Gas Suppression Systems (FM-200 & CO2)

For environments where water would cause as much damage as the fire itself — server rooms, data centres, bank vaults, electrical switchgear rooms, control rooms, museum archives, and telecommunications facilities — gas suppression systems extinguish fire within seconds without leaving any residue or damaging sensitive equipment. A clean-agent or CO2 suppression system installed by Lance Security ensures that a fire in your most critical and irreplaceable assets is controlled in the time it takes for a sprinkler head to begin thinking about activating — protecting not just the hardware, but the data and the business continuity that depends on it.

FM-200 (HFC-227ea) Clean Agent Systems

FM-200 (heptafluoropropane, HFC-227ea) is the most widely specified clean agent for IT and electronics environments in Kenya. It is a colourless, odourless gas stored as a liquid in cylinders at high pressure. When activated, FM-200 discharges through a network of nozzles within 10 seconds, filling the protected room to a concentration of approximately 7–8% by volume — a level that extinguishes fire without being hazardous to occupants (the International Fire Code and NFPA 2001 recognise FM-200 as safe for occupied spaces at design concentration).

How FM-200 Extinguishes Fire

FM-200 extinguishes fire primarily by absorbing heat energy from the combustion process — a physical mechanism — with a secondary chemical mechanism that interrupts the flame chain reaction. The result is ultra-fast extinguishment without oxygen depletion, which means people can breathe normally in a discharged space (though evacuation before and during discharge is always the correct procedure).

FM-200 Advantages

• Zero residue — No powder, foam, or water to clean up. Equipment can often resume operation within hours of a discharge and clean-up.
• Occupied space approved — Safe at design concentrations for human exposure.
• Fast acting — Full design concentration achieved within 10 seconds, well before a fire can cause significant damage to electronics.
• Globally proven — The most widely installed clean agent for data centres and server rooms worldwide.
• Environmentally acceptable — No ozone-depleting potential; global warming potential is manageable for critical protection applications.

Novec 1230 (FK-5-1-12)

Novec 1230 is a newer-generation clean agent that offers the same zero-residue extinguishment as FM-200 with a significantly lower global warming potential — making it the preferred choice for organisations with environmental sustainability commitments. It is stored as a liquid at low pressure and achieves extinguishment at lower concentrations than FM-200. Novec 1230 is specified by many international bank and data centre operators as the clean agent of choice.

CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) Suppression

CO2 suppresses fire by displacing oxygen in the protected space to a level below that which can sustain combustion (typically below 15% oxygen concentration). CO2 is highly effective, leaves no residue, and is relatively low cost per unit volume — making it economical for larger protected volumes. However, the extinguishing concentration of CO2 (typically 34–60% by volume depending on the hazard) is immediately dangerous to life. CO2 systems are therefore only used in spaces that are either normally unoccupied or equipped with mandatory pre-discharge alarm, time-delay evacuation, and physical lockout procedures that prevent entry into a discharged space.

CO2 Applications in Kenya

• Generator rooms and diesel storage areas
• Printing presses and paper storage vaults
• Paint spray booths
• Marine engine rooms
• Industrial switchgear rooms that are never occupied during normal operation

Room Integrity Testing

A gas suppression system is only as effective as the room it protects. If the protected enclosure has excessive leakage — gaps around cable penetrations, poorly sealed doors, HVAC openings — the agent will escape before it achieves extinguishing concentration. All gas suppression installations must be preceded and followed by a door fan test (room integrity test) to verify that the enclosure will retain agent at the design concentration for the required hold time (minimum 10 minutes). Lance Security conducts room integrity testing in accordance with ISO 14520 and NFPA 2001, and we coordinate with building services contractors to seal any penetrations identified as excessive leakage paths.

System Design & Installation

Our design process follows ISO 14520 (clean agents) and NFPA 12 (CO2). We calculate the protected volume, determine the required agent quantity, select cylinder size and count, design the pipe and nozzle layout to achieve uniform distribution, and specify the detection system interface (typically addressable fire alarm detectors on a dual-knock arrangement — two detectors must activate before the system discharges, to prevent inadvertent release). Pre-discharge alarms and time delays are provided as standard.

Do not leave your server room, data centre, or critical electrical infrastructure protected only by a portable CO2 extinguisher. Request a gas suppression design consultation from Lance Security and get engineered protection that will respond in seconds if fire strikes.