Aircraft Hangar Fire Suppression

Aircraft Hangar Fire Suppression

Your Guide to Aircraft Hangar Fire Suppression

Each type of commercial structure poses unique and significant fire risks. Some buildings host a lot of people, others house sensitive equipment that would be destroyed by water. A fire in a warehouse full of paper creates a different fire hazard than a warehouse of paint and adhesive. There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to putting out a fire, for example, Aircraft Hangar Fire Suppression.

The National Fire Protection Association is an international non-profit organization, with a mission “to help save lives and reduce loss with information, knowledge, and passion.”¹  The NFPA objectively researches fire safety methods, equipment, and materials, to assess the best practices during fire events in different settings. While the NFPA has no enforcement power to effect changes, its guidelines are highly respected by international, national, state, county, and municipal code enforcement agencies. Often, the NFPA recommendations become the basis for building fire codes.

NFPA 409: Standard on Aircraft Hangar Fire Suppression²

The NFPA guideline for Aircraft Hangar Fire Suppression was based on research to determine fire safety for the unique situations faced during fire events in buildings housing planes and helicopters. Hangars have multiple sources of fire hazards:

• Wide open spaces make it difficult to contain the fire and smoke in a hangar.
• Fuel, lubricants, paints, and various other chemicals are housed and spilled inside hangars. Some of these solutions are extremely flammable and all of them are hazardous.
• Hangars house large aircraft, often in various stages of repair. All the above-mentioned chemical solutions are in, on, and around the aircraft.

As NFPA 409 considered Aircraft Hangar Fire Suppression, it classifies them by size and content:

• Group 1 hangars are smaller in footprint, capable of housing aircraft with a tail height of less than 28’ and square footage of less than 40,000.
• Group 2 hangars can receive aircraft with a tail height of at least 28’ and a footprint between 12,000 to 40,00 square feet.
• Group 3 hangars house multiple aircraft, housed either in a row or with open bays. The size of Group 3 hangars is at least the size of Group 2 hangars.
• Group 4 hangars are all larger than Groups 1-3.

In 2021, the NFPA modified guideline 409, and the details of the modifications appeared in the latest NFPA 409 publication. The modifications recommended are significant:

• Prior guidelines required that foam fire suppression systems—a very expensive material—be used for all but the smallest aircraft hangars. Only Groups 3 and 4 hangars still require foam.
• Foam suppression material is messy, hard to clean up, and contains hazards
• Water-based sprinkler systems can replace the foam suppression systems for Group 1 and 2 hangars.

These changes are based on several risk-analysis studies which determined foam suppression is excessive for the risk presented in a smaller space. In addition, the hazardous chemicals in the foam should not make their way into the environment or water supply.

Other significant changes include:

• An openness to further research for performance-based solutions.
• A willingness to partner with hangar users who propose alternative foamless fire safety methods
• Approval of floor drainage system that captures flammable liquids.

Foam has been demonstrated to be a good deterrent for petroleum-based fires. However, the shift away from foam has everything to do with the potential harm to the local environment. The NFPA is encouraging alternatives to prevent potential disasters.

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¹ https://www.nfpa.org/overview 

² https://www.nfpa.org/standard_items/search_results?searchStr=409