Wagner Explains How Fire Protection Is Environmental Protection; Also In Logistics

Sustainability is a key issue even in logistics. After all, the protection of air and water quality, as well as the reduction of emissions are a task for society as a whole, and sustainability has become a central economic factor.

At LogiMAT 2023 in Stuttgart, Germany, WAGNER Group GmbH, as one of the technology pioneers in the areas of fire detection and fire prevention, will be presenting from April 25 to April 27, 2023, in Hall 7, at Stand C15, how logistics companies make their contribution to climate and environmental protection through holistic fire protection and how appropriate fire protection solutions support the implementation and achievement of their sustainability goals.

Ecological impact of fire events

"When it comes to the planning and diverse use of warehouse real estate, the topic of fire protection should always be included in the considerations in the course of a risk, profitability, and protection objective analysis," says Steffen Springer, Managing Director of the WAGNER Group GmbH.

Keyword: warehouse logistics with a high concentration of values. Fire events destroy material assets of the property and the stored goods and can jeopardize the ability to deliver.

Catastrophic consequential damage

Fumes, smoke, soot particles, and other potentially toxic substances are released, depending on the goods stored

In addition, the ecological consequences are often fatal: Fumes, smoke and soot particles, and other potentially toxic substances and compounds are released, depending on the goods stored. Each combustion also emits large amounts of CO2.

Fire residues and non-destructive extinguishing agents used in the course of firefighting can sometimes cause catastrophic consequential damage, and contaminated extinguishing water can endanger the cleanliness of the groundwater.

Active fire prevention

“Any fire that can be avoided is the best solution for excluding people from being at risk and protecting processes and the environment. Active fire prevention, which works with the principle of oxygen reduction in the areas to be protected, is one of the most effective ways of doing this. We developed our OxyReduct® system for this purpose,” states Steffen Springer.

Special case lithium-ion batteries

The demand for new storage space is unbroken, and the focus is increasingly high on the storage of lithium-ion batteries. One of the drivers is the automotive industry with its increasing volumes in the field of e-mobility.

In Germany, this is particularly evident in the new Tesla "Gigafactory" in Brandenburg and in the federal government's plans to bring at least 15 million e-cars onto Germany's roads by 2030.

Storage solutions

Kuno Neumeier predicts the storage area required for lithium-ion batteries to be around 7 million square meters

Storage solutions for these energy storage systems are also being used in other sectors required, which are also used in laptops, smartphones, and e-bikes, for example.

Kuno Neumeier, CEO of Logivest and Spokesman for the topic of logistics real estate of the German Logistics Association (BVL) predicts the storage area required for lithium-ion batteries to be around 7 million square meters by the year 2030.

Risk of self-ignition

When it comes to storage, these energy sources place special demands on fire protection because they harbor the risk of self-ignition through thermal runaway, sometimes with fatal economic and environmentally hazardous consequences. 

In the case of a thermal runaway, the firing process cannot be interrupted by extinguishing, pollutants are released, and spillover to other stored goods often leads to the rapid spread of the fire.

Holistic fire protection solutions

To protect the goods from damage caused by fire, prevent business interruptions and their consequential damage, maintain the ability to deliver, and avoid environmental hazards, especially when storing the hazardous material lithium-ion battery, holistic fire protection solutions are indispensable. These consist of the earliest possible fire detection in combination with active fire prevention and organizational fire protection measures. 

At the LogiMAT 2023 event, WAGNER will use the example of the reference project for KETTLER Alu-Rad GmbH to show what such a holistic and individually designed solution can look like.