WHERE TRADITIONAL FIRE DETECTION STRUGGLES
The scale of modern facilities adds to the challenge. Smoke and heat may need to travel considerable distances before reaching ceiling-mounted detectors, while accessing detectors installed above racking, conveyors and automated equipment can make installation and ongoing maintenance more complex.
Ciqurix develops and manufactures video flame detection technology for these operational environments. The CORE primary fire detection system uses visual and near-infrared analysis to identify the physical presence of flame directly, rather than waiting for the byproducts of fire — smoke and heat — to travel through the building and reach a detector.
Why Ciqurix Is Suited to Storage and Distribution
Detects the physical presence of flame using visual and near-infrared analysis
Can detect fire at distances of up to 180 metres, subject to application and system design
Suitable for large and high-ceiling storage environments
The only approved video fire detection solution for buildings exceeding 40 metres
Ciqurix Zero is rated for operation down to -40°C
CORE is designed for compliance with BS 5839-1
Ciqurix was the world's first company to achieve product certification to LPS 1976
Can help reduce high-level installation and maintenance access requirements
Integrates with fire alarm, remote monitoring and automatic suppression systems
Operates during day and night across all light levels
Fire Detection for Storage and Distribution Facilities
Modern storage and distribution buildings are increasingly large, high and automated. High-bay racking can extend through a significant proportion of the building height, while conveyors, automated storage and retrieval systems and other infrastructure can make some areas difficult to access.
These conditions matter because traditional smoke and heat detection technologies generally need to be positioned where the byproducts of fire are expected to reach them. In a large, high-volume building, smoke and heat may have a considerable distance to travel, while ventilation and airflow can influence how those byproducts move through the space.
CORE uses a different detection principle. Ciqurix detectors process visual and near-infrared images simultaneously, analysing characteristics including colour, brightness, shape, flicker and movement over time to identify the physical presence of flame.
This reduces dependence on smoke or heat travelling significant distances through the building and enables greater flexibility in detector positioning. Detectors can be installed wherever they have an appropriate view of the fire risk rather than simply at the highest point within the protected space.
Racking, stored goods, machinery and other potential obstructions should be considered as part of the system design to ensure appropriate coverage of the fire risk.
Fire Detection in High-Bay Warehouses
Increasing building height presents both a detection and an access challenge.
Traditional automatic fire detection technologies have defined installation-height parameters under BS 5839-1. As buildings become taller, the distance smoke and heat must travel can increase, while installing and maintaining equipment at ceiling level may require specialist access equipment and disruption to warehouse operations.
Ciqurix video flame detection is based on an appropriate observation of the fire risk rather than smoke or heat reaching a detector at ceiling level. This provides greater flexibility in detector positioning and allows large volumes to be monitored from appropriate locations.
Ciqurix is the only approved video fire detection solution for buildings exceeding 40 metres, making the technology particularly relevant to modern high-bay and automated storage facilities where building height can exceed the practical parameters of other detection approaches.
Fire Detection for Cold and Frozen Storage
Cold and frozen storage creates a different set of challenges. Very low temperatures can create operational and maintenance challenges for traditional detection technologies, while condensation, restricted access and the importance of maintaining controlled temperatures can make installation and maintenance more demanding.
Ciqurix Zero is specifically designed for these operational environments and is rated for operation at temperatures down to -40°C. It has already been deployed in freezer and cold-storage applications.
Because video flame detection identifies flame directly, the detection principle does not depend on smoke travelling through a large refrigerated space to reach a ceiling-mounted detector. This can make it particularly suitable for cold stores, frozen warehouses and temperature-controlled logistics facilities where both temperature and building geometry need to be considered.
Installation, Access and Lifecycle Cost
In a large distribution centre, the cost of fire detection is not limited to the equipment itself.
Ceiling-level installation and maintenance can require mobile elevated work platforms, specialist access arrangements and temporary restrictions around racking, conveyors or automated handling equipment. In a continuously operating distribution facility, the disruption associated with gaining access can become a significant part of the system's lifecycle cost.
Video flame detectors can be positioned at accessible locations where they maintain an appropriate view of the fire risk, allowing large areas to be monitored from a distance.
When evaluating different fire detection approaches, it is therefore useful to consider total installed and lifecycle cost — including access requirements, operational disruption and future maintenance — rather than comparing equipment costs alone.
SPECIALISING IN FIRE DETECTION
This is where video flame detection like Ciqurix’s FCam System makes a significant impact. Unlike traditional smoke or heat detectors, which may have delayed responses due to the vast spaces and high ceilings, our technology can detect the earliest signs of a fire reliably and at long range, even in challenging environments, by using advanced algorithms and video and infrared analysis. This real-time monitoring allows for quicker detection, leading to faster emergency responses before fires grow to unmanageable levels.
