APF Issue 06

APF ON-LINE

www.apfmag.com

An MDM PUBLICATIONIssue 6 – June 2003

ASIA PACIFIC FIRE MAGAZINE

REPORTING TO THE ASIA PACIFIC FIRE PROTECTION AND FIRE SERVICE INDUSTRY

F ire Resistant Construct ionSprink lers Market Gu ideLarge Capaci ty Monitors

a lso ins ideF ire Resistant Construct ion

Sprink lers Market Gu ideLarge Capaci ty Monitors

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Clothing

OFC IFC IBC OBC 2/11/06 12:28 pm Page ofc1

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OFC IFC IBC OBC 2/11/06 12:29 pm Page ifc2

3 Foreword from NFPA

5-8 The Other End of theTelescope

11-14 Are Hazardous ChemicalsMore Hazardous in NorthAmerica than in Europe?

16-19 Fire Resistant Construction

20-24 General & CommercialSprinklers Market Guide

27-28 Today’s Aircraft Rescue FireFighting Vehicles

31-37 Large Capacity Monitors forBulk Storage Tanks

38-40 Aircraft Rescue Fire TrainingSimulators

41 Notifier Installation Profile

43-45 Compressed Air FoamSystems for Wildland FireFighting

47-49 When Cork was King – TheDevelopment of Fire FightersHelmets

51-54 Is Your Tunnel ProtectedAgainst Fire?

55 Draeger Product Profile

56-58 Thermal Imaging Extends itsReach into MultipleApplications

59-61 Heat Stress: Ignore TheSigns At Your Peril

62-63 Product Update

64 Advertisers’ Index

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

1

Front cover picture: Courtesy ofTrelleborg Protective Products AB

PublishersMark Seton & David Staddon

Editorial ContributorsRob Yates, John Eklund, Bill Flynn, Jorg Hitzler, Mike Willson, Mila Lane,Dominic Colletti, Colin Robinson, Ian Holt, Nicky Probyn, Jeffrey Petersen

General ManagerMaggie Evans

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APF ON-LINE

www.apfmag.com

An MDM PUBLICATION

Issue 6 – June 2003



F ire Resistant Construct ion

Sprink lers Market Gu ide

Large Capaci ty Monitors

a lso ins ide

F ire Resistant Construct ion

Sprink lers Market Gu ide

Large Capaci ty Monitors


Clothing

June 2003 Issue 6

Contents

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:32 pm Page 1

Enquiries: www.luxfercylinders.com

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:32 pm Page 2

Performance Based CodesIn recent times I have participated in a number of significant International Fire Conferences.A key topic at these events has been the issue of performance-based codes and the resultsof the work done using this framework. The concept of performance-based codes is notnew; some countries have been using this concept for a number of years. Many othercountries are in the process of moving to a regulatory environment, which will enableperformance-based options. In setting their regulatory framework they will have the advan-tage of seeing the good and bad results of those who have gone before them. Manymodern codes (such as NFPA 101) provide for both prescriptive and performance-basedoptions. Before moving to performance-based codes the questions have to be asked aboutthe relevance or adequacy of the existing prescriptive codes and to determine the currentsafety levels.

When the concept was initially proposed; as a serving fire officer I was skeptical aboutthe outcomes. We have now had an opportunity to see the results. In my opinion theresults has been mixed.

There are some in the fire/construction industry who have seen this as an opportunity toavoid the prescriptive requirement and dramatically reduce the fire safety equipment inbuildings such as sprinklers. Some of the assumptions on which the decisions have beenmade are questionable.

Equally there have been many projects where through appropriate use of the tools avail-able and good fire engineering the outcomes have produced safer buildings with most costeffective use being made of the available fire protection dollars.

The issue of change of use during the life of the building is still a concern for many inthe fire service and those responsible for public safety. From my observations if a jurisdic-tion is not demonstrating adequate performance in ensuring conformance to prescriptivecodes they need to have reservations about moving into a performance based environment.

Many countries are now reviewing the outcomes and considering future directionsrelative to performance-based codes. As a result of abuses in the system many arereconsidering a free and open system and are looking to return more power to regulatoryauthorities. In some cases the fire service will have final say over the acceptance ofperformance-based options. In others the performance-based option must be shown todemonstrate equivalence or better performance than the prescriptive option.

In many cases the abuses of the performance-based codes have been in areas other thanfire protection such as noise reduction, waterproofing and foundations. Regardless of thetypes of problems the solutions will impact all areas of construction and engineering;including fire engineering.

I am sure there will be some interesting developments on this issue in the near future.

Jeff GodfredsonNFPA’s Asia-Pacific Operations Director


3

FOREWORDby Jeff GodfredsonNFPA’s Asia-Pacific Operations Director

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:33 pm Page 3

Enquiries: www.estinternational.com

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:33 pm Page 4

It is a useful exercise forprofessionals within thefire alarm industry to con-

sider fire alarm systems froman end user’s perspective. Ingeneral an end user is con-cerned with opening his newproperty or continuing hisday-to-day business. He isaware that often there is legislationrequiring a fire alarm system to protectoccupants and that failure to complycould result in the property closingwhile the problem is addressed, butknowledge beyond these basic assump-tions is often sadly lacking. This is cur-rently an area of concern for thoseinvolved in fire protection. Levels ofawareness of the Fire PrecautionsWorkplace Regulations are poor, withmany building owners/occupiers unsureof their actual responsibilities in termsof fire safety. The new Fire SafetyOrder, scheduled to be introduced inSpring 2004, offers a real opportunityto address this issue to ensure that theend user’s knowledge of fire safety legis-lation and his responsibilities under firerisk assessment are greatly improved.

In the meantime, a consequence ofthis lack of understanding and the lowpriority often given to fire protectionmeans that many fire alarm systems are therefore designed to provide the

minimum protection sufficient to meetlife safety legislation. To the customerthis makes the system an essential bur-den rather than a useful facility. Everysubsequent problem, be it a fault, anaddition or a false alarm is seen asincreasing that burden. The fire panelsits by the reception unloved andunwanted – a problem waiting to hap-pen which will then further drain thecustomer’s limited funds.

The problem with the customer is hedoes not usually understand the manyways in which fires can start, nor howrapidly they can develop. In fact manycustomers will have memories of howdifficult fires are to start when lightinga fire at home or while camping. Allcustomers will express their under-standing of how dangerous fires can bebut few deep down really understandwhy. Just how dangerous is not only anissue of life safety. The following factshelp to put into context the potentialfinancial consequences for a company:

● Fire is estimated to cost theUK economy some £7bil-lion annually.

● An estimated 3 out of every4 businesses that experi-ence a serious fire go out ofbusiness either directly as aresult of the fire or within 3years of reopening.

Where the property is new, an archi-tect or consultant often specifies thefire alarm system. The main or electricalsubcontractor will then choose the sys-tem installer. The end user very oftenhas no or at least limited involvementand, it therefore follows, very littleinterest. However it is the end user thatwill have to live with the system,experience every fault and false alarmand cover the ensuing costs.

Best practice therefore is to includethe end user in the design and decisionmaking process from the start. This is,though, usually impractical due to timeconstraints, other priorities and, ofcourse, lack of customer interest. Thisdoes not excuse the system designerfrom at least attempting to considerthe needs of his ultimate client; neitherdoes it excuse them from attempting toshow their client the benefits of a systemthat does a little more than the mini-mum required for legislative purposes.


5

ROB YATES, Product Marketing Manager (Fire) – Fire & Security Products at Siemens BuildingTechnologies Ltd, suggests that the fire protectionindustry can learn much by taking on the enduser’s perspective when considering fire alarm anddetection equipment.

The FC 500C alarm panel from Siemens FSP is able to differentiate between detectors and call points on the same circuit

The Other End ofthe Telescope

The Other End ofthe Telescope

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:34 pm Page 5

DETECTIONOne problem that the end user isalways conscious of is false alarms. Heis capable of determining the rate,inconvenience and cost of false alarmscaused by his system far more readilythan the system’s relative sensitivity orusefulness. The system’s negativeaspects are therefore much more preva-lent in the customer’s mind than thepositive aspects.

In the early days of automatic detec-tion many problems were experienceddue to the products themselves. Inparticular problems relating to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), mechan-ical design and crude optics led to afalse alarm rate over and above thoseexperienced purely through deceptivephenomena. Refinements made overthe years have reduced false alarms sig-nificantly, a fact highlighted by theBFPSA (British Fire Protection SystemsAssociation) and CACFOA (Chief &Assistant Chief Fire Officers Associ-ation) initiative on false alarms. Inaddition new technologies, higherprocessing power and sophisticatedalgorithms enable detection systems tofilter out some of the problems createdby deceptive phenomena while at thesame time increasing sensitivity to abroader range of fire types.

Despite these advances, steam dustand aerosols can still trigger a basicpoint type detector. Even without theseproblems, burning toast, fuels, cookingby-products and other causes of smoke

remain. Too often this causes the sys-tem designer to reduce the level of pro-tection offered by the system. Smokedetectors are replaced by rate of riseheat detectors where productionprocesses may affect them, rate of risedetectors are themselves often replacedby fixed temperature versions forsimilar reasons. Even worse, areas ofdetection can be removed completely, ifnot at the design stage then later bymaintenance personnel or end users asan ultimate “fix” to the inconvenienceof false alarms.

FALSE ALARM FILTERINGThe problem with any reduction indetection is that the system becomesincapable of detecting fires when it ismost needed or is at least considerablyslower. With a little more thought dur-ing the design/specification stage thisreduction in detection may be unnec-essary. The simple fact remains that theoverwhelming majority of false alarmsare created while the premises areoccupied while 67% of all fires occurafter 6.00 pm when the building isunoccupied.

During occupied periods people whoare very effective fire detectors can off-set a reduced level of detection. How-ever, when this reduction in detection iscontinued during unoccupied periodsthe performance of the system isseverely compromised.

False alarm filtering is a usefulmethod of maintaining sensitive detec-tion during unoccupied periods while


6

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APF p. 1-37 11/21/06 12:23 PM Page 7

reducing false alarms dur-ing troublesome occupiedperiods. Basically the sys-tem works in two distinctmodes: ‘manned’ and‘unmanned’.

In manned modedevices can be pro-grammed either not toactivate the sounder or toactivate the sounder butnot send an immediatesignal to the fire brigade.Alternatively with modernanalogue addressable sys-tems it may be possible toreduce the sensitivity ofsome detectors by day and return to full sensitiv-ity at night. Manual callpoints can be treated quitedifferently and conven-tional panels such asSiemens FC500C are now available with the facility to differentiatebetween detectors and call points onthe same circuit. The important thing isthat the system is returned to full sensi-tivity at night when the premises areunmanned. This should be doneautomatically.

COMMUNICATIONSOf course false alarm filtering as dis-cussed above assumes that the systemhas been connected in some way to thefire brigade. However many systemshave no such connection. This meansthat the return on the end user’sinvestment in a fire alarm system dur-ing unoccupied periods is nil. The posi-tive arguments for the fire alarmsystem are reduced further.

Communication via an ARC (AlarmReceiving Centre) brings further bene-fits. Faults are monitored and engineerscan be summoned automatically. Peri-ods of isolation can be monitored andrecorded, as can the user’s weekly tests.The weekly test by the user is probablythe most important aspect of the ser-vicing of a fire alarm. Huge confidencecan be gained in the system integrity ifthe weekly tests are done properly. Inaddition they are excellent at gettingthe end user to take some responsibilityfor the system. Instilling in the end userthe habit of doing these tests can beanother matter. However if these testsare recorded by the ARC then not onlycan proof be provided that these testswere undertaken but the ARC canremind end users of any lapses in theirroutine.

ALARMSPeople involved in the fire industrytend to respond to alarms rather moreseriously than the wider public. When ahotel fire alarm system is activated at3am most people in the trade will duti-fully evacuate immediately. Those notfrom the industry will tend to see if thealarm is silenced in the early stagesbefore dressing and staggering into thecold night air. The more people areevacuated for spurious reasons the lessresponsive they become. It is thereforeeveryone’s responsibility in the trade totake the utmost care in providingalarms and detection systems that suitthe situation.

Let’s take the hotel example a littlefurther. At 3am in the morning whatare the likely causes of fires or falsealarms. Fires can start from electricalfaults, smokers, cooking, arson etc.

Occupants smoking in their rooms orthe bar are a common cause of falsealarms as are residents taking showersand activating the smoke detectorwithin their rooms. Note here that thesystem designer has to consider theconflicting needs of the smoker: that ishis tendency to cause false alarmsweighed against his high fire risk.

Too often system designers respondto this challenge by reducing the levelof detection. They may replace smokedetection with rate of rise heat

detectors within the rooms.This form of detection isusually adequate to protectthe other occupants in thehotel. However, they are notsuitable for protecting theoccupant of the room wherethe fire originates as smokemay overcome him beforethe detector is activated.

Providing the hotel is wellstaffed, bedrooms have ade-quate fire separation andthat all other considerationsrequired by risk analysisallow, then a two-stagealarm system can provide a high level of detection witha low level of false alarmsand unnecessary evacuations.

It is possible for instancethat a smoke detector withina bedroom can activate a

sounder within that room only. At thesame time staff can be alerted, but afull-scale evacuation of occupantsdelayed for a short period while thecause is investigated. If corrective actionis not forthcoming or other detectors ormanual call points are triggered then afull evacuation is commenced immedi-ately. No such filtering need be instig-ated for detectors protecting kitchens,corridors, ceiling voids etc, – these willbe programmed to immediately gener-ate a general evacuation.

A great deal of time and energy goesinto writing specifications for medi-um/large applications. Comparatively,very little thought goes into specifica-tions for small/medium applicationsyet most of the facilities mentionedabove are available in products aimedat this market. Too often smaller sys-tems have no connection to the FireBrigade, only operate on a one out allout evacuation and are never tested bythe user. The only time the user noticesthat they have a fire alarm installed iswhen they are evacuated into the carpark for no good reason. With a littlemore attention from specifiers andinstallers an end user can be left with afar more positive view and a greaterfeeling of involvement in their system.


8

The more people are evacuated forspurious reasons, the less responsive theybecome, it is in everybody’s interest toreduce these incidences of false alarms

Rob YatesProduct Marketing Manager

Fire & Security Products

Siemens Building Technologies Ltd,Fire & Security Products Division

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:35 pm Page 8

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APF p. 1-37 11/21/06 12:13 PM Page 10

The answer to this question could,in fact, be ”yes”, if we were tobase our comparisons on the dif-

ferences between the US and otherinternational standards for gas-tightchemical and chemical vapour protectiveclothing – called CPC for short.

Chemical protective clothing owes itsorigins to the results of NBC developmentprograms for military use. These types ofNBC protective suits have been developedfurther and modified so as to be suitablefor use in civilian circumstances by fireand rescue services, civil defence person-nel and also within industry.

Today the civil versions are widelyused by the military or other defencerelated services for the purpose of bombdisposal, demilitarisation programs,including the disarming of weapons ofmass destruction, anti terrorist programs,refuelling of rockets and similar tasks.

The purpose of chemical protectiveclothing is to protect the wearer fromdirect skin contact with hazardous sub-stances in their various forms.

There are a surprisingly large numberof different hazardous substances in use

today. A fair estimate is that, worldwide,they number about 8 million1!

It is a sad fact that at this present time we know far too little about theeffects on human beings resulting fromskin contact with most of these sub-stances and therefore it is absolutelyessential to establish an optimal level ofprotection to the wearers of chemicalprotective clothing. This is known as theprotective factor and often called PF forshort.

Chemical protective suits are availablein many different designs and materialswith numbers of different options. Thefactors determining the choice of CPCmust be the protective factor that is tobe provided to the wearers based on theuses to which the suits are to be put.

In many instances the choice of type ofprotective clothing is based on a kind oftradition, often due to lack of regulationsor even guidelines from any healthauthority relating to the use of suchclothing. Availability of a sufficientbudget can also be an important factor.

The differences between the US andother international standards can beclearly visualised by focusing on chemi-cal protective suits, which are consideredto provide the highest possible level ofprotection. These suits are usuallyreferred to as “A” level suits.

A-level suits should provide protec-tion against all hazardous chemicals orother materials in whatever form theymay arise, liquid, gaseous, in vapour orin solid form.

Chemical protective clothing and theuse of this type of equipment has onlyreached the civil sector relatively recent-ly and this is the reason for the lack ofcomprehensive product standards andtest procedures for type approval thatstill remain to be fully established andinternationally adopted.

Until the 1990s the only recognisedstandards in existence were, in principledomestic, such as the German vfdb andthe British BS.

United States vs. EuropeCurrently there are two major interna-tionally recognised standards available.


11

A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE AMERICAN AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR

CHEMICAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING

1 National Research Council, USA

Are Hazardous ChemicalsMore Hazardous in NorthAmerica than in Europe?

Are Hazardous ChemicalsMore Hazardous in NorthAmerica than in Europe?

By John F. EklundTRELLEBORG PROTECTIVE PRODUCTS AB

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:36 pm Page 11

These are the American standard NFPA1991 and the joint European standardEN 943.

