Fires in civil engineering works and tunnels present several unique risks, which require specialist expertise to assess and mitigate correctly.
Tunnels in particular are an enclosed area with challenging evacuation procedures, and can also have a funnelling effect, helping fires and smoke to spread much faster.
Merlin’s engineers have more than 30 years of experience working on all kinds of civil engineering sites, to design bespoke fire protection systems that tackle the specific threats presented by the local environment and geography.
Our systems have a proven track record and incorporate fire detection and suppression systems from leading global third-party manufacturers.
We have specific expertise working with rail operators, to design custom fire prevention systems for railway tunnels, where additional time may be needed to detrain passengers before they can escape the tunnel itself.
By installing a Merlin-designed fire prevention system in your tunnel, you protect staff and assets, along with any members of the public who may be passing through the tunnel at the time of the fire.
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Fire Protection Guide
Not sure which fire protection system you need? Check our comprehensive Fire Protection Guide.
Working With You
We work closely with our clients to understand the challenges you are facing, and conduct additional risk assessments of our own for a comprehensive analysis of the dimensions of the tunnel or other civil engineering setting.
The solution we devise incorporates monitoring and detection, appropriate alarms and alerts, and manual or automatic suppression agents to prevent fires from spreading and, where possible, to extinguish them proactively.
As a result, you can demonstrate your commitment to public safety, as well as to the health and safety of your own personnel.
You can protect against financial losses due to the destruction of valuable equipment and infrastructure, and ensure the tunnel can reopen as soon as possible after any future incident.
And in an emergency, you can allow precious extra minutes for evacuation efforts to take place, and ultimately to ensure there are no human casualties.
Three Stages of Tunnel Fire Prevention
Our systems adopt a three-stage approach to tunnel fire prevention:
Detection
Automatic, remotely operable monitoring technologies mean fires can be detected even before they begin, by identifying hotspots, sparks and embers, visual identification of flames, thermal imaging and other innovative techniques.
Alarm
In the event of a fire, the alarm is raised. This can alert members of the public to evacuate the area and can automatically call the emergency services to tackle any remaining fire and/or coordinate the evacuation.
Suppression
Fire suppression systems can dispense foam and other agents to cut off the supply of fuel and oxygen to the fire, with an aim to put out the flames. If the fire cannot be extinguished, it can be contained as far as possible while evacuation is completed, and until the fire brigade can attend.
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All Merlin fire protection systems are developed in line with safety regulations, including British Standard BS 9992:2020 for tunnel fire protection.
To discuss your needs for rail, road and other tunnels, or other civil engineering works, please contact our engineers today and we will be happy to help with your enquiry.