3 questions to strengthen your data center fire protection plan

All data centers share a common trait – they have a mission-critical need to preserve uptime and protect costly assets. For data centers, even minor incidents can escalate into major outages. This can result in significant operational disruption, penalties, financial loss, potential end-user impact and untold reputational damage. Given this, it is no surprise that fire is an ever-present concern that remains one of the most significant threats to business continuity. For example, in April 2025 there was a fire at a data center in Ohio that occupied firefighters for 30 hours and caused $50 million in damage.

As mission-critical facilities, data centers must go beyond simply meeting local code requirements and adhering to minimum fire safety standards. From preparation to post-incident, a strong data center fire protection strategy must consider all potential scenarios.

But building a robust data center fire protection strategy doesn’t start with the selection of equipment. It starts with asking a few critical questions about risk, resilience and operational priorities. In this article, we look at three questions data center operators should consider when putting together a holistic data center fire protection strategy. We’ll also explore key fire protection solutions (such as water-based suppression systems, low-pressure water mist systems, and gaseous extinguishing systems) and key factors for selecting the right system.

1. What is the defined “acceptable extent of damage?”

The “acceptable extent of damage” is the maximum level of physical damage that a data center is prepared to absorb from a fire incident through full recovery and return to business as usual. Acceptable extent of damage considers equipment damage, collateral damage caused by fire suppression, operational impact such as the loss of a rack, and the business impact – such as breach of SLAs.

The acceptable extent of damage directly influences the detection strategy and the selection of fire suppression equipment.

Some key considerations here include:

• What level of equipment loss or downtime is tolerable in a fire event?
• What measures will be deployed when, and in what order, throughout various fire scenarios?
• How quickly can the local fire service arrive? Is their attendance necessary or can a well-devised fire strategy possibly negate the need for their intervention?
• How does the fire strategy align with the site’s redundancy and resilience model?
• Is the data center normally occupied or non‑occupied, and how does this influence the fire response?

Arriving at this defined “acceptable extent of damage” becomes more challenging when you consider the complexities of modern data centers. In the event of a fire, power must remain on and cooling solutions cannot be interrupted. Contemporary cooling technologies such as direct-to-chip or immersion cooling also add a layer of complexity. And with the current rate of cooling innovation, fire protection systems must be adaptable and future proofed.

Another important consideration is whether resilience measures reside in the same physical compartment within the same data center facility. For data centers owned by hyperscale companies, there may be additional redundancy available. But this may not be the case for enterprise-owned or colocation providers.

Ultimately – when establishing these thresholds – data center operators must balance regulatory requirements, insurance expectations and business tolerance for damage.

2. How can you protect the broad range of data center assets?

Data centers house a wide range of critical assets with varying degrees of fire risk. A holistic data center fire protection strategy should include an interconnected fleet of fire protection solutions that coordinate detection and suppression to contain risk and speed recovery. For both fire detection and fire suppression solutions, the key objective is to protect high-value assets and infrastructure while maintaining business continuity.

Defining and implementing a fire detection strategy

While fire suppression has typically been prioritized in data center protection, fire detection is now more important than ever. Rapid response is vital for preventing fire spread and advanced fire detection solutions can provide data centers with valuable time to react. Early detection can allow data centers to decrease the risk of personnel injury, equipment damage and data loss. A quick response may also reduce potential downtime.

Whether a data center is hyperscale, enterprise-owned or operated by a colocation provider, protecting critical assets requires a detection system that is:

• Fast and accurate: Aspirating Smoke Detection (ASD) provides data center operators with highly precise fire detection readings, identifying threats in their earliest stages and effectively sniffing out fires before they even occur.
• Resilient to false alarms: Multi‑criteria, addressable sensors combine smoke, carbon monoxide and thermal detection to better understand air and dust fluctuations and the surrounding environment. This increases dependable performance while reducing the risk of nuisance alarms.
• Integrated and interconnected: Fire detection solutions should work seamlessly with building systems and platforms. A BACnet (Building Automation and Control Networks) interface enables real‑time fire system visibility and automated coordination with HVAC, smoke control and mass notification.