Many professional users regard theAmerican NFPA 1991 standard as thebetter of the two. It is user-friendlierwith distinct documentation and clearlydefined borderlines of minimumrequirements. The structure of the Euro-pean EN 943 standard is of a morecomplex nature. It offers a number ofoptions for different classes of the mini-mum requirements, which are not easyto interpret, unless someone is a quali-fied expert on the subject.

It can be assumed that the reason forthis is that the European standard hasbeen drawn up, discussed, negotiated,compromised and agreed upon amongall the 15 member countries of theEuropean Union.

Some differences between the twostandards can be determined.

Abrasion prior to chemicalresistance testThe American NFPA 1991 standardstipulates the abrasion of suits tosimulate wear and tear in service priorto the suits being tested for resistanceto chemicals and other hazardoussubstances.

The European EN 943 standard con-tains no such stipulation relating toabrasion prior to chemical resistancetests.

This leads to the first conclusion.The US standard recognises the fact

that a chemical protective suit is notonly exposed to contact with hazardousand aggressive substances but also towear and tear during its service.

Chemical permeation resistancetestThe chemical resistance protection fac-tor is established by means of what isknown as “The Permeation Test”. This isa test that is clearly stipulated in boththe American NFPA and the EuropeanEN standards.

The stringent American standard stip-ulates a maximum detection level orpermeation rate of only 0.1 mg/cm2 perminute during a test period with a mini-mum duration of 60 minutes.

The European standard allows a max-imum detection level or permeation rateof 1.0 mg/cm2 per minute – ten timesmore than its American counterpart –during a test with a duration of only 10minutes. In the case of emergencyteams the test period is increased to 30minutes – one sixth or one half of theAmerican norm.

Are then hazardous chemicals morehazardous in North America than in therest of the world?

This rhetorical question naturallyleads to the second conclusion. No, ofcourse hazardous chemicals are notmore hazardous in the US. But it mustbe assumed that the rest of the world’smeagre knowledge of the effects ofcontacts between human skin and haz-ardous substances has been given muchmore consideration by the US standardscommittee than by other internationalorgans of standardisation.

The duration of the test – animportant factorThe minimum duration of the chemicalresistance or permeation test stipulated

in the American standard, as alreadystated, is 60 minutes. However, if nobreakthrough or other failure hasoccurred within this period of 60 min-utes the test must continue for a furtherperiod of up to 180 minutes or untilsuch a breakthrough or failure hasoccurred.

The European standard states that ifthe test period of ten minutes is appliedfor its chemical resistance/permeationtest and has been passed successfully,i.e. without any breakthrough or failurewithin the stipulated ten minutes – nomore, no less – then the suit isapproved. Thus, no “tolerances” areestablished, nor is any informationgained as to exactly when breakthroughor any other failure may occur in thesuit being tested.

Which end up in the third conclusion.A type approval protocol according tothe American NFPA 1991 standardoffers significantly more qualified, morevaluable, more useful and more impor-tant information to the user than anyother international counterpart.

Test temperature – a limitingfactorAn important factor, which limits thevalue of the permeation or chemicalresistance test results under both theAmerican and for instance Europeanstandards, is that, the tests need only tobe carried out at one fixed temperature.

The temperature stipulated under theAmerican standard is +27°C (+81°F) andfor Europe it is +20°C (+68°F).

This fact forms the basis of the fourthconclusion. A hazardous or aggressivesubstance is generally much moreaggressive at a high temperature than ata low one. Under the rules of the Ameri-can NFPA 1991 standard the chemicalresistance test is not only carried out ona suit that has been exposed to simulat-ed wear and tear, the suit is alsoexposed to chemicals at a higher tem-perature which means these chemicalsare more aggressive. There is no doubtthat the US chemical resistance test isfar more stringent than for instance itsEuropean counterpart and its results,once again, of much greater value.

Flame testThe US standard also stipulates a moresevere flame test than its Europeancounterpart. Furthermore, the US stan-dard requires a suit to be in contactwith flames for a longer period of time.The European standard offers variousdifferent options for different classes offlame tests and requirements.

The fifth conclusion then becomes:


12

Picture courtesy of Trelleborg Protective Products AB

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:37 pm Page 12

That the existence of a number of dif-ferent “look alike” options in the Euro-pean standard requirements could easilylead to misinterpretation and misjudge-ments when selecting this type of pro-tective equipment.

American standard NFPA 1991 isa superior standardAlthough, for instance the Europeanstandard EN 943 has been developedafter the American NFPA 1991 itsrequirements are not nearly as stringent.There is, however, one exception, andthat is the pressure leakage test require-ment. With this exception, a generalconclusion can be drawn that chemicalprotective clothing which has been test-ed and type approved according to theAmerican NFPA 1991 standard offersbetter protection to the wearer againstchemicals and other hazardous sub-stances than a corresponding suit testedand type approved for civil use accord-ing to the only standards applied in therest of the world today.

If this is not sufficient, finally a typeapproval in accordance with the Ameri-can standard NFPA 1991 is not a one-time event. It is subject to annual auditsby the relevant authority. These annualtests may not only cover a variety of keyproduct features in a sample of suits –they extend all the way back to the sup-plier’s manufacturing procedures andquality assurance.

Confined space entries – missionimpossible?Standards and type approval proceduresestablish the best possible foundationsfor the evaluation process in findingand selecting new personal protective

equipment and chemical protectiveclothing. However, sometimes thesestandards bring limitations and somecan actually create problems.

A typical case could be entries intoconfined spaces, difficult access andnarrow entries, where a gas and vapour-tight chemical protective suit is requiredin order to provide a sufficient level ofprotection to the wearer.

Currently it is only possible to obtaina type approval certificate according tothe American standard NFPA 1991 forsuits of so-called totally encapsulatedtype where the self-contained breathingapparatus is carried inside the suit and isprotected by it. This is in spite of thefact that a totally encapsulated CPC suitof this type with a breathing apparatusinside it, becomes rather large in volumeand therefore may prevent safe entryinto a confined space and even jeopar-dise the safety of the wearer. The “bigsuit” design undoubtedly runs a greaterrisk of being punctured during work.

Currently the market does offer non-encapsulated suits with the breathingapparatus on the outside of the gas andvapour-tight chemical protective suitsand these are clearly better for use inconfined space entries than the bulkytotally encapsulated suits.

Unfortunately the American NFPA1991 standard currently makes it impos-sible to obtain type approval for a non-encapsulated vapour and gas-tight suiteven if the suit is made of approved andcertified materials. The main reason forthis is that the market simply does notoffer any SCBA units that have beenadditionally tested and certified to con-form with the American NFPA 1991standard.

The European EN 943 standard,which is structured in a completely dif-ferent way and is not as stringent as itsAmerican counterpart, does provide forcertification of non-encapsulated gas,vapour and chemical protective suits.

Disposable or limited use typesuits?Advanced limited use or disposable pro-tective suits are today based on verythin barrier films or foils laminatedtogether. These films or foils, in theirturn, are usually laminated to highlyporous substrates, which have relativelypoor tensile strength properties. In somerare cases laminated to a strong flexiblefabric, forming a solid unit. The materi-als for suits of the limited use or dispos-able type are available with either asingle coating on the outside or theycan be double coated with a coating onboth inside and outside. The ultra thin


13

Picture courtesy of Trelleborg ProtectiveProducts AB

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Website: www.autoflug.com

Enquiries: Fax +49 4101 307 316

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:37 pm Page 13

films, which are used, are naturally very sensitive to mechanicalstresses and abrasion and also to exposure to flames and heat.As a result any mechanical damage such as scratches or cracksis virtually impossible to detect visually without the aid of spe-cial instruments.

These difficulties in detecting any possible damage to thebarrier laminate make it extremely difficult for the user todecide if it is safe to reuse a suit of limited use type even if ithas not been exposed to any hazardous substances during theintervening period.

According to the American NFPA 1991 standard an addi-tional outer protective cover, often referred to as a flash cover,must be worn over a certified garment of disposable or limiteduse type in order to protect the sensitive material of the gar-ment against abrasions, etc., and, in addition, to provide extraprotection to the wearer against flames and chemicals thatcause high temperatures by thermal reactions.

This additional flash cover is a necessity for the disposableor limited use type of suits, in order to be able to pass the pre-abrasion conditioning phase which is mandatory under theAmerican standard NFPA 1991 and which precedes the actualchemical permeation resistance test, as has already beendescribed.

Can we rely upon standard test methods whenapplied to disposable or limited use suits?Can we really trust the standard methods of testing suits toestablish their degrees of resistance to permeation and break-through by hazardous substances if these methods are appliedto disposable or limited use suits or garment materials?

The answer is generally “Yes”. However, these tests havebeen the subject of much discussion and questions have been

raised as to whether permeation test procedures used reallyreflect real world situations. This applies particularly to tests ofthe materials used in the manufacture of disposable and limit-ed use suits as these materials incorporate a highly porous andrelatively thick substrate.

The discussions that have arisen centre on the fact that thetest methods described in both the American NFPA and theexemplified European EN 943 standards fail to stipulate thatthe edges of garment samples undergoing tests must besealed. The question is therefore; does this highly porous sub-strate allow any molecules of the chemical substance beingused to test the garment to disappear during the detectionprocess? If the edges are not sealed some molecules couldactually escape via the highly porous substrate, getting awaythrough the unsealed edges and thus escaping detection. Theresults of this test would then be misleadingly positive due tosamples that leak.

Does limited use mean limited protection?The term limited use suit tends to give a wrong impression. Abetter term perhaps would be disposable or advanced dis-posable suit. This would be more correct since this type ofchemical protective clothing is made from disposable garmentmaterials.

Evaluation – an important taskThe complexity of the different standards and types of appli-cations requires a profound and comprehensive evaluationprocess before a decision is made on the selection of the nextgeneration of chemical protective clothing. Even the wordclothing in this concept is perhaps slightly inadequate. Thedecision will not be about a piece of clothing. It will be abouta life support system – the last but perhaps most valuable linkin your chain of protective equipment. And someone’s lifecould depend on it.


14

Picture courtesy of Trelleborg Protective Products AB

What is then the final conclusion? Well, the answer is thatit is in the responsibility of each and every one of us toface the consequences of our own actions. However, theright choice of CPC clothing for whatever application orsituation its users must face will make a considerable dif-ference on how the work is carried out and ultimately thewellbeing of the user. Maybe the old saying, “better safethan sorry” can be applied?


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APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:37 pm Page 14


APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:38 pm Page 15

Chris Heftel, a Washington stateland developer, has seen howdestructive wild-fire can be. So

he wanted to minimize the chancesthat such a disaster would destroy hislatest project, an upscale, gated com-munity of $500,000 single-familyhomes on Lookout Mountain, about 7miles (11 kilometers) from Spokane.

At first, he was inclined to suggestthat prospective buyers follow the con-cepts outlined in the Firewise Commu-nities/USA program as part of theirdevelopment contract. But when hewas ready to start building last sum-mer, Heftel decided to require prospec-tive buyers to sign a covenant legallybinding them to use fire-resistive build-ing materials and follow wildfire pre-vention practices modeled after thosein the Firewise program. When fullybuilt, the development’s nearly 100homes will all be structurally fire-resistive and have a defensible zonearound them.

It was a bold step, but Heftel says,no one buying into the River BluffRanch development has refused to sign.

“We made it clear to everyone howimportant it is to use fire-resistive

building materials and to be committedto fuels maintenance in an environ-ment such as this,” Heftel says.

Firewise Communities/USA is an edu-cation program sponsored by theNational Wildland/Urban Interface FireProtection Program, a consortium madeup of the USDA Forest Service, the U.S.Department of Interior, the NationalAssociation of State Foresters, the U.S.Fire Administration, and NFPA. Theconsortium’s covenants, which requirefire-resistive building materials anddefensible zones around properties, area new concept in the wildland/urbaninterface. However, community adop-tion of wildfire standards such as NFPA1144, Protection of Life and Propertyfrom Wildfire, is becoming common inmany areas, as residents realize that themost effective way to avoid destructionfrom wild-fires is proper constructionand fuels maintenance.

“This particular mountain has neverhad a serious wildfire, but the forest isvery vulnerable because unhealthygrowth has been allowed,” Heftel says.He says River Bluff Ranch is uphill andupwind from 1,000 acres (404 hectares)of public land that hasn’t been main-

tained and is overloaded with fuels. Among the requirements of the River

Bluff Ranch covenants are paved two-lane roads, secondary evacuation roads,and a network of forest roads. Alsorequired are underground utilities; aseries of non-potable-water storagetanks with dry hydrants; fire-resistantroofing, double-paned windows, deepside yard setbacks, defensible space,and vegetation maintenance; and anon-site caretaker, equipment, and shop.

The covenants further require thatthe community’s homeowners’ associ-ation, when formed, enforce thecovenants, educate the residents, main-tain the roads and water storage facil-ities, manage an ongoing foreststewardship program, and implementthe recommended Firewise Communitiesbudget — currently $2 per person — tobe used for future Firewise efforts.

“No one balked at committing to theFirewise covenants,” Heftel says. “Theyview it as physical protection for them-selves and their property, and anenhancement to the value of thehouse.”

It’s an attitude that Heftel views as aremarkable change.

“Only about five years ago, a similar,upscale development was constructedseveral miles from here that wouldn’tallow anything but wood-shakeshingles for the roofing,” he says.“Shakes won’t come anywhere near thisdevelopment.”

CHANGING HABITS IN MONTANAWashington isn’t the only wildfire-prone state in which NFPA 1144 is usedto convince homeowners to changetheir building material and construc-tion habits. Frenchtown, Montana, witha population of 1,700, adopted NFPA1144 in 1998.

“One of the things I like about the


16

This article is reprinted with permission: NFPA JOURNAL (vol. 97 no 2) © 2003, National FireProtection Association, Quincy, MA. All Rights Reserved

Among the requirements of the RiverBluff Ranch covenants are paved two-lane roads, secondary evacuationroads, and a network of forest roads.

By Bill Flynn

Remote ContrBUILDING A HOME IN A REMOTE REGION with spectacular mountainscenery or with the splendid isolation and tranquility of the desert is a dreamcome true for many urban dwellers. But it’s a dream that can rapidly becomea nightmare if homeowners aren’t willing to change their attitudes toward fire protection.

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:39 pm Page 16

code is it’s a standard we can refer to,”says Frenchtown’s Fire Chief Scott Wal-dron. “Except for the cities, there’s nobuilding code in Montana, so NFPA1144 is a tool that we use with buildersand homeowners to change their habitsregarding the materials they use andthe need to cut back on fuels.”

NFPA 1144 provides those responsiblefor fire protection, land-use planning,property development, property main-tenance, and others responsible for, orinterested in, improving fire and lifesafety in wildfire-prone areas withminimum requirements for planning,construction, maintenance, fire pre-vention, and management.

Waldron, whose department covers150 square miles (388 square kilo-meters), says that, after adopting NFPA1144, the community applied for grantmoney to do risk assessments through-out the town.

“We mapped high-risk areas usingGPS (global positioning system) andtargeted them for mitigation work,”Waldron says. “Then we went to eachof the homeowners and explained therisks, both in fuels buildup and con-struction on the property that wasputting the structure at risk.”

He says the grants also helped tosecure extra help for a fuels-reductionprogram. “We’ve managed to do about200 properties so far,” he notes.

Before new homes can be construct-ed, the prospective owners must obtaina fire safety permit from the firedepartment. At this point, Waldron usesNFPA 1144 to inform the homeownerswhat they need to do to beforeconstruction.

“And we go back and check beforethe permit is issued,” he says.

“I think one of the biggest mistakeswe make in the business of fightingwildland fires is telling people that wewill be there to protect them, becausethat’s not always true,” Waldron says.“But in the past few years, I think

we’ve made a lot of progress in educat-ing people on what they need to do,not only to have a defensible perimeter,but to use building materials that willallow a house to survive a crown fire.”

According to the Structure IgnitionAssessment Model (SIAM), a fire modeldeveloped by Jack Cohen, a scientist atthe U.S. Forest Service’s Fire Sciences

Laboratory in Missoula, Montana, afire-resistive wooden structure sur-rounded by a 100-foot (30-meter) areain which fuels have been thinned has agood chance of surviving a fast-moving crown fire. However, Cohen’sresearch seems to indicate that theprincipal cause of home losses duringwildfires isn’t necessarily the buildup offuels. Rather, it’s the degree to which ahome is vulnerable to ignition, a factorthat’s often overlooked when determin-ing the cause of property loss during awildland fire.

“A home’s ignition zone is prettymuch determined by the characteristicsof its construction and its immediatesurroundings, regardless of what wild-fire might be moving through,” Cohensays.

Key elements in a structure’s ignitab-ility are flammable roofs; burnable veg-etation, such as ornamental trees andshrubs, close to the house; the lack oftempered-glass or double-paned win-dows; and he lack of 1⁄8-inch mesh tokeep fronds from entering openings inthe structure.

