VdS guidelines for individual protection concepts
Not everything is standard - but everything needs safety and security
In a technical article for the S&S Report, Bettina Bormann from VdS Fire Protection Laboratories provides insights into special applications in modern fire protection practice.
Text: Bettina Bormann, VdS Schadenverhütung GmbH
In modern fire protection practice, there are always special applications that bring new challenges and risks. These include, for example, innovative storage and manufacturing technologies, automated high rack storage, and lithium-ion energy storage systems. New materials and construction methods are being used, as well as automated systems that create new dependencies. Since the fire development and hazards differ from classic scenarios, the familiar extinguishing and detection concepts may not respond or work reliably and effectively enough.
Such special applications are often not adequately covered by existing guidelines and standards, and the classic evidence provided in the context of product approvals is not sufficient to ensure that the protection objective can be reliably achieved.
However, it is precisely in these applications that a high level of safety, security, must be guaranteed in order to protect people and property. A single fire and the resulting operational failure can jeopardize entire production chains or critical infrastructures and cause significant financial damage.
In some cases, there is also an increased risk of secondary fires, toxic smoke gases, or consequential technical damage. Therefore, especially in these cases, it shall be ensured and proven that the protection objective is achieved on a permanent basis.
When are the VdS 3115 and VdS 6020 guidelines applied?
Based on years of experience in testing the effectiveness and operational safety of installed fire protection systems during initial and repeat inspections, the integral VdS system has been developed for reliability and effectiveness and has become established for many system technologies (e.g., sprinkler systems, gas extinguishing systems, fire detection and fire alarm systems).
However, especially in the case of new protection concepts or system technologies, not all components of the integral system are always available. In these cases, the missing components of the VdS system shall be replaced by approvals for the new protection concept or the new system technology. The effectiveness and operational safety can then be demonstrated in the procedures for these approvals.
Contents and innovations
Both guidelines lay down the process – from commissioning and preliminary testing to testing the protection concept, including proof of effectiveness and component testing, through to certification.
VdS 3115 continues to distinguish between protection concepts without product influence and protection concepts with product influence in the context of sprinklers or nozzles. The latter also include component tests.
VdS 6020 now also allows the evaluation of detection concepts that can only be implemented with deviations from the existing rules for planning and installation. The power characteristics of the products used, which have not been evaluated within the scope of existing approvals, can also be used. In this case, proof of these power characteristics can be provided within the scope of the procedure according to VdS 6020.
The two sets of regulations can be applied individually or in combination. If the triggering system is described in the overall concept, the necessary interface is described and evaluated in the procedure according to VdS 6020.
With this modular procedure, it is possible to obtain certification of a protection concept for extinguishing systems or fire detection only, as well as for a holistic protection concept that takes into account the interfaces between the two systems and is adapted to the individual concept and specific requirements.
Conclusion
The revision of VdS 3115 and the publication of VdS 6020 create a flexible tool for evaluating new protection concepts in fire protection and bridge the gap between innovation and safety. They provide planners, installers, operators, and manufacturers with a clear framework for integrating new concepts into fire protection without compromising on quality and effectiveness.