The selection of fire suppression equipment

When it comes to fire suppression systems, there are a myriad of water-based and gaseous systems available – though many data centers use both systems in tandem for layered protection.

Each data center has a unique set of assets and technologies with varying risk profiles that will inform the facility’s overall needs. (Check out our whitepaper on some of the available technologies and their merits.)

• Water-based suppression systems include pre-action sprinkler systems and advanced water mist systems. Pre-action sprinkler systems keep pipes dry until detection confirms the presence of a fire. This is vital for data centers, where accidental water discharge must be avoided.
• Low-pressure water mist systems use fine droplets to suppress fire while significantly reducing the required water flow rate. Since water mist uses less water compared to traditional fire sprinklers, the comparative collateral damage and clean-up is drastically decreased.
• Gaseous extinguishing systems are known for leaving no residue, making them ideal extinguishers for sensitive electronics and data storage environments. These systems can be activated with limited disruption. This is in contrast with triggered sprinkler systems, which add more risk due to the presence of water around power supplies.

3. How can you protect the environment, post-operation?

Aside from protecting critical, high-value assets, data center operators must also consider the impact of their fire protection system post-operation and the extinguishing agents’ impact on the surrounding area. The goal is to ensure a system’s activation doesn’t cause more pollution than necessary and is mindful of occupants in protected areas nearby.

Firstly, there are considerations related to water and gas. While the discharged water from sprinklers and water mist systems is non-polluting, some authorities may require containment of run-off water.

Halocarbon systems utilizing FK 5-1-12 are clean agents with zero ozone depletion potential (ODP), a global warming potential (GWP) of one and an atmospheric lifetime of just five days. Inert gas systems use gas blends comprised of naturally occurring gases and are similar in composition to air. They have both zero ODP and zero GWP.

After that, there are further regulatory concerns related to oxygen levels and occupant safety. Fire requires oxygen, fuel and heat to survive. In oxygen reduction systems, a fire cannot start due to the low oxygen level. However, for occupied spaces, acceptable levels of oxygen must be maintained at all times. Here, it’s important to note that health and safety rules vary across the world and some countries have strict rules governing access to areas with permanently reduced oxygen levels.

While there is an array of post-operation repercussions to consider, targeted detection at an early stage can help ensure the fire protection response is limited to the actual cause of the alarm and avoid wider escalation. This makes the proper selection of fire protection equipment and layout even more important.

A full range of options for holistic fire protection

Building a holistic data center fire protection strategy starts with asking the right questions. Once these questions are addressed and explored, you can select a range of solutions for your specific needs that meet your performance, cost and compliance requirements.

Whether you're building a hyperscale campus, expanding a co-location site or planning an enterprise facility, Johnson Controls experts can help you reduce risk, safeguard data center assets and maintain essential business continuity.

Frequently asked questions

What is the acceptable extent of damage?

Acceptable extent of damage (AED) is the maximum level of physical damage and service disruption that an organization is willing to absorb in the extent of a fire.

The acceptable extent of damage acknowledges that, even with advanced fire suppression technologies, some level of damage is possible. AED is usually not articulated in terms of property loss value, but operational and functional limits.

What is included in a data center fire protection system?

A robust data center fire protection system should include early fire detection technologies such as aspirating smoke detectors. It also includes appropriate fire suppression equipment such as pre-action sprinklers, low-pressure water mist solutions and a clean agent extinguishing system. The entire system should be tied together with intelligent controls and integrated with building and IT infrastructure.

Why is it important to have a holistic approach to fire protection for data centers?

A holistic approach to fire protection allows operators to make all necessary considerations when it comes to fire protection – from detection to suppression to considerations on potential post-operation repercussions of a fire incident.