The research also seems to suggestthat contemporary methods of fightingwildfires by reducing the fuel load maynot be as effective as believed becausethinning fuels on public lands does

little to reduce the ignitability of ahome on private land. It also suggeststhat the wildland/urban interface zonedoesn’t fully take into account the areaof prime fire risk and fuel hazards: thehouse and surrounding vegetation.

Cohen further stresses the impor-tance of the conditions that exist whena wildfire is raging.

“When an extreme event, such as anintensely hot wildfire occurs, manyhundreds of structures may bedestroyed,” he says. “The involvementof urban fire apparatus at this point ispretty much ineffective.”

He points to the Los Alamos, NewMexico, fire in 2000 as an example.

“At one point the fire was threaten-ing 1,000 structures. How does fireapparatus cope with that?” he asks.“Under these extreme conditions, wedon’t have a choice over the fire’sbehavior. Where we do have a choice isthe home ignition, that 100-foot (30-meter) radius around the house.”

FLORIDA USES MONTANA RESEARCHJim Harrell, the wildland mitigationcoordinator for the Florida Division ofForestry, says his division uses Cohen’sresearch to encourage home-owners tocreate zones around their property toreduce ignitability.

“We took a close look at what Cohenfound out in Montana to see how itapplies to Florida,” Harrell says.

Over the last three years Florida,which adopted NFPA 299, Protectionof Life and Property from Wildfire,(NFPA 1144’s former designation) as areference item in the state’s FirePrevention Code, has assembled fire


17

trolNFPA 1144 provides those responsiblefor fire protection, land-use planning,property development, propertymaintenance, and others responsiblefor, or interested in, improving fire andlife safety in wild-fire-prone areas withminimum requirements for planning,construction, maintenance, fireprevention, and management.

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:40 pm Page 17

management teams to help the state’s15 fire districts reduce fuel loads,especially those near private property.

Harrell says that Florida has hadgreat success with Firewise workshops.

“We’ve had 20 one-day workshopssince August 2000, and we’ve had realgood attendance from builders anddevelopers who are beginning to buyinto the Firewise concepts.”

Builders in other states are showingan interest, too. Among them is LeoScott, who’s made a good living for 30years as a building contractor inPrescott City, a fast-growing commun-ity in the high desert of central Arizona.Since 1970, Prescott City’s populationhas almost tripled, from 13,000 resi-dents to nearly 36,000. In 2002, itgrew at the rate of 3.3 percent annu-ally, and federal census projections pre-dict a population of 45,000 by 2014.

Prescott City is located in PrescottNational Forest 75 miles (121 kilome-ters) north of Phoenix, 90 miles (145kilometers) south of Flagstaff, andabout a mile (1.6 kilometer) above sealevel. Its rugged beauty and hundredsof square miles of forest land is a mag-net for thousands of new residentsevery year, most with little or no expe-rience living in the wildland/urbaninterface.

“Construction, especially new homeconstruction, is our biggest business,”Scott says. “And people who buy prop-erty with plans to build a house have acertain expectation that constructioncosts will remain affordable. That’s whythere was concern among builderswhen workshops focused on buildingmaterials.”

Those workshops were Firewiseworkshops, and concerned or not, thecommunity opted to pursue the pro-gram, with as many people as possibleinvolved in implementing Firewisetechniques. Prescott City’s been anactive Firewise community since 1990,and Scott and his fellow contractors, aswell as newer and long-time residentsand fire officials from various juris-dictions, participate in the effort tomaximize the city’s fire resistiveness.

Throughout the 1990s, says PrescottCity Fire Chief Darrell Willis, the Fire-wise Communities effort made slow,steady progress, but it was the CerroGrande fire near Los Alamos that galva-nized the community.

“That wildfire really got people’sattention, and we got much more seri-ous about our Firewise program andbegan stressing the need to use build-ing materials that give structures achance to survive a wildfire.”

Scott says the use of fire-resistivematerials was a “touchy subject”because the fire department is in a dif-ferent business than builders.

“We’re trying to produce a productthat’s marketable and affordable, andyou have to be careful that you don’tprice yourself out of the market,” hesays. However, he acknowledges thatmany of the things the Firewise pro-gram advocates are just common senseand don’t cost much.

“Something as simple as making sureall soffits are fully enclosed (to keepout fire brands) is easily done,” henotes. “We were able to get closer to abalance between the need to use fire-resistive materials and a desire of

homeowners to build attractive, afford-able houses.”

Scott says he now regularly uses fire-retardant, Class A-rated shingles madeof asphalt or masonry on roofs,although he doesn’t often use treatedwood because it needs periodicmaintenance.

“Who’s going to make sure that thewood gets re-treated to keep it fire-retardant?” he asks.

Because the Arizona climate is sodry, Scott says the use of wood onexterior walls is uncommon.

“It dries out quickly, rots, and thenneeds to be replaced.” Instead, he usu-ally applies one coat of stucco with aone-hour fire rating to exterior walls.

Arizona’s climate also requires thathomes have excellent ventilation.

“You can’t eliminate ventilation inhouses because you’ll end up withmold and mildew and void the warran-ty on the new house,” Scott says. Hissolution was to use 1⁄8-inch mesh tocover such openings as crawl space andattic accesses. It works.

“Flames in wildfires move so fastthat there’s not enough time for themto penetrate the much closer mesh,”Scott says.

“The mesh really works to keep outfire brands and sparks and still allowsthe house to be well-ventilated,” Willissays. Because fire officials workedclosely with the building community indeveloping a consensus approach tochoosing building materials, Scott sayshe’s become an enthusiastic supporterof the Firewise program.

“The whole process has been verypositive for our community,” he says.

Even before a building permit isissued, however, the fire departmentinspects the land and identifies thevegetation that must be removedbefore construction can begin.

“We go out and tell them whatneeds to be done, how far back theymust cut back the trees and brush andother fuels,” Willis says. “And we goback to inspect and make sure it getsdone before we issue a buildingpermit.”

Willis says that, over the past twoyears, Prescott City has received grantmoney from the federal government tohelp pay for a portion of the cost ofcrews to remove vegetation and createdefensible space on property occupiedby older homes.


18

That wildfire really got people’sattention, and we got much moreserious about our Firewise program andbegan stressing the need to use buildingmaterials that give structures a chanceto survive a wildfire.

Remote Control

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:40 pm Page 18

“We’ve managed to treat more than1,000 properties in two years,” Willissays. “We’re making a pretty good dent.”

FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY“No place in the United States is com-pletely safe,” says the NFPA’s JamesSmalley, project manager for Firewise.“There are floods, hurricanes, blizzards,tornadoes, and wildfires. Every spot inthe United States has the potential tobe affected by a force of nature, butwildfires don’t elicit the same attitudesof self-reservation that those otherforces do.”

Smalley, a nationally recognizedexpert on effective methods of mini-mizing the loss of life and damagecaused by wildfires, believes manyAmericans, especially those new to thewildland/urban interface, have a falsesense of security borne of theirprevious life in an urban or suburbanenvironment.

“So much of our population haslived within 50 miles (80 kilometers) ofa large or medium-sized city that we’ve become accustomed to expectingthe local fire department to do it all,” Smalley says. “But it doesn’t

happen like that in areas near wildlands.” Smalley says the issue is no longer

how to protect people and property.Effective methods have already beenidentified. The primary issue now iseducating people who live in the wild-land/urban interface about these rulesand procedures, and emphasizing howimportant it is that they be closely fol-lowed. In addition, Smalley says, itrequires a change in attitude amongthese residents of remote regions.

“When living in the urban, builtenvironment, people can get away with the attitude of ‘I’m not res-ponsible for my own protection.’ But inthe wildland, you’re on your own,” he says. “City dwellers are taking city-living concepts to places where they don’t exist. We need to learn a lot more about living in the naturalenvironment.”


19

No place in the United States is completelysafe. There are floods, hurricanes, blizzards,tornadoes, and wildfires. Every spot in theUnited States has the potential to beaffected by a force of nature, but wildfires don’t elicit the same attitudes of self-reservation that those other forces do.

That’s why the Firewise programand NFPA 1144 are playing suchimportant roles in teaching peoplehow to pick the right location for ahouse in wildland, how to landscapeproperly, and how to use fire-resistive building materials.

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20

GENERAL & COMMERCIAL SPRINKLERSMARKET GUIDE

SPRINKLER ANGUS 'S' THERMOMATIC ANGUS'S' THERMOSPEED ANGUS 'HC' ANGUS 'HC' QR ANGUS K1STYLE CUP/SSP/SSU CUP/SSP/SSU Concealed Concealed E.S.F.RAPPROVALS LPC/F.M LPC/F.M LPC/UL LPC/UL LPC/F.MK-FACTOR (metric) K57/80/115 K57/80/115 K80 K80 K202TEMPERATURES (C) 57--182 57--141 68 & 93 68 & 93 68 & 93ELEMENT Bulb Bulb Bulb 5mm Bulb 3mm Bulb 2mmHAZARD Light/Ord/High Light/Ord/High Light/Ord Light/Ord HighTHREAD 1/2" BSP/NPT 1/2" BSP/NPT 1/2" NPT 1/2" NPT 1" NPTRESPONSE Standard Quick Response Standard Quick Response Quick ResponseFINISHES Brass Brass White White Brass

Chrome Chrome Chrome ChromeStainless Steel Stainless Steel Colours ColoursTitanium Titanium

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SPRINKLER ANGUS 'S' RETROFIT ANGUS 'HX' EXTRA ANGUS 'HSW' ANGUS 'WHEC' ANGUS 'METRON'LARGE ORIFICE (ELO)

STYLE Retrofit Heads E.L.O. Horizontal Sidewall Extended Coverage Metron ActuatedHorizontal Sidewall

APPROVALS LPC/F.M F.M/UL F.M / UL LPC LPCK-FACTOR (metric) K57 & K115 K166 80/115 80 57 & 80TEMPERATURES (C) 57 - 141 68 - 141 57 - 182 57 - 79 57/68/79ELEMENT Bulb 3mm OR 5mm Bulb 3mm or 5mm Bulb Bulb 3mm Bulb & Metron ActuatorHAZARD Light/Ord/High NFPA13,231,231C,231D,231F Light/Ord Light/Ord Light/Ord/HighTHREAD 1/2" BSP 1" NPT 1/2" & 1" NPT 1/2" BSP 3/8" & 1/2" BSPRESPONSE Std/Quick Response Std/Quick Response Std/Quick Response Quick Response Std/Quick ResponseFINISHES Brass Brass Brass Brass BrassCHROME Chrome Chrome Chrome Chrome Chrome

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Angus FireThame Park RoadThameOxfordshireOX9 3RTTel: +44 (0) 1844 214 545Fax: +44 (0) 1844 213 511E-mail: [email protected]

Despite the influx of special application sprinklers such as extended coverage, stor-age sprinklers, and residential sprinklers, the

vast majority of sprinklers installed today remainstandard and quick response commercial sprinklers.

The term “standard” indicates sprinklers withcoverage areas defined by NFPA 13 – the codegoverning most sprinkler installations. Maximumcoverage areas are determined by the occupancyclassification: Light, Ordinary I, Ordinary II orExtra Hazard. The greater the hazard, the higherthe required discharge density. Hence, greater haz-ard occupancies require closer sprinkler spacing.

Standard sprinklers can be divided into four

general categories:UPRIGHT? Are installed above the branch line anddischarge all water downward.PENDENT? Are installed below the branch line anddischarge all water downward.SIDEWALL? Comprised of vertical sidewall and hor-izontal sidewalls, sidewall sprinklers dischargewater across the room and along the wall fromwhich they protrude. Horizontal sidewall Sprin-klers point straight out from the wall; verticalsidewall sprinklers are installed either above orbelow the branch line.CONVENTIONAL? Conventional or “Old Style”

sprinklers can be installed in either the upright orpendent position. Conventional sprinklers discharge40% of their water upward and 60% downward.

Here APF gives you what is probably one of themost extensive sources of product informationyou’ll find on General & Commercial Sprinklers. Nodoubt most of you will be familiar with the com-pany names represented here.

We have tried to ask as many pertinentquestions as possible without getting overtechnical and again we’re afraid space did notallow us to go into to much depth as far as eachmodels advantages and disadvantages areconcerned.

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:41 pm Page 20


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SPRINKLER Millennium EFSR GL 5628 GL 5654 Model X "ELO"STYLE Flush Pendent Pendent Extended Coverage HSW Adjustable Concealed Upright, Pendent

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SPRINKLER GFR ZX-1 FIFR F1FR/CCP G3STYLE Pend/Up/Conv/SW Pend/SW Recessed Concealed Dry Pend / SWAPPROVALS UL/FM/LPC/VDS UL/LPC/VDS UL/FM/LPC/VDS UL UL/FM/LPCK-FACTOR (metric) 53,81 and 118 59 and 78 41,59,81 and 115 81 79 to 83TEMPERATURES (C) 74 74 57 -141 57 / 79 57 to 141ELEMENT Fusible Fusible Glass Bulb Glass Bulb FusibleHAZARD Light, Ord Light, Ord (Life Safety LPC) Light / Ord Light / Ord Light / OrdTHREAD (NPT) 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4" 7/16" and 1/2" 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4" 1/2" 1"RESPONSE Quick Quick Quick Quick StandardFINISHES Bronze Chrome Bronze Chrome Bronze

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Reliable Fire Sprinkler LimitedUnit A2, Epsom Business ParkKiln LaneEpsomSurrey KT17 1JFTel: +44 (0) 1372 724 461Fax: +44 (0) 1372 728 899E-mail: [email protected]

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:41 pm Page 21


22

GENERAL & COMMERCIAL SPRINKLERS

MARKET GUIDESPRINKLER TY-B TY-FRB TY-L TY-FRL Series RFIISTYLE Upright, Pendent & Upright, Pendent & Upright, Pendent & Upright, Pendent, & Concealed Pendent

Recessed Pendent Recessed Pendent Recessed Pendent Recessed PendentAPPROVALS UL, FM, C-UL, LPCB, UL, FM, C-UL, LPCB, UL, C-UL, FM, LPCB UL, C-UL, FM, LPCB UL, C-UL, FM

VdS (varies) & Others VdS (varies) & OthersK-FACTOR (metric) 40,3: 80,6: 115,2 40,3: 60,5: 80,6: 115,2 80,6: 115,2 40,3: 80,6: 115,2 80,6TEMPERATURES (C) 57, 68, 79, 93, 141, 182 57, 68, 79, 93; 141 74, 100; 138 74, 100 68 (57 Plate); 93 (74 Plate)

(Fully Exposed Only) (Fully Exposed Only)MAX. AREA (SQM) 20.9 (LH), 12.08 (OH) 20.9 (LH), 12.08 (Others) 20,9 (LH), 12.08 (Others) 20,9 (LH), 12.08 (Others) 20,9 (LH), 12.08 (Others)THREAD (NPT) 1/2", 3/4" (115,2) 1/2", 3/4" (115,2) 1/2", 3/4" (115,2) 1/2", 3/4" (115,2) 1/2"RESPONSE Standard Quick Standard Quick Standard & QuickFINISHES Natural Brass Natural Brass Natural Brass Natural Brass Bright Brass

Chrome Plated Chrome Plated Chrome Plated Chrome Plated Chrome PlatedWhite Polyester White Polyester Lead, Wax, Wax Over Lead WhiteLead, Wax, Wax Over Lead Lead Coated Custom Colors

THERMAL ELEMENThermal Element Glass Bulb Glass Bulb Solder Link Solder Link

CENTRAL SPRAYSAFE

SPRINKLER TY-ELOC BV-20 QR BV-EC TY-B TY-FRBSTYLE Concealed Pendent Pendent & Recessed Sidewall & Recessed Vertical, Horizontal Sidewall Vertical, Horizontal Sidewall

Pendent Sidewall & Recessed Horiz. Sidewall & Recessed Horiz. SidewallAPPROVALS UL, C-UL UL, ULC UL, C-UL, FM UL, C-UL, FM, LPCB UL, C-UL, FM, LPCBK-FACTOR (metric) 161,3 115,2 80,6 80,6 80,6TEMPERATURES (C) 71 (57 Plate); 100 (74 Plate) 57, 68 57, 68, 94 57, 68, 79, 93, 141, 182 57, 68, 79, 93, 141MAX. AREA (SQM) 30,25 (Quick); 30,25; 37,2 (57 Only) To 29,9 - See Tech Data 18,2 18,2

37,2 (Standard)THREAD (NPT) 3/4" 3/4" 3/4" 1/2" 1/2"RESPONSE Standard & Quick Quick Standard & Quick Standard QuickFINISHES Bright Brass Natural Brass Natural Brass Natural Brass Bright Brass

Chrome Plated Chrome Plated Chrome Plated Chrome Plated Chrome PlatedWhite, Black White Polyester White Polyester White Polyester WhiteCustom Colors Wax, Lead, Wax Over Lead Lead Coated

THERMAL ELEMENT Solder Glass Bulb Glass Bulb Glass Bulb Glass Bulb

CENTRAL SPRAYSAFE CONT.

