LWF PROFESSIONAL BULLETIN

Fire protection of electronic equipment installations

BS 6266: 2002 Code of Practice for fire protection for electronic equipment installations was published by the Standards
Policy and Strategy Committee on 20 December 2002. Its long preparation had been directed by the Health and Environment
Policy and Strategy Committee. Previous editions, such as BS 6266: 1992: Code of Practice for the fire protection for data
processing installations, had centred on fire protection of centralised data processing installations and computer rooms the
nerve centres of many industrial and commercial operations.
The earlier versions of this standard provided clear
guidance on the fire protection of central mainframe
computers and/or data communication centres. Replacing
such high-value equipment used to be problematic, and
often lead to significant business interruption if essential
systems were taken out of service for long periods. In
recent times, however, the speed of technological
advances have seen the introduction of networked
systems. Modern equipment and standards have allowed
essential communications equipment to be replaced at a
lower cost and with much less business downtime.
Although
centralised
computer
rooms
and
communications centres still exist, the scope of the new
standard has been broadened to include all electronic
equipment, from the most basic to the most complex, and
not just traditional data processing installations. The
numerous references in the 1992 standard relating to the
use of Halon fixed suppression systems (prohibited since
31 December 2002 under EU Regulation, except for
certain critical applications) meant that it needed urgent
revision. The latest standard also takes account of the
new and improved forms of automatic fire detection
systems now available.
BS 6266: 2002 also strongly emphasises the need to
undertake a risk assessment this is seen as an essential
step before specifying any electronic equipment
installation. The risk assessment should also take account
of the building, environment and the design of any
proposed fire protection systems.
Due to the standardised fashion in which modern is
designed and manufactured one could argue that its fire
risk is inherently low, so a major fire in an electronic
installation should be a rare occurrence. But electronic
equipment is usually susceptible to both thermal and
non-thermal damage (e.g. smoke, corrosive fumes,
liquids) and so other ignition sources in the area must
also be considered, as well as the risk of fire spread from
adjacent areas where the quality of passive separation is
not what it could be. Other risks might include:

Air handling equipment

Hot works/maintenance

Deliberate ignition

Smoking

Poor housekeeping

Fires from adjacent areas or buildings

Any supporting electrical equipment and

installations (power supplies, control equipment and
switchgear).

Once carried out, all risk assessments must be

continually updated because changes and modifications
to existing equipment are commonplace and new risks,
as detailed in the above list, might have appeared. The
type of electronic equipment, together with any other
additional fire risks, will all have some bearing on the
choice of fire protection systems, including any
associated risks from outside the confines of the
electronic installation.
One of the most important factors to consider during the
risk assessment process is the impact of both the direct
and indirect (consequential) costs and losses that may be
borne by an organisation if a fire damages essential
electronic equipment. The resulting damage can vary
considerably from business to business, especially if the
organisation depends on continued and unaffected
operation of an electronic installation. One option is to
duplicate a data processing operation at a separate offsite
facility. This means that any fire affecting equipment at
either location would not cause major business
interruption and losses through lost or irretrievable
information or essential databases, but merely restrict the
losses to the cost of replacement equipment.
The standard also provides more comprehensive advice
on business contingency planning that may allow fewer
fire protection systems, with a considerable saving (i.e.
the provision of an automatic fire detection system with
portable fire extinguishers as opposed to an automatic
fire detection system and an automatic fixed fire
suppression installation such as CO2, FM 200 or
Inergen). So all interested parties should consider the
potential for business interruption separately from
material damage. The potential for business interruption
can vary over time as the level of dependence on
electronic equipment changes or the organisations
contingency plans are modified. Periodically reviewing
the standard of fire protection is therefore essential.

When assessing the vulnerability of electronic equipment

installations to loss or damage from fire, the following
factors should be taken into account:i

Based on this list, the new code categorises electronic

equipment in order of criticality. These are:
A

- Slight

- Low

Equipment redundancy

- Moderate

Replacement availability

- High

Specific environmental operational requirements

- Critical

Business continuity plans.

Tolerance to system downtime

These categories can be used to determine the type and

level of fire prevention and protection as appropriate.
The typical features of the individual categories are detailed in the new code as follows:

Category A - Slightii
a)

Modern small office environment

b)

Personal computers not networked

c)

Equipment is standard and easily replaceable

d)

Operations can be transferable to another location without great difficulty

e)

Critical files can be backed up periodically, for example floppy/zip disks or CDR

f)

Potential for business interruption is slight

Examples of category A electronic equipment installations are: typically small electronic office; CAD office; small business
telephone PABX (Private Automatic Branch Exchange).

Category B Lowiii
a)

Modern commercial / industrial environment

b)

Personal computers networked

c)

Equipment is standard and easily replaceable

d)

Operations can be transferable to another location with some difficulty

e)

Files cab be backed up periodically on central server

f)

Loss can affect a number of PCs or central storage facility

g)

Potential for business interruption is low

Examples of category B electronic equipment installations are: typical/small medium businesses critical files can be backed up
periodically on central server; commercial departments; central CAD/CAM operation; operator area of Call Centre.

Category C - Moderateiv
a)

Dedicated equipment room

b)

Centralised server/computer facility

c)

Equipment is standard but not immediately replaceable

d)

Operations can be transferable to another location with some difficulty

e)

Files can be backed up periodically on central server

f)

Loss affects short term business operations

Examples of category C electronic equipment installations are: dedicated support systems for Category B operation; Call Centre
communication facilities, where alternative Call Centre operations exist.

