📌 3 Key Takeaways
- Any protected area using a CO2 fire-suppression system, or any storage room holding 100 or more CO2 cylinders (45 kg basis), is legally required under Korea's Occupational Safety and Health Standards Rule Article 628-2 to install oxygen and carbon dioxide detection and alarm devices.
- At this Seoul general hospital site, the basement generator room, electrical room, and UPS room were each fitted with a FIX800 fixed multi-gas detector monitoring O2 (oxygen) and CO2 (carbon dioxide) simultaneously.
- Alarms trigger at O2 ≤18.5% or ≥23.5%, and CO2 ≥1.5%, with a display board and alarm device at each entrance and real-time integrated monitoring at the hospital's central control room.
Did you know some fire-protected areas put out flames with carbon dioxide instead of water? Spaces packed with electrical equipment — generator rooms, electrical rooms, UPS rooms — can't use water-based suppression, so they rely on CO2 systems instead. But when CO2 is released, oxygen levels in that space drop sharply, and anyone inside at that moment faces a real risk of asphyxiation. This article walks through an actual installation at a general hospital in Seoul, where WANDI partner VPE Korea installed a FIX800 fixed multi-gas detector to turn that risk into a continuously monitored, managed system.
Why Gas Detectors Are Mandatory in CO2 Fire-Suppression Zones
A CO2 fire-suppression system extinguishes fire by releasing a large volume of carbon dioxide into the protected area, lowering the oxygen concentration. The suppression itself is highly effective, but if anyone is present in the space the moment CO2 is released, oxygen deficiency and CO2 exposure can occur simultaneously. For this reason, Article 628-2 of Korea's Occupational Safety and Health Standards Rule requires oxygen or carbon dioxide detection and alarm devices in CO2 fire-suppression protected areas and in any storage room holding 100 or more CO2 cylinders (45 kg basis). Under the relevant Ministry of Employment and Labor regulation, such facilities were required to complete installation by October 18, 2024 — any site that hasn't yet done so should act promptly.
Site Background — Three High-Risk Spaces in a Hospital Basement
This site consisted of the generator room, electrical room, and UPS room in the basement of a Seoul general hospital. All three spaces store CO2 fire-suppression cylinders and house critical electrical equipment the hospital depends on during outages or fires. The challenge is that staff still enter these spaces briefly for inspection or maintenance. If CO2 were released while someone was inside, there might not even be time to evacuate — making continuous, simultaneous O2/CO2 monitoring essential.
The Solution — Simultaneous O2/CO2 Monitoring with the FIX800
VPE Korea installed a WANDI FIX800 fixed multi-gas detector, configured for simultaneous O2/CO2 measurement, in each of the three protected areas. A gas monitoring display board and alarm device (warning light) were placed at each entrance, and a separate integrated monitoring display board was installed in the hospital's central control room, allowing readings from all three spaces to be checked in real time from one location.
Alarm Setpoints for the Protected Areas
| Gas | Alarm Condition | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| O2 (Oxygen) | ≤18.5% or ≥23.5% | Monitors both oxygen deficiency (asphyxiation risk) and oxygen enrichment (fire risk) |
| CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) | ≥1.5% | Early detection of CO2 leaks or discharge |
Installation Details — Workmanship and Sensor Placement
Inside the electrical room, the FIX800 and its data/power cabling were all finished with steel conduit, reducing the risk of damage or malfunction from exposed wiring — the on-site facility manager reportedly praised the clean finish. Because CO2 is denser than air and tends to settle near the floor, the detector in the UPS room was mounted low, within 50 cm of the floor, so it accurately monitors the point where CO2 actually accumulates.
Results — Entrance Displays Plus Centralized Control-Room Monitoring
The main entrance received a gas monitoring display board, while the other entrances were fitted with warning-light alarm devices, so anyone approaching can see the current concentration before entering. Readings from all three protected areas also feed into the hospital's central control room, letting facility managers catch abnormalities the moment they occur without physically checking each space — combining individual-space safety with facility-wide oversight.
Checklist — Does Your Facility Need This Too?
- Do you operate a CO2 fire-suppression protected area, or a storage room holding 100 or more CO2 cylinders (45 kg basis)?
- Is that space already equipped with oxygen or CO2 detection and alarm devices (and did installation meet the October 18, 2024 legal deadline)?
- Is it a protected area — like a generator room, electrical room, or UPS room — that staff enter briefly for routine work?
- Is the CO2 detector mounted low, near the floor? (CO2 is denser than air.)
- Is there a display board or warning light at the entrance showing the current gas concentration?
- Can readings from multiple protected areas be monitored centrally from one location?
Closing
A CO2 fire-suppression system exists to protect people and property from fire, but the moment it activates, that same space becomes an oxygen-deficient hazard zone. That's why a protected area needs, even before the suppression system itself, a gas detector that can tell people whether it's safe to enter. WANDI's FIX800 is a fixed multi-gas detector that monitors O2 and CO2 simultaneously, letting you build everything from entrance alarms to centralized control-room monitoring in one system. If you have questions about installing a gas detector in a CO2 fire-suppression protected area or about meeting the legal requirements, contact WANDI (+82-31-340-6952) for guidance tailored to your site.