Fire protection system of the Lithuanian Central State Archives

  • Client Fire protection system of the Lithuanian Central State Archives Lithuanian Central State Archives
  • Implementation period 2017
  • Project location Vilnius, Lithuania
  • Project partners Marioff Corporation Oy
  • Project task Ensuring the protection of archived documents from the risk of fire, by installing an easily maintained fire protection system.
More information

Solutions in this project

  • High-pressure water mist fire extinguishing system
  • Fire alarm system
  • Power supply system

FIMA specialists designed and installed a fire alarm and high-pressure water mist system at the Lithuanian Central State Archives.

FIMA has modernised the fire protection system at four storage facilities owned by the Lithuanian Central State Archives (LCSA). These house unique documents and others of particular importance of the Republic of Lithuania.

During the work, FIMA specialists dismantled the obsolete automatic gas extinguishing system in the LCSA building, and designed and installed a new fire alarm and automatic high-pressure (130 – 150 bar) water mist system. The new system will operate for at least 60 minutes during a fire without interruption.

The water mist system for the archive’s storage facilities was chosen due to its significantly lower maintenance costs, simpler installation and servicing and because it does not pose any hazard to people or the environment. In addition, the effective functioning of this system does not require the rooms to be air tight, which was a prerequisite of the gas system.

The system’s distribution pipes are only filled with water when a signal is sent from the fire alarm system. These means that documents which are sensitive to humidity are protected. During a fire, the system will cool the affected room and reduce the concentration of oxygen at the source of the fire.

The storage facilities with the new system are classified as Ordinary Hazard Group 3 (OH3). The system has been installed in such a way that it can be easily extended to cover the archives’ other storage facilities.

The reconstruction means that important documents are now protected from destruction by fire. These LCVA storage facilities hold documents produced by Lithuania’s highest authorities and most important institutions, including those produced by presidents and diplomatic missions between 1918 and 1940. There are more than one million files on shelving which runs to more than 10.5km in length.

Project facts:

  • 4 storage facilities
  • Fixed high-pressure (130 - 150 bar) water mist system
  • Maximum generated water flow ranges from 650 l/min. to 750 l/min.
  • 230 water mist sprinklers
  • 1100 m of high-pressure stainless steel piping
     

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