5 Key Questions About School Fire Suppression

As a Headteacher, Governor or other School Leader, the safety of your students is paramount.

You do not want schools to just be places where students learn, but also places where they are safe.

Unfortunately, schools can pose huge fire risks and therefore school fire suppression systems can be required to keep all staff and students safe in case of an emergency.

At Cannon Fire, we don’t only use our years of industry expertise to guarantee a job well done, but we also aim to educate potential customers on the world of fire suppression, potential fire risks in their premises, and how we can help keep them safe.

To find out more about the role of school fire suppression, and how to keep your site fire safe, read below.

1. What is School Fire Suppression?

Suppression systems are a vitally important method for keeping businesses and properties safe in the event of a fire.

Whilst everybody hopes that they will never have a fire in their premises, accidents and other incidents can happen. It is impossible to eliminate all chance of fire, so it is therefore important that you are fully prepared. If a fire does break out, a fire suppression system will act quickly on the fire, stopping the spread and reducing the damage caused.

2. What School Fire Suppression Systems Are Available?

Cannon Fire can design, install and maintain a range of fire suppression systems to cater for different areas of your school premises including the following:

• Automatic Fire Sprinklers can be fitted across your entire school site, to ensure effective protection no matter where the fire starts.
• Ansul R-102 is the leading kitchen suppression system in the world and can seamlessly fit into any large-scale kitchen.
• Direct Low Pressure Systems protect small electrical enclosures and are often used in any server rooms. In this technical age, more and more schools are reliant on servers to safely store their data. Direct Low Pressure Systems effectively reduce the damage and disruption, should a fire break out.

3. Why Do I Need a School Fire Suppression System?

• An obvious reason for needing a school fire suppression system is that they are proven to be extremely effective at protecting property and people in the event of a fire. According to the London Fire Brigade, “across all premises types, sprinklers are 99% effective.”
• Another factor is recovery. According to BAFSA, schools that suffer from a fire, but have a sprinkler system installed, are “often back in action the same day”, whereas it can take up to two years to rebuild a school. Similarly, such is the level of effective suppression from an Ansul system, that kitchens who have one installed, and experience a fire, can be back in operation in just a few hours.
• Finally, Insurance is another factor which will dictate your need for a school fire suppression system. Most insurers will demand that buildings have the relevant fire safety measures before issuing them with cover.

4. Who is Responsible for Overseeing School Fire Suppression?

As dictated by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the duty of overseeing fire safety in a building, or place of work, falls to the building owner, or anyone in charge of the organisation in some capacity.

In a school environment the Responsible Person would likely be the Headteacher or Governor.

5. Are Fire Extinguishers Acceptable School Fire Suppression?

You should ensure that you have the correct fire suppression to suit the particular fire risks of your school building.

Fire Risk Assessments are important tools in understanding the risks you face, and the best way to address them.

Fire Extinguishers are effective at tackling small fires immediately, but they do have their limitations. Fire can spread quickly, and get out of control. If this happens, it is important to evacuate staff and pupils quickly. In this situation, having staff trying to tackle large flames with a fire extinguisher would be putting staff at huge risk.

Professional fire suppression systems are expertly designed and installed to tackle fires quickly and effectively, allowing staff and students to safely evacuate.

Whilst Fire Extinguishers may have a role to play in keeping your school fire safe, a fire suppression system is the best way to protect your property, people and peace of mind.

How Can Cannon Fire Help Your School?

As industry leaders in fire protection, Cannon Fire are well placed to provide a turnkey school fire suppression solution

All companies within the Cannon Fire brand have all relevant industry certification, and place compliance and safe practice at the heart of everything they do.

We are fire safety experts, and we will work with you to ensure that your school fire suppression solution meets your budget, and the individual characteristics and demands of your school building.

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Our two head offices are based in Birmingham and Ollerton with fully qualified, experienced engineers spread throughout the UK allowing Cannon Fire to operate nationwide. 

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