Tyco Fire & Building ProductsNo. 45 Tuas Avenue 9Singapore 639189Phone: 65-6743-3212Fax: 65-6743-9181Website: www.tycoasia.com

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:41 pm Page 22

At Tyco Fire & Building Products, innovations such as theESFR-1, K17 Storage Sprinklers, ESFR-17, ESFR -25 and EC-25are just a few examples of our commitment to meet thedynamic challenges of the 21st century.

These applications will continue to change — and we’recommitted to develop specific products for them.

For the latest in storage protection, visit your local Tyco Fire &Building Products Independent Distributor. For the TF&BPDistributor nearest you, visit our website at www.tyco- fire.comor call us at 800-558-5236.


APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:42 pm Page 23


24

GENERAL & COMMERCIAL SPRINKLERS

MARKET GUIDESPRINKLER Micromatic Model M Micromatic HP Micromatic Model M Micromatic Model M Microfast Model M Microfast Model M Micromatic Model l MSTYLE Upright, Pendent or Upright, Pendent Upright, Pendent, Vertical Sidewall, Upright, Pendent Vertical Sidewall, Plain Barrel,

Conventional or Horizontal Horizontal Sidewall Horizontal Sidewall or Conventional Horizontal Sidewall Adjustable Standard/Sidewall Recessed Pendent

APPROVALS FM / UL / LPC / VdS * FM / UL / LPC FM / UL / VdS FM / UL / LPC * FM / UL / LPC / VdS * FM / UL * FM / UL / LPC *K-FACTOR (metric) 39, 50, 57, 80, 115 39, 58, 79 40, 60, 81, 115 39, 80 * 39, 50, 57, 80, 115 39, 80 * 80TEMPERATURES (C) 68, 79, 93, 141, 182 68, 79, 93, 141, 74, 104, 141 68, 79, 93, 141, 68, 79, 93, 141, 68, 79, 93, 141, 68, 79, 93, 141

182 182 182 182ELEMENT 5mm Glass Bulb 5mm Glass Bulb Fusible Link 5mm Glass Bulb 3mm Glass Bulb 3mm Glass Bulb 3mm Glass Bulb

and 5mm GlassBulb

HAZARD * * * * *THREAD (NPT or BSPT) 3/8", 1/2", 3/4" 3/8", 1/2" 3/8", 1/2", 17/32" 1/2" 3/8", 1/2", 3/4" 1/2" 1"RESPONSE Standard Standard Standard Standard Fast Fast Fast and StandardFINISHES Brass, Chrome, Brass, Chrome, Brass, Chrome, Wax, Brass, Chrome, Brass, Chrome, Brass, Chrome, Brass

White, Black, Navajo, White, Black, White White, Black, Bright White, Black, Bright White, Black, Bright ChromeTeflon, Bright Brass Navajo, Teflon, Brass, Plain Wax, Brass, Plain Wax, Brass, Plain Wax, Stainless SteelWax, Polyester/Wax Bright Brass, Wax Paint/Wax Paint/Wax Paint/Wax

VIKING CORPORATION

SPRINKLER Model A4 ESFR ESFR Model S1 ESFR High Challenge Model M Mdl B1 Horizon MirageSTYLE Upright Pendent Pendent Upright Upright, Pendent PendentAPPROVALS FM FM FM, UL, VdS FM / UL FM / UL * FM / UL / LPCK-FACTOR (metric) 202 363 202 161 166 80TEMPERATURES (C) 74 74, 96 74, 96 68, 93, 141 57, 68, 79, 93, 141 72, 74, 104ELEMENT ESFR ESFR ESFR Large Drop Extra Large Orifice ConcealedHAZARD * * * * *THREAD (NPT) 3/4" 1" 3/4" 3/4" 3/4" 1/2"RESPONSE Fast Fast Fast Standard Standard Standard FINISHES Chrome Polished Chrome,

Brass Brass Brass Brass Brass White, Ivory, BlackWhite, Black Custom Colour

VIKING CORPORATION CONT.

*Please refer to the Viking Technical data sheet for specific information.

Viking Far East69 Tuas View SquareWestlink Techpark637621 SingaporeTel: +65 2 278 4061Fax: +65 278 4609E-mail:[email protected]: www.vikingcorp.com

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:42 pm Page 24


25

Enquiries: www.chemetron.com

Enquiries: www.thefireshop.com

APF p. 1-37 11/21/06 12:13 PM Page 25

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APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:42 pm Page 26

New aircrafts with huge passengercapacities require new tactics andnew technologies in fire fighting.

Many of the leading Vehicle manu-facturers from the European and Ameri-can fire industry are in close contactwith fire brigades all over the world.Many have concentrated among otheractivities in further developing thematerial which is needed for efficientairport fire fighting.

In case of an incident within an air-port during landing or take off, anyactions must be very quick,should there be a chance torescue the lives of the passen-gers and crew.

Some years ago it wasstandard to have so calledrapid intervention vehicles(RIV), which were fast enoughto be on the spot of an inci-dent in short time and bigger,but slower trucks with a high-er payload followed. The dis-advantage of this system wasthe small capacity of fireextinguishing materials whichcould be carried by the RIVs

and it took some time to get the neces-sary amount of water and foam to theplace of the incident.

New truck technology from reputedchassis producers nowadays allows theuse high powered, heavy trucks withexcellent off-road capabilities and thepossibility of carrying a considerableamount of fire extinguishing agents, sothat they can combine both, the rapidintervention vehicles and the majorcrash tenders. Acceleration from 0-80km/h in maximum 25 seconds for 40

tons GVW and top speed of around 140km/h are no worse than with the formerRIVs. Automatic gearboxes guaranteefull concentration of the drivers andelectronically controlled functions easethe activities of the fire crews and alloweven small teams to be very effective.

To prevent fires in emergency land-ings some airports used to lay out foamon the runway to prevent sparking whenthe aircraft came down. This was and isa time consuming and very expensivemethod and its success is oftendoubted. The aircraft has to stay in theair for a long time and the foam may bediminishing already on the spot where itfinally gets down.

With the new truck generation it ispossible that some trucks are on standby

near the runway and canaccelerate their speed whenthe aircraft comes down, cov-ering sparking and kerosinespills when the aircraft is stillin motion. Standard roof mon-itors with a performance from4000 to 6000 litres per minuteenable attacks from a fair dis-tance. Combined nozzles forwater, foam and dry chemicalsgive a wide variety of addi-tional fire fighting agents andmake the job of the fire fight-ers highly efficient. Separatepump engines with a high


27

Albert Ziegler Z8 in action

Today’s AircraftRescue Fire FightingVehicles

By Jorg Hitzler

THE INCREASING AIR TRAFFIC all over the world requires the constant followup for airport fire brigades to meet the challenges of security and safety.Especially in an area like the Asia Pacific region the pace of the developmentis so fast, that it needs a lot of energy, training, and research to be up to date.

Today’s AircraftRescue Fire FightingVehicles

Albert Ziegler Z8 ALPAS® control panel

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:43 pm Page 27

performance allow a 100% independenceof pump operations from the driving per-formance, the operation is simpler andsafer as with the power divider system,which uses the same engine for drivingand pumping and, last but not least,does not show a difference in costs.Independent engines drive pumps with aperformance up to 8000 litres per minuteto feed roof and bumper monitors aswell as handlines for leakage spills orbody ground protection systems.

One of the biggest problems with theincreasing number of passengers per air-craft is fighting cabin fires. First priorityis to evacuate the passengers as quicklyas possible, but on the other hand thisprevents the access of fire fighters foran efficient attack.

The Snozzle® technology helps toovercome these problems. Fire trucksequipped with a hydraulic arm canapproach the aircraft, extinguish enginefires under the wings and by using thepiercing nozzle on top of the arm canbring extinguishing agents inside thecabin, thus cooling down the tempera-ture quickly and avoiding the expansionof toxic gases. Research has shown thatthis tactic can increase the chances ofsurvival for the passengers substantially.

New aircrafts with two or more pas-senger decks will most certainly require

additional equipment like telescopicbooms to reach higher areas of an air-craft. So the basic fleet of an airport firebrigade will have to change within thenear future. It will have to consist of acombination of highly specialised vehi-cles for the various needs. Any combina-tions will be compromises, which dohave their disadvantages.

Many of today’s leading manufacturershave accepted the challenges by provid-ing the necessary equipment for airportfire brigades and are constantly develop-ing their products, co-operating withother companies to implement systemslike the Snozzle® and others and combinethem with their own research results.

With the opening of many new Inter-national Airports throughout the AsiaPacific area, many airports are nowemploying fleets of Vehicles from vari-ous manufacturers, in particular the newInternational Airport in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia, who have recently taken afleet of vehicles from German manufac-turer Albert Ziegler GmbH & Co. KG.

Based on the experience with thosevehicles as well as with the others oper-ating in various countries, quite a lot ofnew, revolutionary ideas have beenincorporated in the latest products.

One of them is the Snozzle® technol-ogy which has been commented above;others are the introduction of Ziegler’sunique superstructure in ALPAS®: a veryrigid system of aluminium panels whichgive extreme stability to the crew cabalthough huge windows allow extremeviewing angles in all directions.

All electronic controls are managed bya CAN-BUS system and are fully auto-mated so that the crews can concentrateon their most important job and do nothave to care much about the operationof their equipment. Maintenance andservice are eased and guarantee asmooth operation in case of emergency.

There is no doubt that constant train-ing and exercise are necessary for thecrews so that they can handle theirequipment even under stress situations,but all the manufacturers try to as muchas possible to make operation of thesevehicles as simple as possible.

Even though it is important for thefire brigades, to have enough welltrained staff available, some tendenciesin reducing costs by reducing manpowerseem to be very dangerous from theviewpoint of a travelling passenger. Fur-ther increase in air traffic must be con-nected with better safety standards. Allequipment of the fire fighters must beadapted to the special needs in aircraftand airport fire fighting. Very oftenstandard tools are not efficient enoughand have to be replaced by special toolslike extrication equipment, which mustbe applicable to aircraft.

The increasing risks due to the vastgrowth of industrialisation are guide-lines for the future.

Many manufacturers have set up anetwork of agencies and partner compa-nies all over the world, which has led toa close co-operation in many countries,thus guaranteeing the capability of aworld-wide after sales service by author-ised mechanics and service engineers.

In the Asia Pacific region a number ofmanufacturers have developed longlasting co-operation various partnercompanies which has led to the highlytrained engineers to be able to buildthese vehicles to the highest standards.The production in these countries doesnot only cover the domestic market, butalso prepare them for export into othercountries in the Asia Pacific. Many ofthe components like fire pumps, foamadmixing systems and monitors aremanufactured in Europe and Americanand are shipped to the manufacturingplants.


28

Albert Ziegler Z8 Kuala Lumpur Fleet

Albert Ziegler Z8 with Snozzle®

Close and long lasting partnershipswith companies in Thailand,Malaysia, Taiwan, the PeoplesRepublic of China, The Philippines,Vietnam, just to mention a fewcountries, keep the manufacturersupdated to the specific needs of theregion. Local production includingEuropean and American compo-nents are combined with importedhigh end products like airport firefighting vehicles, which requireinternationally agreed standards,based on the recommendations ofthe International Civil AviationOrganisation (ICAO).

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:43 pm Page 28

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Albert Ziegler GmbH & Co. KGManufacturers of fire service vehicles, pumps and hosesP.O.B. 1680 • D-89531 Giengen/Brenz (Germany)Memminger Str. 28 • D-89537 Giengen/BrenzPhone +49 73 22 9510 • Fax +49 73 22 951 464WWW: http://www.ziegler.de E-Mail: [email protected]

Equipped with the most modern computer technology, ZIEGLER airfield fire fightingvehicles ensure quick and efficient operation in case of emergency. The Z8 airfieldfire fighting vehicles clearly exceed the international requirements of the ICAO.From 4x4 to 8x8, we offer airfield fire fighting vehicles of all categories on standardand special chassis.


APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:43 pm Page 29

If yyou hhaven’t sseen iit, yyou ddon’t kknow wwhat yyou’re mmissing!

Schedule a Demonstration Today!!!

Straight Stream

Combination Reach and Protection

Fog Protection and Ventilation

Patent Pending

© Copyright 2002 by Premier Farnell Corporation. All rights reserved. No portion of this can be reproduced without the express written consent of Premier Farnell Corporation. (8/02)

The SaberJet Nozzle from Akron Brass offers the penetration of a solid bore tip and the fog protectionof a fog nozzle. The SaberJet ends the straight stream vs. fog debate by eliminating the need to carrytwo types of nozzles.— From straight stream to fog on the fly - No shutdown— Straight stream & fog at the same time or separate— 7 tip options - 19mm thru 25mm — 1", 1 1/2" or 2 1/2" inlets— Everything you need in one nozzle - No separate tips to attach— Versatile - High Rise, CAFS, Interior, Exterior, Foam— No need to shutdown the nozzle to activate an emergency low-pressure switch

SEE WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MISSINGSOLID BORE vs. FOG, WE HAVE THE ANSWER!!SEE WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MISSINGSOLID BORE vs. FOG, WE HAVE THE ANSWER!!

Call your local Authorized Akron Distributor or your Akron Sales Development ManagerIn U.S./International • PH: +1.330.264.5678 • FAX: +1.330.264.2944 • www.akronbrass.com

ALL SABERJETS

COMPLIANT*Test results available

upon request.

An ISO 9001 Registered Company

Enquiries: www.akronbrass.com

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:44 pm Page 30

Boil overs are a situation normallyoccurring in Open Top FloatingRoof (OTFR) tank fires, when

water and low boiling point con-stituents within the stored productreach their boiling point ahead of otherlayers nearer the surface. Upon boilingthey massively expand into theirgaseous phase forcing the hot andflaming liquids above, out of the tankin a boiling, frothing, explosive fire balland cascading like a tidal wave of fireinto the surrounding bunded area ofthis and other tanks nearby. Generallyspeaking the larger the bulk storagetank the bigger the problem!

Whilst fixed foam systems are thepreferred and most effective method ofprotecting bulk storage tanks, there isincreasing interest in large capacitymonitors, which can be used on any ofthe tanks in the tank farm, so can be acost-effective fire protection alternative.

HOW BIG IS BIG?

The largest OTFR tanks are between90-110 metres (295-360 ft) in dia-meter. An amazing size to have fullyinvolved and on fire!

Most readers have probably neverseen a major storage tank fire. They areawesome in the noise and radiant heatgenerated, the size of fire plume andsmoke pall, as well as their ability tocreate their own artificial winds bysucking air in from the surroundings tofeed the fire surface and sustainignition – and that is well before aboil-over!

But it is precisely at this point thatwe must not panic!

OPTIONS AVAILABLE?

There are 3 basic approaches or optionswhen it comes to fighting these largefully involved tank fires, bearing in

mind that probably around 95% of allOTFR tank fires are rimseal fires whichare efficiently extinguished by fixedrimseal pourer systems, or occasionallyeven hand lines and not large monitors,which could not target the small rim-seal area with foam but tends to floodthe whole roof with foam, risking a flipover or sinking of the roof which couldcause a full surface fire.


31

Foam blanket of Angus FP70 projected onto the roof of a 20 metre high 65 m dia. open top floating roof tank by their Colossus15,000 litre/minute monitor based 50 metres away from base of tank

Large CapacityMonitors forBulk StorageTanks

By Mike Willson

BULK STORAGE TANKS are well proven as an effective and efficient way ofstoring large quantities of flammable liquids from crude oil to refinedproducts like gasoline; and polar solvents like methanol and a whole host ofcomplex solvent chemicals. The liquid held in one of the largest quantities iscrude oil with a range of constituents each with their own boiling points,giving us a major headache when we are faced with a fire scenario,because of the risk of boil-overs.


•••••••••••••

•••••••••••••

Large 400m2 fire quickly extinguishedby Angus Fire’s Colossus aspiratedcannon and FP70 foam

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:44 pm Page 31

1 A fixed foam full surface system isthe ideal protection for every largestorage tank, in addition to its existingRimseal foam pouring system, to havean extra dedicated fixed foam pouringsystem capable of covering the wholesurface area quickly with an aspiratedfoam blanket. Medium expansionFluoroProtein foam could provide theoptimum balance of quick flowingacross the surface and adequate stabili-ty to resist re-ignition. Unless there isonly one very large tank, this is unlikelyto be the most cost-effective solution,considering the risk of full involvementis quite small providing effective rim-seal foam pourers are already installed).

2 Non-aspirating mobile monitorsseem to be a popular current applica-tion method (supplementing rimsealpourer systems), which can be movedand set up around whichever tank hasthe problem. This system involves theuse of “non-aspirated” foam attacksusing detergent based AFFF type foamswhen film formation does not occur onvery hot fuels and these foams draindown quite rapidly! AFFF type foamswere never designed for tank fires butaviation spill fires, so they have beenreplaced by the more expensive anddifficult to handle AR-AFFFs, whichwere originally designed for the moreaggressive polar solvent fuels, but someproducts are now formulated primarilyfor their hydrocarbon performance andcan struggle to extinguish a polarsolvent fire! These foams are used insome areas as an expensive way tomimic the advantageous qualities of agood quality FP foam like FP70.