Typical Storage and Distribution Applications
High-bay and automated warehouses can combine significant building heights with dense racking, conveyors, robotics and automated storage and retrieval systems. Video flame detection provides greater flexibility in detector positioning while reducing dependence on smoke or heat travelling to ceiling level.
Cold and frozen storage facilities operate at temperatures that can create practical limitations for conventional equipment. Ciqurix Zero is rated to -40°C for freezer, cold-storage and refrigerated logistics applications.
FMCG and grocery distribution centres frequently combine large storage volumes with high stock turnover, loading activity and extensive materials-handling infrastructure. Fire detection needs to account for both the building geometry and the operational requirement to keep goods moving.
Third-party logistics (3PL) facilities may handle changing inventories for multiple customers. The fire risk and storage configuration can therefore vary over time, making system design and appropriate coverage particularly important.
Long-term and bonded warehouses can contain substantial concentrations of stored assets, often across large or high-rack storage areas. Early detection can help protect inventory while supporting the wider fire response strategy.
Electric vehicle and battery storage or charging areas introduce specific fire risks that should be considered within the overall site fire strategy. Video flame detection can monitor defined areas for the physical presence of flame and integrate with the site's wider fire detection and response infrastructure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is fire detection challenging in storage and distribution facilities?
Storage and distribution facilities can combine high ceilings, large open volumes, dense racking, changing airflow, cold temperatures and difficult maintenance access.
These conditions can influence the suitability of traditional fire detection technologies because smoke and heat may need to travel considerable distances before reaching ceiling-mounted detectors. High-level detector installation and maintenance can also become increasingly difficult as warehouses become taller and more automated.
How does video flame detection work in high-ceiling warehouses?
Video flame detection identifies the physical characteristics of flame using visual and near-infrared analysis. It does not depend on smoke or heat travelling through the building and reaching a detector at ceiling level.
This allows greater flexibility in detector positioning, with detectors installed where they have an appropriate view of the fire risk.
Can CORE be used in warehouses over 40 metres high?
Yes. Ciqurix is the only approved video fire detection solution for buildings exceeding 40 metres.
Because CORE detects flame directly rather than relying on smoke or heat reaching a ceiling-mounted detector, there is no comparable detector installation-height limitation. Coverage remains dependent on appropriate system design and an appropriate view of the fire risk.
Can video flame detection operate in cold and frozen warehouses?
Yes. Ciqurix Zero is designed specifically for cold-storage applications and is rated for operation at temperatures down to -40°C. It has already been deployed in freezer environments.
This makes Ciqurix video flame detection suitable for consideration in cold stores, frozen warehouses and refrigerated logistics facilities where very low temperatures can create challenges for other fire detection technologies.
Can video flame detection reduce high-level maintenance requirements?
It can help. Traditional detectors installed at ceiling level may require specialist access equipment for inspection, testing and maintenance, particularly in high-bay warehouses or above automated equipment.
Video flame detectors can be positioned in more accessible locations where an appropriate view of the fire risk can be maintained. This can help reduce high-level access requirements and associated operational disruption over the lifetime of the system.
Is CORE compatible with an existing warehouse fire alarm system?
Yes. CORE is compatible with virtually all fire alarm control panels. Programmable alarm and fault outputs can connect directly to the Fire Alarm Control Panel or through an appropriate input/output or zone-monitoring interface.
This allows video flame detection to be incorporated into an existing fire strategy without requiring the site's fire alarm infrastructure to be replaced. CORE is a primary fire detection system designed for compliance with BS 5839-1.
Does video flame detection work in automated warehouses?
Yes, provided the system can be designed with an appropriate view of the fire risks being protected.
Automated warehouses can present particular challenges because high-bay racking, conveyors, robotics and automated storage systems may make ceiling-level access difficult and can create obstructions within the protected space. Video flame detection provides greater flexibility in detector positioning, but the changing geometry and potential obstructions need to be considered during system design.
DETECT IN SECONDS
ALL LIGHT LEVELS
INDOORS & OUTDOORS
DETECT UP TO 180M
Implementing Ciqurix’s FCam System in storage and distribution centers enhances safety by reducing false alarms, increasing detection accuracy and ensuring that any fire risks are promptly managed. This technology is crucial for protecting inventory, reducing downtime and safeguarding both workers and the facility itself.
Primary fire detection solution for a flagship fully-automated warehouse
