Queensland Alumina Limited, Gladstone QLD

large warehouse with shelves of stock and materials

Appointment

Fire Protection System Design

Overview

FCC has been appointed to undertake a site audit that will determine the upgrades required to their warehouse built in 1966. Various high hazard commodities stored in different storage arrangements were discovered on site and these were used as the basis for the required recommendations to bring the sprinkler system at par with the latest standards. The existing pieces of equipment (sprinklers, pipes, tanks, and pumps) were carefully scrutinised to come up with recommendations that will enable the Client to utilise as much of the existing pieces of equipment as possible to save on cost. Multiple case studies were carried out and three options were put forward, which gave the Clients the upgrades they wanted but with the least disruption to their business. First is the change in storage arrangement of the high hazard commodities requiring stricter implementation of operational procedures but will enable them to maintain the current height of the warehouse. Second is the installation of false-ceiling which adds to the installation cost, but will enable them to store commodities however they want. The third option would be no changes will be implemented, but the new sprinkler system will have significantly higher capacities and requirements, which means higher installation costs as compared with the other two options. With these types of audits, Clients had the flexibility of choosing their way forward depending on the other limitations they had.