MS39 Fire protection of electronic equipment installations

Category D Highv
a)

Dedicated equipment room(s)

b)

Centralised server/computer facility

c)

Equipment can be non-standard and not replaceable in the short term

d)

Operations not easily transferable without robust contingency plans

e)

Files cab be backed up periodically on central server

f)

Loss affects medium-term business operations

Examples of category D electronic equipment installations are: Main IT facility; major telecommunication facility; production
control computers.

Category E Criticalvi
a)

Dedicated premises

b)

Centralised server/computer facilities

c)

Equipment is high value or purpose built and not replaceable

d)

Operations are not easily transferable without extensive and regularly tested contingency plans

e)

Data is backed up on a continual basis on a central server(s) and/or remotely

f)

No or negligible downtime tolerable

Examples of category E electronic equipment installations are: financial dealing computer operations; internet hosting centres; air
traffic control facilities; nuclear and chemical plant control facilities.

For each of the risk categories listed above Annex B of BS: 6266 provides typical features of fire detection systems and fire
suppressions systems. They are:vii
Risk
Cat
A
B
C

Fire Detection System

A manual system might be adequate, see
BS 5839-1:2002, Category M.
A smoke detection system as part of the main
building system, see BS 5839-1.
A smoke detection system as part of the main
building system, see BS 5839-1 and Annex A.
A dedicated smoke detection system interfaced
with the main building system, see BS 5839-1
and Annex A.
Aspirating smoke detection to monitor return air
flows.
A dedicated smoke detection system interfaced
with the main building system, see BS 5839-1
and Annex A.

Fire Suppression System

Portable fire extinguishers as first aid fire-fighting.
Portable fire extinguishers as first aid fire-fighting.
Portable fire extinguishers as first aid fire-fighting.
Automatic fixed fire suppression where early fire fighting action is
unlikely.
Portable fire extinguishers as first aid fire-fighting.
Automatic fixed fire suppression unless there is a robust disaster
plan.
Portable fire extinguishers as first aid fire fighting
Automatic fixed fire suppression

Aspirating smoke detection to monitor return air

flows.

MS39 Fire protection of electronic equipment installations

As can be seen from the tables above and the comments

given below from one of the lead authors of the original
draft code of practice, the new code of practice
recognises the fact that it is not the cost of equipment
that is generally the most important factor when
determining an appropriate level of protection but the
consequential losses associated with downtime of
equipment. Thus the standard differentiates between
different categories of electronic equipment, ranging
from the personal computer in the office environment to
mainframe processing equipment in critical applications,
and indicates appropriate strategies for these differing
levels of risk.viii

Should you wish to receive any further information on

LWF and the services we provide please contact our
Marketing Department.
Tel:
Fax:
email:
Web:

0208 655 1605

0208 655 0410
fire@lwf.co.uk
www.lwf.co.uk

Copyright Lawrence Webster Forrest Limited

Conclusion
The level of fire protection afforded to electronic
installations can vary significantly. It is therefore
essential that organisations and businesses establish an
ongoing process of re-assessment to reflect the inherent
fire risks associated with changes and modifications to
new or existing equipment, its environment, use and
compatibility with any disaster contingency plans. While
most modern electronic equipment has a relatively low
fire risk, surrounding components or adjacent factors
may give rise to additional hazards. So an electronic
installation fire protection strategy that is aimed solely at
fires that start in the equipment should be seen as
inadequate.
It is extremely important that both direct and indirect
losses (consequential) are considered because the
extensive use of fire protection systems in electronic
installations arises not from a high probability of fire, nor
from a significant hazard to life, but from the
consequences of fire loss. It is therefore essential that the
specifier and installer of the electronic equipment, the
clients risk manager and the fire engineer should all
communicate with each other as soon as possible. There
will also be a need to assess the risks on a periodic basis
to ensure that any changes or modifications to the
equipment, its environment, use and compatibility with
any disaster contingency plans are accounted for and all
foreseeable risks minimised.

BS 6266:2002: - Code of Practice for fire protection for

electronic equipment installations. BSI Publications,
Second Revision, December 2002.
ii
BS 6266:2002: - Code of Practice for fire protection
for electronic equipment installations. BSI Publications,
Second Revision, December 2002.
iii

BS 6266:2002: - Code of Practice for fire protection

for electronic equipment installations. BSI Publications,
Second Revision, December 2002.
iv

BS 6266:2002: - Code of Practice for fire protection

for electronic equipment installations. BSI Publications,
Second Revision, December 2002.
v

BS 6266:2002: - Code of Practice for fire protection

for electronic equipment installations. BSI Publications,
Second Revision, December 2002.
vi
BS 6266:2002: - Code of Practice for fire protection
for electronic equipment installations. BSI Publications,
Second Revision, December 2002.
vii

BS 6266:2002: - Code of Practice for fire protection

for electronic equipment installations. BSI Publications,
Second Revision, December 2002.
viii
Article entitled Brave New World, Frank Smith, Fire
Prevention Journal, August 2001, Issue 347, Fire
Protection Association.

Lawrence Webster Forrest Limited

LWF are fire and engineering consultants with specialist
expertise in fire safety. LWF provide services to
government, healthcare, commerce and industry and
work in some of the countrys most prestigious buildings.
LWF undertake fire safety training and audits, fire safety
engineering commissions, fire risk assessments,
preparation of emergency procedures, and electrical and
mechanical fire systems. A wide range of supplementary
services is provided including the project management of
fire related works installation and commissioning.

MS39 Fire protection of electronic equipment installations