Gefco
The Brief:
The design supply & installation of a commercial BSEN12845 sprinkler system within a new base build storage warehouse to suit the requirements of Gefco automotive parts storage warehouse for Jaguar Land Rover involving a tailored sprinkler system to protect the proposed storage arrangements of the client & clients Insurers Allianz.
The warehouse was 14.7m to the apex and the client wanted to install a substantial amount of storage racking within the warehouse however they didn’t want sprinkler protection installing within the racking (as is the norm in a conventional system) as they constantly evolved the storage and racking arrangements to suit their client’s needs and needed to be able to relocate & re arrange there racking configuration without the need to undertake sprinkler pipework modifications.
Our Solution:
As an alternative to providing conventional sprinkler protection at roof level and within the storage racks (which the client did not want) an ESFR (early suppression fast response) system was considered involving the design & installation of large diameter and extra-large orifice sprinkler heads at roof level only to protect the warehouse and internal storage racking & goods arrangements.
However as the maximum building height for an ESFR system was exceeded we had to source special storage mode sprinkler head’s from America, design the pipework & hydraulic calculations to suit these extra-large orifice sprinkler’s and develop and obtain approval and dispensation from the clients insurers for this type of sprinkler system and storage arrangement.
Once all approvals were granted we were able to procure, manufacture (in our own manufacturing facility) a roof level only ESFR system (comprising of over 1800 sprinkler heads) with enhanced building height dispensation to comply with the clients requirements & storage arrangements and we were still able to issue an LPCB certificate of conformity at the commissioning stage of the project to reassure the client that the system complied in principle with the requirements of the commercial standard required.
The new sprinkler system was provided with duplicate water storage tanks (with an overall capacity of 546,000 litres) and duplicate fire pump sets (housed within a GRP pump house) all provided by Besseges to comply with the extremely large diameter pipework, sprinkler heads & requirements of the internal enhanced ESFR system together with and electrical installation comprising of monitor panels, remote alarm panels and pump house wiring undertaken by Besseges.
The sprinkler installation on this premises was designed utilising AutoCAD and was fully hydraulically calculated utilising an approved hydraulic computer programme (FHC) to ensure that the extremely large amount of water required to suit this system was achieved which is unique to fire sprinkler organisations that are approved by the LPCB to undertake this level of work.
Besseges completed the sprinkler installation In line with an extremely tight programme deadline (which was in line with the Jaguar plant shutdown period) and our engineers were complimented on their professionalism and quality of workmanship ensuring the building was handed over to the client in line with their requirements.
The Results:
On completion of the sprinkler installation the premises have benefited from a full property protection ESFR enhanced sprinkler installation in full compliance with Allianz insurance requirements and acts as a 24hour 365 days a year automatic fire protection system which is designed to protect the building, goods and storage from possible malicious or accidental fire occurrences and is recognised by the buildings insurers as the best form of fire protection which is providing protection to the premises when the building is occupied or unoccupied and electrically monitored and linked to the fire brigade services for automatic attendance in the event of an activation.