3 Aspirating trailer based monitors.These large capacity Aspirating monitorsystems provide specially designedcolossal foam cannons which enable a

well formed, stable tight stream of lowexpansion foam bubbles to be pro-duced and thrown an equivalent dis-tance to similar sized non-aspiratednozzles, but with less fall out, betterstability and post fire security charac-teristics. These units work well with awide range of foams particularlyFluoroProteins like FP70 and AR-AFFF/AR-FFFPs.

SIMPLE AUTOMATIC DETECTION

Consideration of a simple linear heatdetection system can provide additionalautomatic monitoring & activation ofsuch a system, day and night for 365days each year.

LARGE CAPACITY MONITOR SYSTEMS

These large capacity monitors whetheraspirated or non-aspirated, start at around15,000 l/min flow (4,000 USGall/min)and go up to 40,000 litres/min flows(10,000 USGall/min) or even more!

The key to success with these bigmonitors is not just the monitor at theend of the line but the whole operating“System”. Simplicity and reliability areessential requirements of this systemapproach.

Huge water supplies at quite highpressures are needed to feed thesemonitors. Separate large capacity pumpsets and extra large diameter hose(XLDH) systems up to 12� diameter ondedicated reelers, can be a more costeffective solution than trying toupgrade permanent steel piped ringmain systems to enable such massiveflow withdrawal at the numerouspoints required around the tank farm.

WHICH MONITOR ROUTE TO CHOOSE?

There are generally two types of moni-tor package in use. Firstly the so-called“big guns” with non-aspirated or semi-aspirated mushroom type nozzles,which claim to throw furthest (90-100 m). However the resulting foamproduced tends to be less stable and amore variable expansion foam blanketwhich is more likely to pick up fuel asit plunges into the hot surface layers ofthe fuel, take longer to extinguish,break down faster and hence havemore difficulty preventing subsequentre-ignition. This type is reliant on up to10 x 125 mm (5�) diameter supply

hoses and around 8 separate jet ratiocontroller type inductors all gobblingexpensive AR-AFFF foam – and onlyone brand is recommended!

Most recently users are beingencouraged to use a 1% shear-thinningpolymer containing AR-AFFF foam,which will be extraordinarily difficult tomaintain at 1% throughout the inci-dent. The international standard guide-lines for induction accuracy at 1%settings is just 1-1.25% which is diffi-cult to achieve with a standard 1%AFFF never mind a viscosity changingpolymer containing AR-AFFF! Just asmall reduction of accuracy down to0.75% could jeopardise success of thewhole attack, as sufficient concentratemay not be delivered into the foamarriving at the fire. At the other end ofthe “knife edge” a small over-inductionevery minute and the monitors couldrun out of foam – before the fire isfully extinguished! Either way it is likelythat a prolonged fire attack will berequired. Although operating with 3%concentrates mean the foam tankerlogistics are more complex, 3% induc-tion is far more forgiving of minorinduction inconsistencies during the


32

Angus Fire’s 40,000 litre/min MEGAColossus aspirating cannon monitor,capable of delivering a stable FP70foam stream long distances onto largediameter floating roof tanks



APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:45 pm Page 32

TASK FORCE TIPS, INC.

2800 East Evans Avenue, Valparaiso, IN 46383-6940 USA

International +1.219.548.4000 • www.tft.com • [email protected]

1/10mm of Polyester Powdercoat (inside and out) has been melted onto the metal (UNS C8300 Brass)

at 200 Celsius; the perfect corrosion resistant

finish, smooth water way and years of reliable service.

90 grams of solid 304 Stainless Steel, 3 centimeters diameter capable of holding vertical weights up to 160kg. The biggest in the industry.

Knightfire MonitorMaster Foam Nozzle

QuadraFog Nozzle

LOCAL DEALERS

AUSTRALIA

Gaam Emergency Products-AUPhone : 61394661244Fax : [email protected]

CHINA

PolyM ShanghaiPhone: 862164690107Fax: [email protected]

HONG KONG

Universal Cars LimitedPhone: 85224140231Fax: 85224136063andrewplh@simedarby.com.hkwww.mitsubishi-motors.com.hk

INDONESIA

Pt Palmas EntracoPhone: 6221384 1681Fax: 6221380 [email protected]

JAPAN

Yone CorporationPhone: 81758211185Fax: [email protected]

MALAYSIA

CME Technologies SDN BHDPhone: 60356331188Fax: [email protected]

NEW ZEALAND

Gaam Emergency Products-NZPhone: 6498270859Fax: [email protected]

PHILIPPINES

Alliance Industrial SalesPhone: 6328908818Fax: [email protected]

SINGAPORE

S.K. Fire Pte. Ltd.Phone: 6568623155Fax : [email protected]

SOUTH KOREA

Shilla Fire Co., Ltd.Phone: 820236659011Fax: [email protected]

TAIWAN

Young Ararat Enterprise Co. LtdPhone: 886 2 2772 3121Fax: 886 2 2721 9775

THAILAND

Anti-Fire Co, Ltd.Phone: 6622596899Fax: [email protected]

NO CORROSION

HEAVY

DUTY

NFPA 1964

CompliantFor excellent quality fire fighting equipment visit www.tft.com and call your local distributor for a demonstration. Display equipment, literature and digital data can be obtained by contacting your trained TFT distributor. Enquiries: www.tft.com

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:46 pm Page 33

attack, which is reflected by the inter-national standards for acceptability at3-4% for a 3% setting.

Users are also encouraged to fly inexperts from afar to supervise opera-tion of these units.

COLOSSAL CANNONS?

The alternative is the colossal cannonapproach with a specialised aspiratingfoam barrel designed to control andoptimise foam quality with a well-formed bubble structure producing alonger drainage time so it will flowacross the surface, cool and sealagainst hot edges. This foam lastlonger to provide the all-importantpost-fire security to avoid the worstoutcome – the risk of a major re-ignition when all your foam stockshave been used up fighting the fireonce already! Having got it out, weMUST be able to keep it out! Thiscannon approach is designed to deliverthe best attributes of your foam fortank fire fighting, whilst still enablingthe foam to travel around 90 metres(300 ft) ground-to-ground distance at7-8 bar g. This is a more recent devel-opment and has carefully focused onuser needs, enabling use along narrowroadways, enabling tank attack at 90°to the towing direction yet keeping the

logistics as simple as possible so thatrefinery fire crews can easily and quick-ly set up the whole system themselveswith minimal personnel involvement.They can now effectively tackle theirown fires without expensive andsometimes contradictory inputs fromelsewhere.

Only 4 people are required to set upand operate the whole aspirated moni-tor system. The first team member con-trols the main water supply pressures,another the foam stocks & single jetpump foam inductor or dedicateddiesel driven foam pump, a third oper-ates the cannon and the fourth is spot-ter and coordinator to check the foamtrajectory reaches the tank effectively.

This is possible because these colos-sal cannons just have a single foaminduction point (which can be located

up to 100m away) to feed cost effec-tive 3% FP foam (but other foam typescan be used) directly to the monitorcannon inlet. Bulk foam reserves canthen be held in a safe area to facilitaterelaying for longer periods if necessary.

This minimises foam wastage andallows the foam line to be chargedagainst a shut-off valve whilst thedelivery hoses are getting up to pres-sure so valuable time and foam is notwasted ahead of the foam attack. Com-bined with as few as 2 large diameter150 mm (6�) high volume water feedhoses for 15,000 litre/min flows, pres-sure losses at the cannon are minimisedwhilst line pressures at the monitoroptimised and faster water delivery tothe foam cannon is achieved. Foam canalso be introduced into the suction sideof the pump to minimise pressure loss-es and further simplify logistics by hav-ing foam stocks marshaled around themain pumping point, so foam solutionis pumped directly to the aspiratingmonitor avoiding the need for a sepa-rate foam line to the monitor.

Time is also saved as far fewer hosesneed to be laid out and the monstrouspressure losses that can occur from thespaghetti effect of numerous smaller21⁄2� diameter hoses can be avoidedcompletely.

It has to be said that the risk of a fully involved surface fire is verysmall, especially if the best preventive


34

Hydraulically controlled Angus FETCH compact Hi Vol deployment and retrievalsystem, built into a vehicle mounted pod system capable of storing and rapiddeployment of over 1 kilometer of 5” or 6” Hi-Vol fire hose



Combined with as few as 2 largediameter 150 mm (6 �) high volumewater feed hoses for 15,000 litre/minflows, pressure losses at the cannonare minimised whilst line pressures atthe monitor optimised and fasterwater delivery to the foam cannon isachieved.

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:46 pm Page 34

Elkhart Brass puts over100 years of firefightingexperience into a complete lineof superior quality monitors,nozzles, and accessories for industrialand municipal use. Choose a manual,remote controlled, or portable monitor such as Stingray®, SpitFire®, Sidewinder™,Scorpion®, Python®, Giant Python®, or an

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Enquiries: www.elkhartbrass.com

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:46 pm Page 35

maintenance procedures are adhered tofor each tank, non-flammable sealmaterials are installed and effectivefixed rimseal pourer protection and lin-ear heat detection system are fitted,BUT when they do happen – and theyare usually caused by lightning strikes –they can cause rapid escalation, if notdevastation of the tank involved. Worstof all the entire facility is placed at risk

and business interruption costs, adversepublicity costs, re-building costs beginto spiral upwards.

HANDLING LARGER HOSES?

Clearly it is more difficult and poten-tially hazardous with risk of backinjuries for fire crews to be carryinglong lengths of 125 mm or 150 mmhoses. 70 mm hoses are challenging

enough over long distances! The simplest and easiest modern way

of handling larger diameter hoses foreither type of monitor approach is touse a fast and efficient technique forcollecting (and deploying) these highvolume hoses.

A range of systems is now available,but some are unduly complex withelectronic gadgetry everywhere, where-as the simpler and more compact unitsoperate with a hydraulic power packand come as a pre-built module to fitlocally onto a suitable vehicle. Thiscould be a new build vehicle dedicatedto the purpose or a more cost effectiveroute is to fit the module onto anexisting truck ready for a change ofuse.

These systems will rapidly deploy theready coupled hose from the truck atthe start of the incident so the moni-tors can be brought swiftly into action,and will drain and pick-up the hoseafterwards so it can be relayed into thetruck ready for the next emergency.Again this task can be done withoutstrain to already tired fire crews andrequires only 3 people to operateincluding the truck driver.

These deployment/retrieval systemsare not restricted to use with the largerdiameter hoses only, they can also beused to deploy and retrieve the stan-dard 65-70 mm diameter hoses as wellif required. A wide range of couplingtypes can be used with this type ofequipment.

For longer distances of a kilometeror more, 250-300 mm (10-12�) dia-meter lay flat hoses are now availablewith reelers, large pump sets and a fullrange of connection hardware to min-imise pressure losses and provide rapid


36

Single jet pump inductor feeding the Colossus aspirated cannon monitor with FP70foam from a vehicle tanker

Enquiries: www.alco-frankfurt.de

Albach GmbH & Co. KGKönigsteiner Straße 58 • D-65929 Frankfurt/Main (Höchst) • GermanyFon: 0049 (0) 69 33 99 38-0 • Fax 0049 (0) 69 33 99 38-22 • e-Mail: [email protected] • www.alco-frankfurt.de

Specialists are committed.

We have been in this business for over 50 years.

Monitors for the protection of industrial plants and ships1.000 to 60.000 litres throughput per minute50 to 180 m throw distance

Manually operated, electrically or hydraulically controlled.

A complete range for your specific needs.

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:47 pm Page 36

deployment anywhere in the refinery ortank farm.

THE IMPORTANCE OF RIMSEAL FOAM PROTECTION

Fires in these large tanks usually startin the seal area and since many sealsare still made of flammable materialsthey can develop swiftly along the seal.It is therefore important to protect thisseal area with an efficient rimseal foamsystem to minimise the risk of escala-tion. The rimseal system will excludeoxygen by smothering the fire; cool theseal material, fuel and metalwork, andproduce a fluid yet stable foam blanket

capable of resisting fuel pick-up andpreventing re-ignition.

CONCLUSIONS

Care should be taken when selectinglarge capacity monitors for bulk storagetank protection, as it is the overall sys-tem that will make the differencebetween success and failure. Quicklydeployed 150 mm diameter hoses withappropriate storz outlets fitted to thering main system – or even XLDH hosesfor longer distances – with minimalhose inlets at the monitor, reliable sin-gle point 3% foam induction, cost-effective FP foam storage in road

tankers and an aspirated foam cannondelivering the optimum quality foam tocombat the ravages of a hydrocarbonstorage tank fire will provide the essen-tial post-fire security required to beable to declare a successful end to theincident.


37

Angus Fire’s Unimog all terrain Firekat 2retrieval and deployment system in usewith 5” Hi-Vol hose

The rimseal system will excludeoxygen by smothering the fire; coolthe seal material, fuel and metalwork,and produce a fluid yet stable foamblanket capable of resisting fuel pick-up and preventing re-ignition.

Enquiries: www.angusfire.co.uk

APF p. 1-37 2/11/06 12:47 pm Page 37


38

There is also increasing concernover the environmentalimpacts arising from pollutants

emitted by aircraft engineexhausts. Kerosene is the main com-ponent of aviation fuel, which isused to provide propulsion for cur-rent commercial aircraft. Like otherfossil fuels, kerosene produces car-bon dioxide and water vapour as theproducts of complete combustion.The pollutants of concern are theemissions of nitrogen oxides, carbonmonoxide, hydrocarbons andsoot. Emissions limits from aircraftengine exhausts have been definedfor these pollutants by the Interna-tional Civil Aviation Organisation(ICAO).

The innovation and the develop-ment of aircraft live-fire trainingsimulators meet the growing need

for realistic training of the emer-gency services and act in response tothe rising environmental concernspressure at the airports. There areonly few companies in the worldthat offer this type of trainingequipment for airports. Althoughnot yet commonplace, aircraft firetraining simulators are now in placeat major airports in the UK, Ger-many, The Netherlands, Scandinavia,Canada, USA, Japan, Hong Kongand Singapore.

The market leader in the provisionof aircraft fire trainers is the UK-based company IFTE, which has aninternational presence through itsnumerous subsidiaries (Symtron Inc,USA; ICS, Canada; ICS France;Symtron GmbH, Germany) andinstallations. The company special-ises in designing and manufacturing

Aircraft Rescue Fire Tra i

THE AIRPORTS AROUND THE WORLD arebeing used more intensively and the people arebecoming more and more conscious about theirsafety. As the risks associated with this develop-ment increase, so too does the importance ofeffective disaster relief. The principal objectiveof the Airport Rescue and Firefighting Service isto save lives in the event of an aircraft accidentor incident. Exercises are crucial in this. Fire iswidely considered to be one of the most danger-ous risks and therefore there is an acknowl-edged need for realistic fire training. TheInternational Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)recognises that knowledge and training are fun-damental elements in fire safety managementand planning. Realistic training is a key elementin giving people the necessary skills to managerisk and develop a safer working environment.

Picture courtesy of IFTE

Enquiries: www.ifte.com

Emergency situations happen daily when people least expect them.Training people to react in the correct manner and ultimately save lives isvital. Realistic training is a key element in giving people the right tools tomanage situations that may occur in their environment.

IFTE develops training simulators to suit all needs, from Fire ExtinguisherTraining Equipment for people in the workplace to sophisticated traininggrounds around the world . IFTE simulators ensure that training is realistic,safe, reliable, economically and environmentally acceptable.

www.ifte.com [email protected]

IFTE plc, IFTE House, The Fire Service College,Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0RH, United KingdomTel: +44 (0) 1608 812800 Fax: +44 (0) 1608 812801

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 12:51 pm Page 38

fire-training simulators for a broad rangeof international market segments, fromFire and Rescue Departments, Interna-tional Airports, through to Special Forces.Its simulators enable clients to meetincreasing regulatory and legislativerequirements and are used on many dif-ferent levels, helping to train professionalemergency personnel through to employ-ees within industry and commerce. Withover 400 installations worldwide and withover 30 international patents, IFTE’stechnology meets the demand for firefighting in the most real and challengingof situations. Virtually any aircraft crisisincluding all aspects of Incident, Com-mand and Control can be created simplyand safely at the touch of a button.IFTE’s Civil Aircraft Simulators aredesigned to suit any size or category ofairport. All fire simulators operate bycombining propane and water, so allow-ing complying with the EnvironmentalProtection Act 1990. IFTE is the onlycompany in the world with the capabilityto design and manufacture the largestaircraft fire trainer mock-up, a Boeing747.

The largest aircraft-training simulatorin the world is at Schiphol InternationalAirport. The rig dimensions are…

Length: 52.6 metresWingspan: 29.7 metresHeight: 14 metresWeight: 250 tonnes

This is the world’s most advancedaircraft accident simulator that has beeninstalled at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdamby IFTE to provide state-of-the-arttraining for airport fire crews. IFTE hasdeveloped a full-size mock-up of aBoeing 747. The detailed interior andexterior of the 747 Simulator can create an impressive 26 different firescenarios including a high tail enginefire; broken wing and engine fires, LPG fuel spill. The simulator is fitted with a high engine to represent an MD-11. This simulator can successfullyrecreate any situation that Airport firefighters may encounter. All fires arefueled by LPG Propane, a safe andenvironmentally acceptable alternative toconventional carbonaceous or hydrocar-bon fuels.

