Fire risk assessment for telecommunications central offices

From a fire protection standpoint, telecommunications equipment Facilities present a unique set of conditions. Although life safety hazards are minimal in such facilities, a fire that would be considered small in most otter industrial settings can have a devastating impact on the community such facilities serve. This paper describes the development of a method that systematically assesses the fire risk associated with individual, discrete spaces in telecommunications facilities by measuring and reporting fire risk values for life safety and network integrity. The method, called the Central Office Fire Risk Assessment (COFRA) methodology, may be implemented manually or integrated into a computer-based program. It is unique in that it measures business interruption fire risk, uses decision tables extensively, and develops and treats subparameters.