Fire safety is sum of advice, products and services

The bol.com distribution center in Waalwijk is already too small two years after it was commissioned in 2017. Phase two has twice as much floor space. That means even larger numbers of people on the shop floor and more valuable packages. Bouwbedrijf van de Ven and bol.com chose to place fire safety with a party that had already provided advice, products and services in an earlier phase: Hoefnagels Fire Safety.

Text and image | Hoefnagels Fire Safety

One of the key words in fire safety is compartmentation. These are measures that prevent the spread of fire to adjacent spaces or adjacent buildings. Passages are the most vulnerable points in this regard.

Conveyors

Conveyor belts move packages through bol.com's distribution center. The walls through which the conveyor belts pass inevitably have openings. In the event of a fire, Firescreen Radiation and Firescreen Temperature screens hermetically seal each of these openings and complete the fire compartmentation. An intelligent safety system monitors and controls that packages on the conveyors do not interfere with the closing of the fire screens.

Under control

The primary function of fire screens is to keep out flames. But with temperatures that can reach more than 1,000 degrees on the fire side, even without flames, the heat on the safe side can become so great that materials spontaneously catch fire, resulting in a new blaze. The 41 Firescreen Radiation screens reduce that heat radiation to safe levels. Five of the screens installed in the new section go even further. The wall temperature on the installed Firescreen Temperature screens does not exceed 140 degrees for a 60-minute period. Such a period is often sufficient for fire departments and firefighting facilities to prevent expansion and bring the fire under control.

Challenges

Every fire protection solution has its own challenges. The assembly activities of the fire screens sometimes took place at great heights in the 34-meter-high hall. By agreement, this was done prior to the installation of the conveyors by the supplier.

If Hoefnagels Fire Safety will eventually perform periodic inspection and maintenance, bol.com's fire safety will also be guaranteed in the future.