India's Telangana Issues Fire Safety Guidelines for Data Centres, Applicable to New Applications From November 6
Telangana's Fire and Disaster Response Department issued dedicated fire and life safety guidelines for data centres on October 28, applicable to provisional Fire NOC applications submitted from November 6, requiring water-mist or clean-agent suppression in technical areas plus fire-rated separation and emergency shutdown for battery, UPS and transformer rooms.
The Director General of Telangana's Fire, Disaster Response, Emergency and Civil Defence Department, Vikram Singh Mann, issued a circular memorandum on October 28 setting out special fire and life safety guidelines for data centres in the state. The guidelines apply to applications for provisional Fire No Objection Certificates (NOCs) submitted on or after November 6.
Facility requirements. Data centres must provide fire detection and alarm systems, fire suppression systems, compartmentation, firefighting shafts, wet risers, refuge areas and adequate firefighting water storage and pumping facilities. Automatic sprinkler systems are prescribed for administrative areas, while technical areas must use water-mist or clean-agent gas suppression.
Critical rooms. The guidelines focus on battery rooms, UPS rooms, transformer rooms, switchgear rooms and other critical electrical installations, requiring comprehensive fire risk assessment, adequate ventilation, fire-rated separation, emergency shutdown arrangements and protection for fuel storage and other high-risk areas.
Integration and combustible control. Detection and suppression systems must be integrated with building management and emergency systems, and operators must prevent accumulation of cardboard, packaging materials, wooden pallets and waste in data halls and critical areas. Specific conditions also apply to basement levels.
Background. The circular notes that data centres house fewer occupants than conventional commercial buildings and adjusts life-safety requirements accordingly, aiming to speed up Fire NOC processing while addressing data-centre-specific hazards. Telangana has prioritised data centre investment, and officials scrutinising NOC applications must verify compliance with the approved fire safety design and the circular's conditions.
Translated by 119zj.