Hochiki Europe focuses on Data Centres at RISCAuthority seminar

Green’s detailed talk focused on how the risk profile of Data Centres is changing as the sector grows across the UK and Europe and why water is now emerging as a key risk exposure alongside fire. Green made the case for moving from reactive and claims-based pricing towards resilience-based underwriting, supported by the early detection of both fire and water.

On the day, other sessions included a building safety update from the FPA’s CEO Dr Gavin Dunn and a presentation on wildfire risk from Jon Charters of the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service. An expert panel also looked at the growing use of solar PV systems and the associated fire risks.

In the joint Q&A that followed, delegates asked about early detection of fires on solar panel installations. Green explained that the fire risk relating to these systems often sits at the panel connectors. Linear heat detection can pick up heat that’s building at those points before a connector fault develops into a fire.

Discussions also covered aspirating smoke detection systems as a good option for Data Centres due to the fact that they sample air continuously across large spaces and can pick up smoke at a very early stage. The subject of water leak detection emerged in many of Green’s conversations, particularly so in terms of how it can scale across larger buildings.

Need for early detection

Speaking about his presentation, Martin Green said: “Data Centres are growing faster than the claims data insurers would normally use to price them. Fire and water cannot be looked at separately in these buildings due to the fact that water ingress impacting electrical systems can itself start a fire. The early detection of both gives underwriters and risk engineers something measurable to assess.”

Green added: “The questions from the room showed how much interest there is in practical detection, from Data Centres to rooftop solar-focused applications. We’re grateful to RISCAuthority and the FPA for the invitation and we look forward to continuing those conversations that began on the day.”

Green has worked in the fire industry since 1993. He writes regularly for trade titles including Fire Safety Matters and the FPA Journal and speaks regularly at The Fire Safety Event in Birmingham.

*Further information is available online at www.hochikieurope.com