Among the many requirements involved in designing a storage solution for flammable material such as liquor, plastics, oils, or aerosols, in-rack fire barriers or baffles may be required.

In the event of a fire, baffles can isolate the heat and activate sprinklers more quickly. Vertical barriers also help prevent the fire from spreading further down a row of racking.

 

The horizontal baffles or decks are available in load-bearing or non-load bearing and can also be used in the flue space. As you can see in the picture above, they also work well with in-rack sprinkler systems.

I know it sounds weird to be recommending solid decking as a solution after being told by fire marshals for years that wire deck is the right answer, but in those rare cases where your customer is storing something highly flammable, solid barriers can keep a small fire from becoming a full-blown disaster.