Fuel spills areas are located either sideof the aircraft fuselage and cover animpressive 864m2 and are capable ofreaching a height of 10 metres! The fuel

spill area is driveable, allowing fire-fighters to position vehicles correctly,thereby experiencing the full realism ofan emergency situation.

The Control Room monitors eachexercise, from galley oven fire to large-scale engine fire. Located on the Training Ground, the Control Room uses the latest in PLC system softwaregiving instructors control over trainingexercises.

Benefits to Schiphol – a spokesman forSchiphol Airport explained the benefits ofthe rig are:

1. Standardisation: all fire crews tackledincidents properly before we had the rigbut in their own way; now techniques areharmonised through discussion amongstthe teams – we have for example devel-oped exercise duties and great progress isbeing made.2. Efficiencies: because we previously hadto spend a lot of time in preparation we cannow spend a lot more of our time in actualtraining; previously it could have been asmuch as 2 to 3 months between exercises.Debriefing is so much more effective and ishelping to develop future professionalism.3. Records: these help us understandprevious experience and plan furtherdevelopment.4. Morale: we actually enjoy training onthis rig; good positive feedback helpsbuild morale and confidence!


39

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APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 12:52 pm Page 39

5. ICC (Incident Command and Control):Exercise design helps us arrange incidentswith other incident response partners andthis develops overall ICC skills.6. Environmental: IFTE design is a con-siderable improvement as previouslyKerosene was set alight all over the fireground surface.

Other smaller companies with theability to manufacture aircraft fire train-ers include the UK-based companies Sim-ulation (TERS) Ltd and ProcessCombustion Ltd, the Canadian Pro-SafeFire Training Inc.

Simulation (TERS) has already seensome remarkable successes, including hotfire civil aircraft simulators for Birming-

ham International Airport, East MidlandsAirport and Bournemouth InternationalAirport and a multi-purpose military air-craft simulator for the Ministry ofDefence (MoD); the latter believed to bethe largest hot fire training simulatorwithin the MoD.

Simulation (TERS) is unique in Britainin both designing and manufacturing in-house. Simulation (TERS) offer turnkeyprojects from inception through design,development, construction, installationand commissioning. They also provideafter sales service, including planned pre-ventative maintenance, for its own andfor other manufacturers’ equipment.

Simulation (TERS) rigs are built withrobust steel shells and internal chambersdesigned to simulate conditions withinan aircraft, with, for example, bulkheads,seating, galleys, toilets and includinghatches and emergency exits for searchand rescue exercises.

One of Simulations (TERS) biggestcontracts was for a Boeing 767 to beinstalled at Copenhagen Airport. The sim-ulator was manufactured at their manu-facturing facility in Burton upon Trent,England. The rig was then transported byship to Copenhagen. Simulation directemployees then traveled to CopenhagenAirport to install and commission thefacility. Steve Fahey, Managing Director,states “This is very important project for

us. It has strengthened our position inthe international area and provides uswith a high quality product referencepoint in Scandinavia. It was a particularlydemanding project in view of thetimetable, but we are pleased that wehave been able to achieve all of the tar-gets set by our client, particularly timeand cost.” In the International Airportarena Simulation TERS Ltd were awardedthe contract to provide a Boeing 767 FireTraining Simulator to Airport Fire Serviceat Copenhagen Airport in Denmark. Thecontract was awarded by CopenhagenAirport in early September 2002. Thecontract involves the supply of a Boeing767 Aircraft simulator with a total of 16external pressure fed kerosene fireslocated around the engines, undercar-riages, under wing, fuselage and nosewheel. The simulator was delivered tomeet a very fast track programme andcommissioning took place on the 20December 2002.


40

Airport personnel face ever-increasingchallenges in today’s world. Fire-fighters know they may be called torespond to aircraft accidents andsituations resulting from terrorist activi-ties. Realistic training gives people thetools to react to a crisis in the correctmanner and ultimately to save lives.

Picture courtesy of IFTE


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e-mail: [email protected] website: www.ffeuk.com

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 12:52 pm Page 40


41

Located in Makati city in the Philip-pines, the Power Plant Mall is afour-level shopping center designed

to provide a uniquely carefree and conve-nient shopping and entertainment experi-ence. One of the reasons the experiencecan be so carefree for visitors is the facil-ity’s attention to safety, and particularlyfire safety.

Protecting a mall of this size is not theeasiest of tasks. Over 120,000 squaremeters large, the $50 million mall ishome to 250 stores including a largesupermarket, various restaurants, multiplecinemas, and an enormous undergroundparking garage that can house 2000+automobiles. The generous garage is oneof many features designed to providemall guests with “quick-in and quick-out” convenience. The sheer size andextraordinary amenities of this mall allwork to differentiate it from the smaller,more cramped and less “user-friendly”shopping centers in the Manila area.

To find a system to protect the mall’soccupants and guests from fire, the facil-ity’s owner, Rockwell Land Corporation,turned to Yek Yeu Merchandising, anestablished fire alarm distributor. Aftercarefully evaluating the Power Plant’sunique goals and requirements, Yek Yeurecommended a fire safety system fromNOTIFIER, the world’s largest manufac-turer of engineered alarm systems.

According to Peter Chua of Yek Yeu,“NOTIFIER has a strong record of reliabilityand quality compared to its competitors.The flexibility of NOTIFIER software allowsthe distributor to create a program that ismost suitable to the retail mall require-ments for monitoring and control.”

Yek Yeu installed a network of six AFP-400 intelligent fire alarm control panels.The network includes two IntelligentNetwork Annunciators (INAs) that areused to monitor and display informationfrom the entire network on an 80-characterdisplay and control keypad. The systemalso includes a Network Control Station(NCS), which monitors and controls thesystem in a graphical format on aWindows®-based PC.

“In a building this large, a wasted sec-ond can be life-threatening in an emer-gency,” said Peter Chua. “We reallyneeded a system that lets us locate withpinpoint accuracy the exact place in themall where the fire alarm is sounding.With the NOTIFIER system, we can accu-rately provide fast, remote fire protectionto every section of the facility.”

The NOTIFIER system delivers the nec-essary level of coordinated annunciationand response for large operations like thePower Plant Mall. With this fire systemnetwork, each fire alarm control panelmaintains its own area of protection,while monitoring and interacting withother panels. All the nodes, remotelylinked to the fire alarm control panel,react to network events with coordinatedprogrammed responses.

“We greatly appreciated the fact thateach panel could operate independentlyfrom the rest,” said Angela Bella of Rock-well Land Corporation. “So if one panelbreaks down, we wouldn’t have to worryabout all the other links in the chain.”

Along with providing command centeroperators with network control and panelprogramming, and clear, accurate systeminformation, NOTIFIER’s Network Control

Stations interface with the building’spublic address paging system. It commu-nicates network events and provides indi-vidual control of network points ornodes. So the command center operatorscan quickly obtain a complete grasp ofthe situation and relay proper voiceinstructions through the building. Opera-tors can also remotely manage airflowand smoke extraction, as the system isinterfaceable with other facility controls.Fast installation was also of extremeimportance to the mall’s owners becauseany delays in the opening of the Mallwould be extremely costly. So the sys-tem’s minimal wiring was a big plus. Infact, the NOTIFIER system utilized onlyone small-gauge twisted pair unshieldedwire throughout the system loop.

The Power Plant Mall is proud to offerits visitors one of the most complete andaccessible shopping experiences in thearea. And with the installation of theNOTIFIER’s advanced fire safety controlsystem, they can also be sure their shop-pers are receiving the best fire protectionpossible.

I N S T A L L A T I O N P R O F I L E

For more information, please contact:

NOTIFIER HONG KONGSuite 706, Wharf T&T Centre7 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR PRCTel: +852 2 730 9090Fax: +852 2 736 6590

E-mail: [email protected]

ADVANCED FIRE SAFETY SYSTEM MAKESPHILIPPINES MALL A SAFER PLACE TO SHOP

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 12:52 pm Page 41

Hale Products Europe LtdA Unit of IDEX CorporationCharles Street, Warwick,CV34 5LR England

The innovations continue...

World Series PumpModular SystemMulti-pressure pumpnow available with -● Gearbox● Integrated CAFS● Control Panel

with Class 1instrumentation

PPV Fans Positive Pressure VentilationFans -● Robust construction● Easy manoeuvrability● Water turbine or petrol

engine powered

More efficient, more effective firefightingfrom Hale Products Europe

Powerflow GP8/5Compact PumpNew design portable pump -● High performance with low

noise level● Lightweight compact design● Exhaust gas ejector or hand

priming versions

MiniCAFSCompressed air foamsystem for any vehicle -● Improved fire knockdown times● Reduced environmental damage● Reduced water use

IDEX CORPORATIONIDEX CORPORATION

Tel: +44 (0) 1926 623600Fax: +44 (0) 1926 [email protected]

Enquiries: www.haleeurope.com

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:00 pm Page 42

How do CAFS work? Simply stat-ed, CAFS utilize a compressed airsource, usually from an air com-

pressor installed on the apparatus, thatis piped in downstream from a foamconcentrate proportioning system.Compressed air is then injected into a0.5% Class A foam solution mixture. Asboth move out of the apparatus andinto the hose line, a phenomenon called‘scrubbing’ occurs. The scrubbing actionproduces small, tightly packed bubblesthat characteristically have much longer

drain times than foams produced by airaspirating nozzles.

Why are today’s fire officers research-ing the technology and purchasingCAFS apparatus? This is because wild-land crews using CAFS have comparedits use to plain water and have docu-mented significant fire suppressionimprovements. They have found thatthe addition of an air compressor, whileincreasing the cost of a fire truck, pro-vides additional firefighting capabilitiesthat more than offset the cost. Forexample, the benefits of CAFS for wild-land firefighters include reduced laborthat’s required during direct fire sup-pression and mop up, increased produc-tivity of a fire apparatus’ water supply,and stress reduction when advancingCAFS hoselines that are approximately50% liquid filled by volume.

What are the major features andbenefits of using CAFS generating Classfoam during wildland firefighting forthe fire officer?

Various foam consistencies. Usingcompressed air to generate the foambubbles allows the fire officer to pro-duce various foam consistencies thatbest match a particular fire challenge.

For example, a wet, quick-draining

low expansion foam is ideal for directattack of a running ground cover fire.Upon application, the foam blanket hitsand clings to fuels. The finished-foamblanket – which is made up of mostlywater – either evaporates or drains outonto the fuel surface. The foam solu-tion contains surfactants (surface actingagents) that spread out over the fuel,cooling and penetrating the surface.This acts to raise the moisture contentof the fuel. The result? The water


43

Compressed AirFoam Systems

for WildlandFirefighting

THE USE OF COMPRESSED AIR FOAM SYSTEMS (CAFS) for wildlandfirefighting has undergone extensive research and development in the UnitedStates and Canada. The advantages of CAFS for fire knockdown and mop upare strongly advocated by forestry agencies since the technology is well suitedfor suppressing the wide range of fires encountered in complex anddemanding wildland terrain.

Picture courtesy of Hale Products, Inc.Picture courtesy of Hale Products, Inc.

Picture courtesy of Hale Products, Inc.

Compressed AirFoam Systems

for WildlandFirefighting

By Dominic Colletti

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:00 pm Page 43

applied (as a foam blanket) hassuperior cooling, which meansquick flame knockdowns as wellas fuel moisture retentionthat inhibits re-ignition.

It has been found thatcompressed air foamallows approximately 90percent of the extin-guishing agent to remainon fuel surfaces ratherthan run off. This greatlyextends the use of limited watersupplies.

A dry, shaving cream type foamconsistency can also be produced.This is best used in exposure protec-tion situations. Dealing with woodsided dwellings located in awildland/urban interface, prior toarrival of a running wildfire, one tacticusing CAFS is to coat the building witha wet, runny foam consistency, andthen apply a “cap” of dry, cream-piefoam. The dry foam has a much longerdrain time and effectively seals the wetlayer to prevent moisture evaporation.The objective is to keep as much mois-ture in contact with the fuel, for aslong as possible. This will effectively

raise the fuel moisture content. Withfuel moisture increased, the dwellingsurface has a better chance of resistingignition since it will now take muchmore heat to raise the surface to igni-tion temperature during the overrun ofa wildland conflagration.

In some tactical fire suppression

situations, the air compressormay need to be turned off,and only the foam propor-tioner activated.

For example, in situationswhere there is extremely

deep-seated fire, a wet-runnynon-aspirated Class foamsolution is the best choice. A

stubborn muck fire found ondry lakebeds consists of theincomplete decomposition oforganic materials, mostly plantresidues. Muck can be found on

lake bottoms in layers fromseveral inches to several feetin depth. When a muck bedburns, non-flaming combus-tion is found inches, maybeeven feet down from the sur-

face. A smoothbore branch nozzleapplying Class A foam solution (with nocompressed air) is the best choice forfire extinguishment.

Increased foam stream dischargedistance. Discharged by either a pre-piped fixed apparatus monitor or amoveable hose line, fire stream reachdistances are notably improved when


44

Enquiries: www.waterousco.com


APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:01 pm Page 44

using CAFS. The hydraulic energy that normally propels thefire stream is supercharged with the additional energy ofcompressed air. The fire stream exiting the nozzle hashydraulic and pneumatic energy propelling the finished-foamup to 30% further in distance, as compared to a normalhydraulic fire stream. This provides greater stream reach tostop fire in tall tree canopies and brush that is ordinarily outof reach of plain water streams and allows firefighters toattack longer flame lengths without being subject to intenseheat and smoke.

Lightweight hose. Since the hoseline is filled with approxi-mately 50% air by volume, one person using only one handcan move several lengths of charged CAFS hoseline. With lessweight, advancing hose through difficult forest terrainbecomes much easier and less stressful for fire crews. Addi-tionally, friction loss is lessened when dealing with long hose-lays that are required when the fire is located many metersfrom an apparatus positioned at a roadway. The elevationpressure loss of compressed air foam in a vertical hoseline ismuch lower than water. When a line is stretched up a moun-tainside, much less pressure is needed at the base in order tomove the finished-foam up to the elevation of the nozzle.

More compact and lightweight CAFS module designs nowmake retrofitting the technology on existing fire apparatuseasier than ever before. A CAFS pumping module can costapproximately from 5% to 10% of the total cost of a new firetruck. A lot of money, say you? When considering theincreases in firefighter safety and firefighting capability, thedollar value pales in comparison.

What’s stopping your brigade from investigating CAFS?There are several books on the subject and training and edu-cation programs that are also available. These are good placesto start investigating the technology for its application inyour fire district.


45

More compact andlightweight CAFS moduledesigns now makeretrofitting the technologyon existing fire apparatuseasier than ever before.


Dominic Colletti is the global foam systems productmanager for Hale Products and a Fire Service Instructor.He has trained fire brigades around the world on theapplication and use of compressed air foam systems forboth wildland and structural firefighting. Having over 17years experience in the research and development ofCAFS technology, Dominic’s lesson’s learned are highlyvaluable for brigades that either desire to improve theircurrent use of CAFS, or are considering the use of thetechnology for the first time. He is also the co-author ofFoam Firefighting Operations 1, with Larry Davis.Dominic can be reached at: [email protected]


APF p. 38-64 11/21/06 12:39 PM Page 45


APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:02 pm Page 46

Established less than 2 years beforethis date, a little known companycalled Helmets Ltd., forerunner of

the leading British helmet manufacturerin existence today, exhibited its prod-ucts. Chief amongst these and a world-wide top seller was the Topee – atropical helmet hand-made from corkand the regulation headgear for Britishadministrators, police and soldiers livingand working in the colonies.

At this time miners went down thepits in cloth caps, motorcyclists rodearound bareheaded and firemen raced toa blaze in helmets of shining brass.

Head protection in any real sense wasvirtually non-existent and in the pre-plastic age, helmet makers relied almostexclusively on cork, vulcanised rubberand cotton twill bonded with resin astheir materials of construction.

Nowadays materials and processes havebeen developed including Glass Rein-forced Plastic (GRP), Acrylonitrile Butadi-ene Styrene (ABS), Polycarbonate, CarbonFibres and thermoplastic composites.Processes include automated vacuumassisted pressure bag moulding and resintransfer assisted moulding (RTM). Thesematerials and manufacturing techniquesare used to make fire-fighters helmets

that combine high strength protectionagainst impact and penetration combinedwith lighter weight, improved wearercomfort and greater fire retardancy, veri-fied by rigorous testing to recognisedinternational standards.

Back in the 1920’s however corkremained king and the Topee’s individu-ally hand crafted construction of layersof cork sheets cut and glued together

formed the basis of what was to succeedthe traditional brass fire-fighters helmet.

