Richard Canham of FFE discusses how advanced, multi-technology fire detection systems are transforming safety across modern warehousing and logistics environments
Firstly, can you introduce yourself and say a little about your background and work at FFE?
I’m Richard Canham, Head of Global Sales at FFE, a Halma company specialising in fire detection technologies including beam smoke detection, flame detection, aspirating smoke detection and linear heat detection. I work with our distribution partners worldwide as they deliver FFE solutions into projects across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and Asia. Our partners collaborate with system integrators, consultants and fire engineers, and my team supports them through training, exhibitions and joint customer visits. Warehousing and logistics has become a key vertical for us because it brings together all our technologies and concentrates many of the sector’s most demanding detection challenges.
How have changes in warehouse design and logistics operations influenced the way fire detection systems are specified and deployed today?
The modern warehouse is no longer a simple shed. Buildings are taller with denser storage, higher levels of automation and on-site IT and control rooms under one roof. Service levels are tighter and tolerance for downtime is much lower. This creates multiple distinct risk zones within one building, such as high bays, conveyors, charging areas, cold stores and control rooms, each of which behave differently in a fire.
Operators want earlier and clearer information while maintaining strong resilience against false alarms in dusty or high airflow environments. As a result, designers are moving away from a single ‘one system fits all’ mindset to application-led, multi-technology solutions. We now see more schemes that combine beams, Aspirating Smoke Detection (ASD), flame and linear heat detection, each placed where it performs best.
What are the most significant fire risks found in modern warehousing and logistics sites, and how do these determine the appropriate detection approach?
The principal risks sit in a few clear areas and each point to a suitable technology. High-bay storage and open volumes present large fuel loads beneath high ceilings, where beam smoke detection offers a practical and economical way to cover the overhead void.
Conveyors and sortation systems face localised heating from friction or failed bearings along long runs, which makes linear heat detection a natural fit because it senses temperature continuously along the belt.
Charging and maintenance areas bring together forklifts, pallet trucks and battery rooms, so optical flame detection is well suited here and is usually combined with general smoke or heat detection. Waste and marshalling areas often contain compactors, balers and bins loaded with cardboard and plastic wrap, where flame detection again provides rapid response.
When it comes to control rooms, IT spaces and small data rooms these are vulnerable to even small incidents, so ASD is preferred for very early warning. Cold stores require careful treatment because low temperatures and limited airflow affect smoke movement and detector behaviour, so ASD and linear heat detection are often combined.
Once the facility is mapped along these lines the detection strategy is straightforward to define.
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