BACKGROUND:
The Department of Information Technology (DoIT) is working with Public Works to replace the FM200 fire suppression system, as it is in disrepair, and presents a hazard to the County's primary data center. Due to the age of the wall unit, replacement parts are no longer available. The system requires a full replacement that can provide proper monitoring and fault detection and complies with current fire safety standards. A recent site survey provided the following status of the current system: 1) The Data Center fire suppression system is over 25 years old, and the Fire Alarm panel and replacement parts are obsolete and no longer available. 2) There was a recent incident when a discharge occurred in one zone due to a defective part. DoIT's halon support determined that based on the series of lights being displayed on the wall control unit, there is a faulty circuit switch that controls the halon activation in the UPS room. The Halon in the UPS room can trigger automatically without warning and must be disabled though a sequence of manual interventions resulting in unplugging the panel's battery. If the battery does not become disengaged within 1 hour, the wall unit will activate all the halon alarms and dispatch the fire department. 3) The current Data Center fire alarm system does not meet current NFPA codes. This project is urgent in nature, as protection of the County's primary data center is of utmost importance.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
If this action is not approved, there will be insufficient funds in Public Works Plant Acquisitions (0111) to complete the data center fire suppression system replacement, which is critical to protecting the County's primary data center in the event of fire.
CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT:
None