Shate-M Plus: Design and Installation of Fire Safety Systems in a Warehouse Complex

The Client

ShATE-M Plus is the largest wholesale center for auto parts in the Russian and Belarusian markets.

Situation

The building, part of the industrial park "PNK Park Domodedovo 1," is a large warehouse facility with five mezzanine levels. The facility stores products and materials in high-rack zones, including flammable substances, which presents a high fire risk. The fire resistance of the building corresponds to Class II, and the building is classified as Category B. The fire load height reaches 12 meters, which required a special approach to designing fire protection systems.

Tasks and Requirements:

• Development and implementation of integrated systems, including Automatic Fire Alarm and Notification System, Automatic Sprinkler-based Fire Suppression System, Internal Firefighting Water Supply System.
• Ensuring high reliability and minimizing false alarms.
• Implementing environmentally safe solutions with consideration for environmental protection.
• Achieving system operation duration of at least 60 minutes in emergency situations with appropriate capacity and pressure parameters.

Solution

During the preparatory work and site inspection phase, architectural and engineering drawings were studied, fire hazard zones analyzed, and equipment placement locations determined.

Design work began with a thorough analysis of the technical and fire characteristics of the building. An important step was gathering initial data about the height of racks, room sizes, types of stored substances, and the technical features of the building.

The following key technical decisions were made during the system design:

• The fire protection system for high-rack storage zones (up to 12 meters) was designed with a sprinkling intensity of at least 1.1 l/(s * m²), a minimum calculated area of 90 m², and an operating duration of 60 minutes.
• The system included foam fire suppression for the storage of flammable liquids (FL), with specialized ESFR-25 sprinklers and temperature-sensitive elements activated at 74 °C.
• For the mezzanine area, the specifics of the structure required sprinklers to be installed beneath each decking level.
• The notification system was designed with the multi-user nature of the facility in mind. For timely evacuation, light exit signs “OPOP 1-R3 'EXIT'” and audible alarms “OPOP 124-R3” were used.
• The “Rubezh-2OP R3-Link” controller was selected for integrating all system components, providing equipment management and coordination.

Low-voltage cables were laid in fire-resistant pipes and secured to metal structures using perforated tapes. It was crucial to avoid crossing with power cables within 0.5 meters to minimize electrical interference.

Sprinkler heads, fire hydrants, alarms, and central controllers were installed in optimal locations for effective operation and accessibility for maintenance.

Our team then performed initial controller settings, tested responses to circuit short circuits, and simulated fire hazards. Test results confirmed that all parameters met the calculated values.

Guides and instructions were provided for technical staff, along with training on how to respond to system activations.

Project Results

• Ensured full compliance with regulatory requirements, confirmed by an inspection certificate.
• Increased smoke detection speed by 2 times using addressable fire detectors, and reduced system response time to a fire to 10 seconds.
• Achieved zero false alarms.

Additional project benefits

• Simplified maintenance through the implementation of an addressable diagnostic system.
• The ability to integrate all engineering systems into a unified dispatch center.

This project demonstrated that thoughtful technical solutions in fire safety can not only comply with regulations but also significantly improve the operational characteristics of a facility, making it more attractive to clients.