Brass though imposing in appearanceoffered no practical benefits, being heavyand cumbersome to wear with no abilityto absorb or cushion impact blows. Therehad also been at least one fatality – anelectrocution which was attributed to thehelmets metal construction.

A turning point in the developmentof the fire-fighters helmet and the for-tunes of Helmets Ltd came in 1935when London County Council asked theBritish manufacturer to submit a proto-type to their fire department to replaceits existing brass helmet.

Using its tried and tested cork con-struction the company presented theLCC with a new helmet that was muchlighter and more comfortable to wearand for the first time offered some realprotection from impact and heat due tothe inherent resilience of the layeredcork material.

As an added incentive the new helmethad the distinction of having been


47

A tropical helmet being hand craftedfrom cork sheets with layers gluedtogether to provide a strong, lightweightlaminate

When corkwas kingThe development of fire-fighters helmetsIn 1926 King George V opened the Great EmpireExhibition at Wembley celebrating and promotingBritish achievements throughout its overseas territories.

An example of one of the first fire-fighters’helmets to be fitted with a face-shield –specified originally for airfield duties

When corkwas kingThe development of fire-fighters helmets

By Colin RobinsonBusiness Manager – Fire & EMS Products

Helmet Integrated Systems Ltd

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:02 pm Page 47

designed by Sir William Reid Dick one of the most distin-guished sculptors of the day.

The contract for around two and a half thousand helmetsthat followed the approval of the cork prototype set the sealon what was to become a standard specification for fire-fightershelmets lasting up until the introduction of new materials inthe 1960’s.

Traditional hand crafting of cork from flat sheets, a slowand expensive process, became superseded by the developmentof a simpler and quicker production method using fragmentsor ‘crumbs’ of cork bonded with resin. This enabled up to 250helmet shells to be produced in the same time it would havetaken to make 50 of the handcrafted originals. This heraldedthe demise of traditional helmet making and the move towardsstreamlined manufacturing and assembly.

With the arrival of GRP and ABS plastics cork finally beganto lose its popularity. The drive towards more rigorous stan-dards of protection, reinforced by new European standards andthe demand by Brigades for improved wearer comfort andlower through life costs accelerated this process.

Face protection had also become an important priority infire-fighting leading to the introduction of face-shield systemsmade from materials such as polycarbonate that could resisthigh velocity impacts and protect against radiant heat.

Today’s fire-fighting helmets have also changed their shape fromthat of the traditional wide brimmed style with the central comb.

A greater recognition of the need for access and manoeu-vrability in confined spaces led to a departure from this tradi-tional style to helmets whose shape is closer in appearance tothose worn by star troopers in popular sci-fi movies.

A greater emphasis was also placed on the need forincreased wearer-comfort and hygiene, reflecting the prefer-ences of individual fire-fighters which were increasinglyaddressed through trials carried out on different types of hel-met, prior to purchase.


48

The Topee tropical helmet made from cork, worn throughout theterritories of the British Empire and the forerunner of early fire-fighters’ helmet construction


APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:22 pm Page 48

With developments in fire-fightingtechniques and the specialisation of tasksthe helmet became more than just a headprotector – it provided a base for theattachment of additional fittings such astorch brackets and integral covers to pro-tect the surface of retracted visors.

Another development in helmet tech-nology was fuelled by the demand forimproved communications between indi-vidual members of fire-fighting teams,particularly in operational conditionswhere conventional radios often prove to

be ineffective, for example in areas of highambient noise in confined undergroundspaces, within complex building structuresand below decks on-board ships.

To answer this need another step for-ward came with the introduction of ahelmet and face-shield system with itsown built-in, cordless duplex radio,integrated into the rear of the helmetshell and capable of allowing communi-cations between up to 16 separate fire-fighting teams.

This novel helmet with its improvedcommunications capability was testedby the UK Ministry of Defence in trialscarried out by Royal Navy fire-fightersto determine its effectiveness for ship-board use. The successful conclusion ofthese trials led to its use on board theUK Royal Navy’s surface vessels and insubmarines for fire-fighting and dam-age control duties.

From the cork Topees of our imperialpast and the shiny brass show-pieces ofyesteryear we have now arrived at a pointwhere we can equip single fire-fighters,their Team Leaders and Controllers with ahelmet that enables them to maintain con-stant hands-free two way communicationswith over a hundred other individuals.

We have helmets that fire-fighterscan wear comfortably for longer periodsfitted with replaceable components thatextend service life, reduce costs andpromote greater hygiene.


49

An early fire-fighters’ helmet beingmoulded from the cork crumb and resinmixture which superseded the traditionalcork sheet method

The Cromwell F600 helmet with aunique compact shape, featuring a shellmoulded from Glass Reinforced Plasticand a polycarbonate anti-mist, anti-scratch face-shield, fully certified andtested to comply with recognisedinternational standards

Through the introduction of morestringent standards, using approvedtest methods, we can now ensure thatmaterials of construction and specifica-tions are fit for purpose leading toimproved head and face protection forfire-fighters against the most commonlyencountered operational hazards,typically impact from falling or flyingobjects and splashes from chemicals ormolten metal.

Enquiries: www.msa-gallet.fr

[Already more than a million of helmets sold in the world]

The World Reference of Fire-Fighting Helmets

Only fromFor more information please see our web site www.msa-europe.com

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:22 pm Page 49


50

Enquiries: www.sensa.org

There are two ways to discover a tunnel fire

For your solution contact Sensa:

Gamma House, Chilworth Science Park, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 7NS, United KingdomT +44 (0)23 8076 5500 F +44 (0)23 8076 5501 E [email protected]

Continuous tunnel monitoring using fibre optic linear heat detection systems enables you to rapidly and accurately pinpoint the seat of an incipient fire, along with its direction of propagation. Vital minutes saved where they might really count.

Too lateEarly


The brilliant new WARNING TRIANGLE is designed with theNew Zealand, Australian and Asian market in mind.

This hi visibility reflective triangle consists of 51 LED lights making ithighly effective in direct sunlight, heavy fog, rain or poorly lit areas.

Specialintroductory

offerUS$29.00

Red or Amber unitsavailable.

Blue/Red trianglescoming soon.

In New Zealand contact:Phillips & Smith Ltd0064 9 818 8048

In Australia contact:Fire Response Pty. Ltd0061 2 9838 9044

Supplied with:6 mtr cigarette lighter cordSwivel folding baseProtective carry bagBatteries not included

APF p. 38-64 11/21/06 12:14 PM Page 50

Tunnels and underground transportfacilities are important means ofcommunication, not only in terms

of shorter journeys, but also increasinglyout of consideration for the local popula-tion and the environment. Generallyspeaking, important underground trans-port links are expected to be availablewithout any restrictions and to operatesmoothly round the clock. Interruptionsdue to accidents, technical malfunctionsor maintenance work quickly cause trafficjams and delays, and figure in transportpolicy statistics as economic losses.

Rising traffic densities and the growingdemand for underground communicationlinks result in a higher probability of acci-dents, injuries and damage. Added to thisare other factors, which increase thepotential hazards of traffic tunnels:

● The increasing length of moderntunnels

● The transport of hazardous materials● Two-way traffic (with undivided

carriageways)● Higher fire loads due to growing

traffic volumes and higher loadingcapacities

● Mechanical defects in motor vehicles

When considering a tunnel(s), it isusually in relation to road and rail infra-structure, however, use of the word tun-nels can be slightly misleading, as the

following apply equally to pedestrianwalkways, underground rail stations,underground car parks etc, in fact, to anyconcrete structure.

It is usually assumed that because astructure is constructed using concrete,that it is inherently fire resistant, andtherefore requires no additional fire pro-tection measures to be taken. Unfortu-nately, experience over the years hasshown that this is not necessarily the caseand consideration must be given to theperformance and behaviour of concretestructures under fire conditions. In addi-tion, where tunnels and undergroundspaces are concerned, consideration mustalso be given to the provision of servicesprotection, e.g. smoke extraction systems,protection to cables and wiring servicingemergency equipment etc.

There are three reasons for providingprotection against fire within tunnels,firstly, there is the matter of life safety,this is not necessarily a function of struc-tural performance under fire, although acollapsing structure would not enablepeople to exit a structure in safety, butmore to do with the function of servicessuch as emergency lighting, smokeextraction systems etc.

Secondly there is the performance ofthe structure itself, will it remain in-situ,will it collapse, possible causing collateraldamage to other structures and injuriesto people passing by etc.

Thirdly, there is the economic damagecaused as a result of the failure of a tun-nel etc. This economic cost is not relatedsolely to the repair or rebuilding of thestructure; more usually it is the knock onimpact of loss of business, traffic diver-sions etc which result in the largest costs.A prime example of this is the fire insidethe Channel tunnel where the economicdamage was estimated to be over twicethe cost of the actual tunnel repairs, thedirect repairs to the tunnel cost some€87 million, the additional costs in lostbusiness, replacement of infrastructure,materials e.g. lorries, train carriages etcbring the economic loss alone to some€211 million. Using Mont Blanc tunnelas an example for a simple road tunnel,the differences are not so marked, withthe cost of repair being estimated atsome €189 million and the economiccost at some €203 million in addition.However, some two years after the fireoccurred, Mont Blanc tunnel is stillclosed to commercial traffic, and the eco-nomic costs of diverting heavy goodsvehicles continues to mount up.

Thus in terms of fire protection withintunnel and underground systems, the fol-lowing items require consideration.

● Enhancing the fire resistance of thestructure

● Air supply systems● Smoke extract duct systems ● The provision of fire and smoke resis-

tant safe havens in long tunnels● Active and Passive detection systems ● Fire extinguishing systems

TYPES OF FIRE CURVES IN TUNNELS

In recent years, a great deal of researchhas taken place internationally to ascer-tain the types of fire, which could occurin tunnels and underground spaces. This


51

Aftermath of Channel Tunnel Fire, England/France

Is Your TunnelProtected

Against Fire?By Ian R. Holt

Regional Technical Manager, Promat International Asia Pacific

FIRES IN TUNNELS are a major hazard to human life and cause costly dam-age to the infrastructure. The limited escape facilities and the difficultiesencountered by intervention forces in gaining access call for extensive safetyarrangements, which must be complementary and mutually coordinated.

Is Your TunnelProtected

Against Fire?

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:23 pm Page 51

research has taken place in both real, dis-used tunnels, and under laboratory con-ditions, as a consequence of the dataobtained from these tests, a series oftime/temperature curves for the variousexposures have been developed asdetailed below.

The RWS curve was developed basedon the assumption that in a worst-casescenario, a fuel oil or petrol tanker firewith a fire load of 300MW lasting up to120 minutes could occur.

The RWS curve was based on theresults of testing carried out by TNO inthe Netherlands in 1979. The differencebetween the RWS and the Hydrocarboncurve, bearing in mind that they are bothusing as the fire load similar materials, isthat the latter is based on the tempera-tures that would be expected from a fireoccurring within a relatively open space,where some dissipation of the heat wouldoccur, whereas the RWS curve is based onthe sort of temperature you would findwhen a fire occurs in an enclosed area,such as a tunnel, where there is little orno chance of heat dissipating into thesurrounding atmosphere.

The RWS curve simulates the initialrapid growth of a fire using a petroleumtanker as the source, and the gradual

drop in temperatures to be expected asthe fuel load is burnt off.

The RABT curve was developed in Ger-many as a result of a series of test pro-grammes such as the Eureka project. Inthe RABT curve, the temperature rise isvery rapid up to 1200°C within 5 min-utes, faster than the Hydrocarbon curve,which rises only to 1150°C after 60 min-utes. The duration of the 1200°C expo-sure is shorter than other curves with thetemperature drop off starting to occur at60 minutes.

This test curve can be adapted to meetspecific requirements, in testing to thisexposure, the heat rise is very rapid, but isonly held for a period of 30 minutes, simi-lar to the sort of temperature rise youwould expect from a simple truck fire, butwith a cooling down period of 110 min-utes. If required, for specific types of expo-sure, the heating period can be extendedto 60 minutes or more, but the 110 minutecooling period would still be applied.

Over the past hundred years or so, asstated in the introduction, millions uponmillions of people have come to regardconcrete as a solid and dependable prod-uct, used in every conceivable type ofstructure; for buildings, bridges, tunnelsand sometimes even ships.

Concrete has always been thought ofas behaving well in a fire. Not justbecause it is non-combustible, but alsobecause as part of a structure, concretehas better fire-resistant properties than,say, unprotected steel. Yet if we comparethe loss of strength in concrete and steelas temperature rises we find that the twomaterials differ very little in this respect.

The fire resistance of a concretestructural member is derived from thefollowing properties:

Low coefficient of thermal conductivityThis term refers to the fact that the heatgenerated by exposure to fire is less ableto penetrate structural members.

High thermal capacityThis means that the rise in temperature inthe outermost surface layer of the con-crete is far more rapid than in that withinthe depth of the concrete. As a result, theaverage rate of temperature rise in a con-crete member is relatively low.

MASS

Because concrete has less inherentstrength than steel, the cross sections ofconcrete structural members are alwayslarger, given the same loadbearing capac-ity, than those of steel members. Onlyreinforced or pre-stressed concrete canabsorb tensile stresses. However, thebehaviour of the reinforcement is impor-tant not only in structural members sub-jected to bending and tension but also inreinforced concrete members subjected tocompression.

In a fire, the rate of temperature rise tothe critical temperature (approx. 500°C)in reinforcement subjected to tension iscomparable to that in a steel girder,assuming that the steels are of approxi-mately the same type and the maximumtension is of roughly the same order ofmagnitude. Experiments using standardfires (see figure on the following page)have shown that where reinforcementlacks the protection afforded by the con-crete this critical temperature of approx.500°C is reached within 10 minutes ofexposure to the sort of temperatures thatwould be expected under fire conditions.

Given that a concrete member hasinherently good fire resistance, the ques-tion naturally arises why, then, it is nec-essary in certain circumstances to protectit with fire-resistant cladding. Laboratorytests have shown that concrete structuressubjected to compression generally failwhen their compression strength isexceeded. In practice it will be rare for an entire structure to be subjected tocompression, except perhaps where pre-stressed concrete has been used.

In the laboratory the concrete cross-section is heated by a standard fire. As aresult of this the strength of the concretefalls until the critical temperature isreached. The critical temperature dependson the load. Netherlands standard NEN


52

Time/temperature curves

Tem

per

atur

e OC

Time (minutes)

1 = Cellulosic Curve 2 = Hydrocarbon Curve 3 = RABT Curve 4 = RWS Curve

Aftermath of Fire in Mont Blanc tunnel, France

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:24 pm Page 52

6071 sets out, in 10.1.2.1, a simplifiedmethod of calculating this. There it isassumed that a cross-section is fullyloadbearing at a temperature of 500°C orless. However, this 500°C is not the criti-cal temperature: the hotter shell contin-ues to bear some of the load while thecore is not 100% loadbearing.

● Free & Chemically bound water com-bine to cause steam pressure build-up

● Expansion Ratio of water-to-steam =1:1700

● Temperature in excess of 500°C● Concrete Grade dependant● Moisture content over 3% = spalling

almost 100% within 30 minutes ofexposure.

NOTE: On recent tests carried out ontunnels in Netherlands, the average mois-ture content of the concrete 10 yearsafter construction was approximately6–7%.

SPALLING

What is spalling? When mature driedconcrete is exposed to extreme heat forlong periods of time, the chemical bondsbetween the water molecules in the con-crete break, destroying molecular bridgesthat bind together the various materialsthat make up concrete. As the water mol-ecules are pulled out of the skeletonthrough dehydration, the concrete losesits cohesion and weakens, pushing piecesof the concrete off the tunnel walls invery thin layers resembling onion peel.This phenomenon, called spalling, caneventually work its way through theentire concrete ring lining a tunnel, layerby layer.

Research has shown that concretestructures can suffer surface spalling as aresult of high compression stresses in theheated outermost layers and by the gen-eration of water vapour at a high pres-sure behind those layers. The probabilityof spalling increases with compressionstress and the moisture content of theconcrete. With a moisture content of over3% of the mass, the probability ofspalling is virtually 100%. It is precisely incolumns and prestressed beams thatcompression stresses are high.

Rapid rates of heating, large compres-sive stresses or high moisture contents(over 5% by volume or 2% to 3% bymass of dense concrete) can lead tospalling of concrete cover at elevatedtemperatures, particularly for thicknessesexceeding 40 mm to 50 mm. This moistureis not only physically present, but alsochemically bound within the concrete.

The latest investigations into the fireperformance of concrete show that eventhe addition of polypropylene fibres intothe concrete mix, will not suffice toreduce this water vapour pressure, andthus has little effect on reducing the inci-dence of spalling.

