How is fire protection provided in nuclear power plants?
Fire protection is provided by three layers of defense, commonly referred to collectively as defense-in-depth. First, plants maintain fire safety by taking measures to minimize the likelihood that fires might occur. Second, plants establish fire protection systems (sprinklers, fire water systems, etc.) to extinguish (and minimize the consequences of) any fires that do occur. Finally, plants rely on redundant safety systems (e.g., installing fire barriers) that are unlikely to be damaged by a single fire.
