Fire Protection Services for Cold Storage Solutions

Walking through rows of frozen food items, fire hazards aren’t usually the first thing on someone’s mind. But just because a space is cold doesn’t mean there isn’t a risk of fire. Corrugated cartons, plastic film liners, and pallets can add fuel to fires, robotics can move a fire around a storage array, and new refrigerants are more flammable. That frozen turkey in row 3 should be cooked for a family meal, not in a catastrophic cold storage fire.  

The demand for perishable food and a growing food processing industry, is heating up the US cold storage market. Estimated to be valued at $46.47 billion in 2025, the cold storage market is expected to reach $104.75 billion by 2032.  

Customers increasing expectations for product availability year-round, e-commerce, rapid urbanization, and changing lifestyles are all factoring into the increased demand for cold storage facilities, which are temperature-controlled warehouses, and transport vehicles for seamless distribution. 

With growing demand comes the risk of increasing fire hazards and the need for proper fire protection. Fire protection helps mitigate disastrous consequences by implementing measures and strategies that stop the spread and intensity of a fire, protecting both people and assets. Despite their name and function, cold storage facilities present complex fire risks, and developing effective fire & life safety systems is integral to keeping your facility running and avoiding disasters.  

When Design Details Make or Break Safety  

There are three typical issues we experience with fire protection design in all types of cold storage, including static and automatic storage and retrieval systems (ASRS): 

• Freeze Risk for Fire Sprinklers: Wet-pipe sprinkler systems begin to freeze at 40°F. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 13 (2025) requires the use of dry-pipe, preaction, or antifreeze systems in such environments. We have design experience with all three options, and each has operational challenges. Dry-pipe systems cost more than wet-pipe systems, need compressed gas equipment, are subject to corrosion/pipe failure, and deliver water more slowly. Antifreeze systems require careful purging of water from lines after acceptance testing and inadequate draining prior to antifreeze charging can result in pipe breakage and leakage.  

• Complex Rack Storage Layouts: Cold storage facilities often use ASRS with narrow aisles and high racks. FMDS 8-34 notes that rack geometry, depth, and aisle width directly affect sprinkler placement and in-rack sprinkler needs. In-rack sprinklers are required for nearly all ASRS systems in cold storage, complicating coordination with other trades and automated robotics. 

• Design Coordination with Other Systems: Fire protection must integrate with all trades, especially refrigeration evaporators and rack steel. It is not common for the storage system manufacturers to have fire sprinklers integrated into their design, so that adds complexity and cost to the design and installation of the storage system. 

Understanding Cold Storage-Specific Fire Risks 

Although frozen food itself may be noncombustible, corrugated cartons, plastic film liners, and pallets represent significant fuel loads.  

For ASRS systems, the two primary concerns are robotics and plastic totes often used to store items. Robotics adds risks due to their power source, typically Lithium-Ion batteries (LIBs), and the bots’ ability to move a fire around the storage array. Depending on the type of totes used and the storage configuration, the sprinkler protection required by FMDS 8–34 can be quite demanding. Holes in the bottom of totes do not negate the need for in-rack sprinklers. 

Cold storage does not have an inherently higher risk than ambient storage. However, certain misconceptions, and other engineering systems used for cold storage can pose increased fire risks. The key difference from ambient storage protection is dry-pipe suppression systems delay sprinkler activation. 

• Stored Products & Packaging: Even in freezing conditions, corrugated boxes and plastic packaging ignite easily and burn intensely. [FMDS 8-9, 2.2.2 (Storage Commodities Guidance)] 

• Electrical & Refrigeration Equipment: Compressors, conveyors, and ammonia systems can create ignition or explosion risks. New refrigerants are more combustible than refrigerants being phased out due to environmental impacts. [NFPA 13, Annex A.3.3.19 (Special Hazards for Refrigerated Spaces)] 

• Structural Complexity: ASRS introduces robotic equipment and deep rack configurations that complicate sprinkler coverage. [FMDS 8-34, 2.1.4 (Protection Requirements)] 

Prioritizing Detection and Notification Systems 

Codes don’t always require early detection systems, but early detection can prevent fires before they start, saving lives and maintaining operations. According to IBC/IFC §907.2, fire alarm devices (horns, strobes, manual pulls) are not typically required in Group S-1 or S-2 storage occupancies if sprinklered. 

Even when not mandated by code, Henderson recommends early detection systems as essential safeguards for ASRS facilities. For example, aspirating smoke detection can spot issues from robotics or chargers before a fire starts and sprinklers activate. We recommend aspirating smoke detection in ASRS in accordance with FMDS 8-34 to mitigate fire damage due to malfunctioning robotics and chargers, and initiate egress as compared to waiting for sprinkler water flow. These early smoke detection systems protect staff and provide operational alerts much earlier than heat-initiated systems or spot smoke detection. 

In cold storage, fire detection is more about preventing fires, supporting operations, and providing safety for workers than meeting an IBC/IFC mandate. 

Matching Systems to Storage Layout and Processes 

Matching the fire protection to the stored commodities and the storage configuration is critical to meeting compliance, keeping your facility safe, and minimizing costly design changes. Intricate details in sprinkler design are often overlooked early on, but small dimensional changes in design ripple into large consequences, increasing costs and changing water supply demands. A 1–2-inch flue space change can trigger mandatory in-rack sprinklers. A 5 feet ceiling increase can double water supply needs. One extra foot of rack height may add an entire in-rack sprinkler tier. 

These three different areas can dramatically affect the sprinkler design:

• Flue Space Width and Alignment: Flues are spaces which enable sprinkler effectiveness. Minimum transverse flue space requirements are based on spacing between rows (FMDS 8-34, 2.2.1.4). If racks are misaligned and flue continuity is lost, in-rack sprinklers or vertical barriers become mandatory (2.2.1.4.5). This can change a ceiling-only system into a combined ceiling and in-rack system. In-rack sprinkler and barrier requirements can add cost and complexity. 

• Ceiling Height: Ceiling height directly changes sprinkler demand tables. A 5 feet ceiling increase can more than double water pressure requirements, often requiring larger fire pumps and tanks. For example, designing at 25 feet instead of 20 feet ceiling height could change a moderate pump system into a high-capacity pump and tank installation, affecting building cost and footprint. 

• Rack Height / Storage Above In-Rack Sprinklers: FMDS 8-34 Table 15 limits storage height above top in-rack sprinklers to 10 feet. If storage extends higher than 10 feet above the top-most in-rack tier, the design no longer complies, and additional in-rack level sprinklers must be added. Increasing rack height above the top in-rack sprinkler may force the addition of an entire extra in-rack sprinkler tier, increasing both system complexity and hydraulic demand. 

How Henderson Helps – Fire Protection Services 

Our fire protection engineers design fully integrated safety systems – not just sprinklers – tailored to the unique challenges of cold storage facilities. We work with you to develop systems that keep people, products, and buildings safe in any cold storage environment. Fire protection system integration early in design ensures cost-effective compliance and minimizes storage system redesign. 

As your facilities grow and change with added racks or commodities changes, we can work with you to update hydraulic calculations and sprinkler layouts, keeping protection in line with FM Global guidelines and NFPA 13 system discharge criteria. 

Henderson knows fire protection, and we’re here to help keep your facilities safe.