Fire Protection in Aircraft Hangars: Adapting to Changes in NFPA 409

With the arrival of the F-35 jets in Florennes and Kleine-Brogel, the Belgian Ministry of Defence required fire protection solutions for new hangars in compliance with the updated NFPA 409 standard. In collaboration with Arcadis and Jan De Nul, Jensen Hughes led the effort to meet these requirements.

While NFPA 409 allows various foam-based systems for fire suppression, the Defence Department prohibited foam due to potential damage to aircraft. Instead, the team proposed a hybrid system combining standard sprinklers and a low-pressure water mist system with floor-mounted nozzles, providing effective protection using only pure water.

In the article titled ‘Fire Protection in Aircraft Hangars: Adapting to Changes in NFPA 409’, Martial Delplanche, Fire Safety Expert and Senior Project Manager, discusses in FireForum Magazine that the selected solution was based on a risk analysis aligned with the ICAO's Safety Management Manual. This method involved identifying hazards, assessing risks without suppression systems, proposing mitigation measures, and evaluating residual risk. For the F-35, four key fire scenarios were considered: fuel spill fire, electrical fire, hot work fire, and arson.

Read more about the solutions for fire protection in aircraft hangars in FireForum Magazine

Download the full article published in FireForum Magazine in Dutch or French here: 

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