Gas Suppression & Fire Suppression Systems
Design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of gas suppression and clean-agent fire suppression systems for data centres, server rooms, switch rooms, archives, museums and other environments where water-based suppression isn’t an option. Novec 1230, FM-200, inert gas, CO2, all installed in-house by WSD’s own engineers, to LPCB and FM-approved standards.
Where the assets in the room are worth more than the room itself, the cost of a leak, a false discharge or a system that fails to activate is what keeps facilities managers up at night. The job of a gas suppression system is to put a fire out before it spreads, without damaging the things being protected. Our job is to install systems you can trust to do exactly that.
Gas suppression is specified instead of (or alongside) water-based fire suppression when:
- The contents of the protected space would be ruined by water discharge – servers, IT equipment, switchgear, archive material, art, scientific instruments
- The downtime cost of an unnecessary water discharge would exceed the fire damage it was preventing
- The protected space is small, sealed and high-value, where a clean-agent discharge can flood the room quickly and leave no residue
- Insurer or regulatory requirements specifically call for gaseous suppression as part of the fire strategy
The systems we install are typically deployed in:
- Data centres and server rooms
- Communications and telecommunications rooms
- Electrical switch rooms and substations
- Generator and UPS rooms
- Control rooms and critical process areas
- Archives and document storage facilities
- Museums and heritage buildings
- Pharmaceutical and research laboratories
- Financial institutions and secure facilities
- Industrial process and manufacturing environments
Suppression agents we install
Different agents suit different applications. We install, commission, service and maintain the full range of established commercial suppression agents:
- Novec 1230 (FK-5-1-12) – 3M’s clean-agent, fast-acting suppression with very low environmental impact (low ODP, low GWP). The current default for new data centre and server room installations
- FM-200 (HFC-227ea) – historically the workhorse clean agent for data and switch rooms. Being phased out under global F-gas regulations, but we continue to maintain existing installations and refill systems through their remaining life cycle, then plan replacement to a cleaner agent
- Inert gas systems – including IG-55, IG-541, IG-100 and IG-01. Use atmospheric gases (nitrogen, argon, CO2) to displace oxygen to a level where combustion stops but the room remains survivable for short-term occupant exposure
- CO2 suppression systems – typically specified for unoccupied process areas, vaults and machinery spaces where personnel exposure can be controlled
- Clean-agent systems for critical asset protection – including specialist combinations for high-value, mission-critical environments
The right agent for any specific room depends on the protected asset, the room geometry, the occupancy pattern, the environmental considerations, the insurer’s requirements and the long-term maintenance strategy. We talk this through during design rather than defaulting to whichever agent is easiest for us to source.
Design, install, commission and maintain
Every gas suppression project we deliver includes:
Design
Either to a consultant’s specification or as a fully designed solution. Hydraulic calculations, agent quantity calculations to NFPA / EN 15004 / LPCB requirements, cylinder bank sizing, pipework routing, nozzle placement, integrated detection design.
Supply
Approved equipment from our specified manufacturers.
Installation
Cylinders, pipework, nozzles, detection, control panel, interfaces, warning devices, all installed by our own engineers.
Commissioning
Room integrity testing (door fan test), system functional testing, integration testing with detection and linked systems, cause-and-effect verification, training for site staff.
Handover documentation
Design calculations, compliance certification, commissioning records, integrity test results, O&M manuals and ongoing maintenance recommendations.
Maintenance
Planned servicing alongside the rest of your fire safety systems.
Got questions? We've answered the common ones.
Quick answers on cover, callout times, accreditations and what working with us actually looks like. Still got a question? Get in touch.
What is a gas suppression system?
A fire suppression system that uses a gas or clean agent to extinguish a fire, rather than water. Used in environments where water discharge would damage the assets being protected (data centres, server rooms, archives, switch rooms) or where the response time has to be fast enough to limit fire damage before a sprinkler system could activate.
FM-200 vs Novec 1230 – which is better?
For new installations, Novec 1230 is the current default. It has very low ODP (ozone depletion potential) and GWP (global warming potential), which makes it the right answer under current environmental regulation. FM-200 is still in widespread use in existing systems and continues to be maintained, but it’s being phased out under global F-gas regulations and new installations are unusual. For most new projects, we’d specify Novec 1230 unless the client has a specific reason to do otherwise.
Can you replace our existing halon system?
Yes. We’ve delivered halon replacement projects across data centres, plant rooms and switch rooms. The most common replacement agents are Novec 1230 and inert gas systems, depending on the room and the protected assets. Talk to us and we’ll survey the existing system and walk you through the options.
Do you handle discharge recovery and recharge?
Yes. Cylinder refilling, agent recharge, system reinstatement, hydrostatic testing coordination and compliance certification. Contract clients get prioritised attendance. Non-contract clients can request the service case-by-case.
Can you integrate gas suppression with our existing fire alarm and BMS?
Yes. We design the integration alongside the suppression system itself, with cause-and-effect programming, plant shutdown, door interlocks, audible/visual warning, BMS status reporting and remote monitoring all configured at commissioning.
What standards do you design and install gas suppression to?
BS EN 15004 for the suppression system itself, BS 5306 for fire extinguishing installations, BS 7273-1 for fire protection cause-and-effect, BS 7671 for the electrical side, and LPCB / FM approved equipment throughout. NFPA 2001 is referenced where the project specification calls for it.
Is gas suppression safe for occupied spaces?
Clean-agent suppression (FM-200, Novec, IG-541) is rated for occupied spaces and discharges well below toxic concentrations. We always design with discharge time, room integrity, alarm pre-discharge delay and evacuation routes in mind.
Do you cover the whole UK?
Yes, we deliver maintenance contracts and projects nationally from our Bromsgrove HQ. Most of mainland Britain is within a routine response window for reactive maintenance work.
Sites further from the Midlands may have slightly longer response windows for reactive call-outs; we can provide a map of typical response times by area during the initial survey if it’s relevant to your site.