New fire safety rules for data centres from November 6

HYDERABAD: Data centres are classified as business occupancies, but their fire risks differ from conventional buildings due to continuously energised equipment, UPS systems, batteries, combustible cable insulation and fuel storage. The Fire department’s new guidelines, issued on Wednesday, seek to address these hazards.

The guidelines prescribe special fire and life safety norms for data centres across the state, limiting basements to two levels. They will apply to applications for provisional Fire No Objection Certificates (NOCs) submitted on or after November 6.