, main distribution frame areas, standby engine areas used to run standby power, technical support areas, administrative areas, and building services and support areas occupied by a telecom service provider. The purpose of the standard is to provide a reasonable level of fire protection in telecom facilities, to provide a reasonable level of life safety for the occupants, and to protect equipment and service continuity. NFPA 76 is intended to avoid requirements that could involve unnecessary complications for or interference with the normal use, occupancy, and operations of telecom facilities and equipment.
Fire protection programs for telecommunications facilities shall be determined based on an evaluation of the risks and hazards associated with the site and services provided by the facility and the business continuity planning and disaster restoration capabilities of the telecommunications service provider specific to the site.
“If you think of how many of our work and personal records, everyday use files and information are accessible online through centralized data repositories, you can quickly see the importance of NFPA 75” (J. Hart NFPA). Likewise, information sent via telephone, Internet, and similar transmission methods bring to bear the need to keep the routes that information travels up and running, which is the main goal of NFPA 76.
A small sampling of what is protected by NFPA 75 and NFPA 76 includes data storage/retrieval systems, ranging from criminal and medical records, financial records and transactions, insurance and legal records, and registration databases. Data processing systems are protected, including background checks, prescription compatibility, weather modeling, and defense systems, among other critical information. Data communications that are protected include wired-line, wireless (GSM, Wi-Fi, etc.), satellite, radio, Internet, cable, and air traffic control.
To understand more about the best fit for purpose design and installation for the protection of mission-critical facilities kindly register for the EFRM 01 training coming up in MAY 2017.
