Racks greater than 12 feet may require which type of suppression system?

Racks that are greater than 12 feet in height typically require a sprinkler system due to the nature of the potential fire hazards associated with the taller storage configurations. Sprinklers provide an effective means of fire suppression by delivering water directly to the seat of a fire, which can be vital in high-piled storage scenarios where fire can spread rapidly.

In taller racks, the complexity of the fire loading increases, necessitating a reliable suppression method that can quickly control or extinguish a fire before it intensifies. Sprinklers are designed to distribute water throughout the area and can be tailored to meet the unique challenges posed by high racks, such as obstructions that might block smoke and heat from reaching the detection points of the system.

The use of other suppression systems like foam, water spray, or gas extinguishing systems might be appropriate in specific applications; however, they do not provide the same level of general applicability and effectiveness in high-piled storage areas as sprinkler systems do, particularly in maintaining control of fire spread in racks exceeding that height. Thus, sprinklers are the standard requirement in these scenarios for their reliability and efficiency in suppressing fires quickly.