With gas suppression systems being automatic fire extinguishing systems that use inert gases or chemical agents to control and extinguish a fire without human intervention, fire protection company Centa Group ensures that specialised fire protection and prevention solutions are engineered to suit specific environments.

The company’s areas of expertise include gas and bus suppression systems, electronic fire detection, water systems – sprinklers and water reticulation – passive fire protection (PFP), including fire doors and fire retardants, as well as kitchen systems and room integrity testing. The company also supplies a range of specialised fire equipment.

“These services encompass fire system selection, design layout, installation and maintenance,” says Centa Group chairperson Duncan Boyes.

He notes that Centa Group’s team of technical experts – with knowledge about fire and the legal requirements of fire protection equipment – is committed to providing dependable fire protection systems that will adequately protect lives and property in the event of a fire.

The challenges of protecting buildings from fire can be complex, depending on the fire load of the facility, coupled with the fire risk of goods stored in the building. Although a sprinkler system is often considered sufficient to protect a building and its contents, other supplementary fire systems, including electronic fire detection and gas suppression systems, may be necessary. PFP such as fire doors and retardants, grease ducts, fire stops and closures, as well as specialised cable coatings, also form a part of fire protection in a building.

“Gas suppression systems are particularly well-suited for installation in server and computer rooms, libraries, museums and public buildings,” adds Boyes.

Automatic ceiling units are available from 1.5 kg to 9 kg and use powder/gas as the extinguishing medium. They have a working pressure of 1 500 kPa.

Centa’s ‘room integrity testing’ is a recommended procedure to support discharge testing of clean agent fire suppression systems. This process gives assurance that the fire suppression system will hold the concentration of the gas as designed. The integrity tester measures the leakage of a room.

An important part of Centa Group’s service is its ability to carry out national maintenance contracts throughout South Africa. Centa Group uses a national maintenance programme, which is intranet driven, to offer customers around the country 24/7 peace of mind about their fire protection equipment. An efficient barcoding system assists with management control, by retaining information on product type, location of fire systems, pressure test dates, recommendations and outstanding tasks.

Centa Group is the only fire company in South Africa to locally manufacture a range of fire extinguishers and hose reels – all with the ‘Proudly SA’ stamp of approval. This attribute is enhanced by accreditation from various standards authorities, including SABS and ISO 9001: 2015 certification, SAQCC-Fire.

“Centa Group has been a major contributor to uplifting the quality and safety standards of fire protection equipment for 25 years,” concludes Boyes.