Rail Plant Fire Suppression Systems

A rail plant fire suppression system is a pre-engineered safety system installed on road rail vehicles (RRVs) and on-track plant (OTP) equipment. It automatically detects and suppresses fires in high-risk areas such as engine bays and hydraulic systems before they can escalate.

Fire suppression systems are critical for rail plant operations. Fires have consequences that extend beyond damage to machinery, including extended downtime and contractual penalties that can far exceed the value of the equipment. 

There are two main types of rail plant fire suppression systems:

• Single-agent dry powder systems, which disperse a powder agent to rapidly smother flames and cut off the oxygen supply.
• Dual-agent systems, which combine dry powder and wet chemical agents to smother flames and prevent reignition through the prolonged cooling effect of the wet chemical agent.

Fireward’s automatic fire suppression systems route pneumatic tubing through the highest-risk areas of rail plant vehicles, including the engine bay and hydraulic systems.

When a fire occurs, the heat causes the tubing to burst at the point of ignition. This triggers an instantaneous pressure drop that opens the suppression valve and discharges the agent, suppressing the fire in seconds.

No electrical power or manual intervention is required, meaning the system remains operational regardless of whether the machine is running, the operator is trained or the vehicle has been left at a remote trackside location.

Regular inspection and servicing are essential to ensure your system will perform when required. Fireward systems installed on heavy plant applications must be serviced by our UK network of fully trained engineers every six months due to machine use and the environment in which it operates.

Failure to comply with this servicing schedule may invalidate your three-year parts and labour warranty and could also affect your insurance cover. Daily checks are strongly recommended. Inspect the detection tubing, nozzles, hoses, cylinder mounting bracket and cylinder pressurisation as part of your routine maintenance.

It is not a legal requirement in the UK for rail plant to be fitted with a fire suppression system. However, insurance providers and industry regulators increasingly require automatic fire suppression systems on high-value machinery operating in high-risk environments. Because rail plant equipment is frequently used in tunnels, Fireward's systems meet the requirements of BS 6164, the British Standard for health, safety and welfare in tunnelling operations.

Beyond compliance, fitting an automatic fire suppression system to your road rail vehicle or on-track plant significantly reduces risk to your workforce, minimises operational disruption and protects expensive assets.