Such spalling may impair performance


53

Influence of temperature on concrete

Val

ue a

t el

evat

ed t

emp

erat

ure

Val

ue a

t ro

om t

emp

erat

ure

Temperature OC

Compressive Stress Concrete Yield Stress Steel New Steel Fresh Concrete

Enquiries: www.halotron-inc.com

Distributed By:

Amerex Corporation Badger Fire ProtectionTrussville, Alabama, USA Charlottesville, Virginia, USA205-655-3271 • Fax 205-655-3279 800-446-3857 • Fax 434-973-1589Web Site: http://www.amerex-fire.com Web Site: http://www.badgerfire.com

Buckeye Fire Equipment Co. Kidde SafetyKings Mountain, North Carolina, USA Mebane, North Carolina, USA704-739-7415 • Fax 704-739-7418 800-654-9677 • Fax 800-547-2111Web Site: http://www.buckeyef.com Web Site: http://www.kidde.com

65 lb. (29.5 kg) and 150 lb. (68 kg)UL Listed Wheeled Units

are also available

American Pacific Corporation, Halotron DivisionLAS VEGAS, NEVADA /CEDAR CITY, UTAH, USA

702-735-2200 • FAX 702-735-4876WEB: halotron-inc.com • E-MAIL: [email protected]

• U.S. FAAApproved for AirportFire Fighting (Cert Alert 95-03).

• Installed in 200-500 Lb. Systems at more than 43 U.S. International Airports.

• Complete Line of High Performance UL Listed A, B, C ratedportables from four U.S. Manufacturers.

• Available in High Performance UL Listed Wheeled Units 65Lbs. (29.5 kg) - 150 Lbs. (68 kg).

• Available from Distributors outside the U.S. including:Matafuegos Donny (Argentina); PT Chubb Lips (Indonesia);Palmer Asia (Philippines); Lingjack (Singapore) and KoreanPacific Corporation (Korea).

BUCKEYE150 lb. HALOTRON I™

BUCKEYE65 lb. HALOTRON I™

HALOTRON™ I

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:24 pm Page 53

by exposing the reinforcement or tendonsto the fire or by reducing the cross-sectional area of concrete. Concretesmade from limestone aggregates are lesssusceptible to spalling than concretesmade from aggregates containing a higher

proportion of silica, e.g. flint, quartzitesand granites. Concrete made from manu-factured lightweight aggregates suffer alesser degree of spalling. The use of highstrength concrete has been introduced asit can reduce the necessary thickness

required to obtain a certain structuralperformance, however, high strength con-crete is particularly prone to severespalling when exposed to fire, as such,because the depth of the concrete hasbeen reduced already, the effects ofspalling are even more severe thannormal.

In addition to surface spalling, the indepth research that has taken place, bothafter real fires, and when tests have beencarried out in disused tunnels (e.g. theEureka project) show that deep cracks willappear in the concrete after the substratehas cooled down.

When spalling occurs which can alsobe dangerous for the immediate environ-ment due to the explosive nature of thespalling on some types of concrete thereinforcement is exposed. In a normal fireordinary reinforced concrete is unlikely tofail completely but repair costs can beconsiderable. Where prestressed concretehas been used the detrimental effect ofspalling is greater and more dangerous.

Based on the requirements for expo-sure to an RWS type fire:

Temperature on the concrete interfaceshould not exceed 380°C (for boredtunnels this limit is 200–250°C)Temperature on the reinforcement shouldnot exceed 250°C with a minimum of25mm concrete cover

NOTE: For exposure to RABT, the rein-forcement temperature should not exceed300°C.

There is a high risk of failure due to thetemperature of the steel in the concretein columns with a high reinforcementlevel under high loads. For this reason,the (non-normative) tables give acritical steel temperature of 500°C forordinary concrete, steel and 400°C fortension steel. In the Netherlands, Rijk-swaterstaat lays down for tunnels amaximum permissible concrete surfacetemperature of 380°C. This maximumwas set not because of any perceptionthat concrete fails at that temperature,but because it is assumed that in prac-tice this is a temperature at which thereis only a very small probability of dam-age to concrete. This requirement alsoimplies that the temperature of theunderlying reinforcement remains low,so that its strength is unimpaired. InSwitzerland the maximum is set evenlower: there the surface of the concretein tunnels must not exceed 250°C.


54

Reinforcement temperatures

Enquiries: www.skum.com

Concretes made from limestoneaggregates are less susceptible tospalling than concretes made fromaggregates containing a higherproportion of silica, e.g. flint,quartzites and granites.

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:25 pm Page 54


55

The modern firefighter often works inenvironments requiring the bestprotective gear and clothing. Besides

fire suits, gloves and boots, helmets andother head protection equipment playimportant roles in protecting the firemenfrom unpredictable surroundings.

Draeger Safety and Schuberth Helmehas joined hands to develop a series ofhead protection gear to meet the highdemands of firefighters and rescueworkers. Both companies are traditionalleaders in their own fields: Draeger insafety technology and Schuberth in headprotection systems.

The launch of the HPS 6100 firefight-ing helmet and the HPS 4100 halfshellhelmet represents the first products tocome from Draeger’s Head ProtectionSystem (HPS) range. Launched afterextensive collaboration and research, bothproducts showcase the innovation, relia-bility and comfort that will be seen infuture products to come.

The Draeger HPS 6100 is an innovativefire fighter helmet which combines thehighest safety standards with extraordi-nary wearer comfort. Thanks to its shellmade from highly heat-resistant Duro-plast, the helmet offers complete pro-tection even in extreme heat. At the sametime, its modern lining of flame-resistant,washable Nomex fulfils all your needs fora secure fit and real comfort.

When used with a breathing apparatus,

the patented Dräger-Supra adaptor andfast adjustment mechanism allows thewearer to put on a Dräger mask quickly,safely and comfortably. The helmet’s 3-point Aramid chinstrap, Nomex hairnetand headband made of washable “eco-logical leather” further contribute to thewearer’s safety and comfort. A wide rangeof accessories is available and customisa-tion of the helmet with identificationmarkings is easy, This allows you to indi-vidualise the helmet according to yourneeds.

The new Dräger HPS 4100 is theupdated version of the traditional half-shell helmet and offers the latest in safety,wearer comfort and cost-effectiveness.It’s newly designed, high heat-resistantDuroplast shell offers reliable protectioneven in the most extreme heat. A modernlining of flame-resistant, washableNomex and the 4-point Aramid chinstrapensure the Dräger HPS 4100 helmet fitssecurely and comfortably. The easilyadjustable neckstrap and ergonomicsniper buckle made of highly heat-resistant plastic further contribute tomaking the Dräger HPS 4100 a reliablepartner in action.

With these two new helmets, Draegerand Schuberth sets the standard higher ininnovative, reliable and integrated headprotection systems worldwide.

HPS 6100 Helmet

Features at a glance:• Outer shell made from high heat-

resistant polyester reinforced fibreglass

• Lined with flame-resistant, washableNomex

• Adaptor connections for combinationwith Dräger breathing masks

• Fast adjustment for wearing a maskwith a 5 point head strap

• 3-point chin/neckstrap• Aramid straps with a quick release

buckle• Weight: approx. 1,250 g• Optional gold visor or mesh visor• Certification: EN 443: 1997

HPS 4100 Helmet

Features at a glance:

• Outer shell made from high heat-resistant polyester reinforced fibreglass

• Lined with flame-resistant, washableNomex

• Aramid straps with ergonomicallyshaped sniper buckle

• 4-point chin/neckstrap• Weight: approx. 800 g• Optional polycarbonate visor• Certification: EN 443: 1997

P R O D U C T P R O F I L E

ST 5692

For further information, please contact:

DRAEGER SAFETY ASIA PTE LTD.67 Ayer Rajah Crescent # 06-03

Singapore 139950Tel: +65 6 872 9288Fax: +65 6 773 2033

E-mail: [email protected]: www.draeger.com.sg

DRAEGER SAFETY FIREFIGHTING HELMETS

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:26 pm Page 55

Budgets in most countries for fireand rescue equipment are limited,so deciding where funds should be

allocated is a key decision for allinvolved. Do you know what thermalimaging can do for you? Is a thermalimaging camera seen as a luxury item orare there serious, life saving benefits,efficiency and safety issues to taking acamera into a fire?

Technology has come a long way sincethe move from the vacuum tube basedPevicon™ devices to solid-state sensorbased cameras. Picture quality has vastlyimproved, reliability has increased fivefold – which has in turn reduced the costof ownership and most manufacturersnow offer an upgrade path to their latestmodel. A positive side effect is that man-ufacturers today offer a variety of war-ranty packages, which can include a2-year standard warranty for peace ofmind. Thermal imaging sensor technol-ogy is well established and, customersbeing more demanding than ever, tech-nology today offers the end-user a hostof features designed to make their life ina fire safer and easier – as well as effec-tively assisting them in doing their job!

Ergonomics on thermal cameras havebeen enhanced greatly compared to older

style cameras, which were often bulky,difficult to operate and required manyuser inputs to maintain a good picture.They were also prone to faults because ofthe technology used. Newer style camerasare smaller, lighter and often have simplebutton operations, with instant on and

delayed off switches to prevent inadver-tent switching off when in use. Newerdesigns also offer wider LCD screensallowing a team to view the same imagein order to share information effectivelyand quickly.

Batteries and battery life have alsotaken a step forward. Fire fighters cannow expect a standard of at least 3 hourscontinuous battery life from re-chargeablebatteries. Standard AA Ni-MH batteriescan also be used to power the cameras.Battery doors are constructed to allowgloved hand opening and the ability tochange in zero visibility. This furtherreduces the cost of ownership forbrigades and makes it easier to make sureyour thermal camera is always fullyoperational.

Cameras offer two types of tempera-ture detection to aid fire fighters indetermining the heat of their surround-ings – ambient temperature measurementgives fire fighters rapid identification ofareas of heat, thus allowing effectivedirection of water spray or extinguishantat the hottest area. Detected differencesin heat can indicate dangerous situationsand the fire fighter can make a decisionwhether to evacuate the premises or con-tinue the search. Enhancing this option,Spot Temperature Measurement enablesfire fighters to pinpoint the exact heat ofobjects or obstacles, again saving timeand extinguishant by allowing fire fight-ers to focus on the hottest part. Thisoption enables fast and effective locationof the seat of a fire or detecting hotspots in cavity walls or behind doors –indicating potential danger in anotherroom. In addition, this feature can beuseful for determining the temperaturewithin enclosed capsules or spaces, evenmeasuring the temperature of gascylinders.

Improved picture quality today notonly allows fire fighters to view images infar more detail than was possible witholder cameras but latest offerings allowfull colour options. Various screen coloursettings enable fire fighters to switchbetween monochrome all to the way tofull colour. This makes detecting changesin heat and finding the hottest part of animage on the screen easier, faster andmore reliable thus saving vital seconds inscene assessment.

Coupled with improved image qualitycomes another unique innovation – pic-ture capture. This feature, currentlyoffered only on e2v technologies’


56

Picture courtesy of e2v Technologies

Thermal imaging extends its r


Thermal imaging cameras have been used in fire fighting environmentsfor nearly twenty years; the technology is well known and extensivelyused within the industry. The history is well documented – but whatabout the present and the future? What are thermal imaging camerascapable of and what developments lay ahead?

By Nicky Probyn

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:26 pm Page 56

Argus®3,1 allows fire fighters – using thethermal imaging camera – to take up to26 pictures at the scene of a fire. This is asignificant aid in forensic investigation asit captures evidence in the fire groundbefore it is destroyed by the blaze andcan help deliver vital clues as to thesource of fires and provide data foranalysis and investigation. Pictures takencan be downloaded from the camera to aPC or Laptop using a supplied connectionlead and subsequently inserted into anincident report. This feature also assists intraining fire fighters.

Remote wireless video (telemetry) onthermal cameras allows remote viewing ofthe fire scene. Station commanders canmonitor what is happening from the out-side of the fire and, if necessary, send inbackup to help deal with an incident.This option is also useful for trainingpurposes. In addition, telemetry allowsfire fighters to record footage of what ishappening in the blaze/training exercisefor later analysis and effective de-briefingof personnel.

Finally, remote control set-up and userpersonalisation allows fire fighters the flexi-bility to enter their personal settings interms of screen colour, white or black hot,contrast, brightness etc on the camerabefore entering into the fire ground. A sta-tion or brigade logo can also be uploadedonto a splash screen on cameras to improveasset tracking. All settings are definedbefore the fire fighter enters the blaze.

Not only have the features on thecameras increased, but the applicationsthey are used for have in turn widened.

Thermal cameras today are so versatilethat using them simply for fire and cas-ualty detection seems a waste. There are amany different applications aiding not onlycivilian fire personnel but also marine andairport fire brigades, not only in search andrescue but in fire detection as well.

Take the marine market for instance.There have recently been a host of marineaccidents starting in various places aroundvessels but often in engine rooms or elec-trical systems. Overheated motors candevelop into blazing infernos. Using athermal imaging camera as an engineer-ing tool allows gearboxes, motors andbearings to be regularly monitored facili-

tating the rapid identification and elimi-nation of hotspots. Pipe work and distrib-ution panels can be similarly investigatedfor faults. Condition monitoring andfaultfinding using thermal cameras in thisway increases safety standards on shipsand helps prevent fires altogether.

Once a thermal imaging camera is onboard a vessel, if a fire does start, usingthe camera for casualty location is also ofparamount importance as passengers canbecome disoriented by smoke logged


57

s reach into multiple applications



1Argus® Trademark licensed from Argus Industries,Inc.

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:26 pm Page 57

corridors and become unable to find their way to an area ofsafety. Thus, what was once considered an unnecessary invest-ment has been transformed into a multi-functional tool that canbecome essential to the safe operation of the vessel.

Similarly, thermal imaging cameras are widely used in airportsfor aviation fire fighting – mounted on the outside of a fireappliance, the camera allows a driver to take his vehicle throughthick smoke which means that the team can lay down foamfaster and more accurately. With aircraft incidents involving hotbrakes, aircraft wheel brake assemblies can be rapidly inspectedto give an accurate indication of their temperature. In airportterminals, surveys of escalator motors, distribution panels and airconditioning ducting can be rapidly undertaken, as part of fireprevention schemes.

Finally, thermal imaging cameras have become widely used fortunnel fire fighting. In France and Italy, new fire trucks utilisingtwo driver cabins to eliminate having to turn trucks in tight tun-nel environments have used thermal imaging cameras mountedat either end of the truck to help them navigate through thethickest smoke in a emergency situation. This application wasintroduced after the Mont Blanc Tunnel tragedy in 1999 wherepeople were trapped in a tunnel fire that lasted 50 hours withfire crews unable to enter because of the intense heat andsmoke. Sadly, 38 people were eventually reported dead. Thermalimaging cameras were trailed after this incident to assess theirpossible contribution to tunnel fire fighting and they are nowimportant fixtures on fire trucks servicing tunnels.

It has become obvious that the applications for thermal imag-ing cameras are extending and that the functionality offered onlatest generation cameras facilitates this. Features and optionsoffered on today’s cameras, in addition to increased reliabilityand technological advances, make thermal imaging not only awise choice but also a sound investment. However, the technol-ogy can only go so far – what lies ahead? Currently, talk aboutintegrated fire fighting system – thermal imaging using breath-ing apparatus as the backbone of a system – is becoming moreand more common. However, the technology within cameras isconstantly developing and in the future systems that integrateall components of fire fighting: vision, air, communications, haz-ardous gas warnings could be seen. Currently, due to increasedcompetition in the market and technological advances in cam-eras, users are substantially better catered for than they everwere in the past.


58


The most important aspects in making the right choice ofcamera, surrounds not only the initial cost of ownership,ergonomics and functionality specific to applications but theon-costs associated with day to day maintenance, con-sumables (such as batteries), reliability (in terms of thetechnology used) along with the warranty offered.

Enquiries: www.e2vtechnologies.com

Capture the imagewith Argus®3

• 26 image capture and download

• choice of three sensor cores(BST, ASi and VOx microbolometer)

• x2 zoom function

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tel: +44 (0) 1245 453443

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APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:27 pm Page 58

Heat stress refers to the combina-tion of environmental condi-tions, metabolic rate from

activities we do and clothing that wewear, which will increase our core tem-perature. Our body tries to achieve abalance between heat gain and heatloss, but it is when this balance iscompromised that the body is unableto function at its optimal level, writesJeffery W Petersen.

The major source of heat gain is theinternal heat generated through activitythe body undertakes. Of the energyexpended during this activity, onlyabout 25 per cent is translated tomechanical work, the remainder beingreleased as heat in the contractingmuscle. The harder the human bodyhas to work during a particular activity,the more internal heat is generated.

The major avenue for heat loss isevaporative cooling through evapora-tion of sweat from the skin’s surface.When heat balance is compromised, thebody will try to direct the heat away

from the core by increasing blood flowto the skin. At the skin surface, watersecreted from sweat glands absorbsheat from the skin, changes from a liq-uid to a vapor and is carried off by thesurrounding air. Because the heat of

vaporization is quite high, smallamounts of sweat remove relativelylarge amounts of heat.

It is well known in the Fire Servicethe world over, therefore, that to main-tain normal body function; fluid mustbe replaced as soon as possible.

It is also well known that by the timesomebody experiences thirst, they areprobably already dehydrated andpotential functional capacity willalready be significantly reduced.

The rate at which people sweat isdetermined by three main factors –state of acclimation (acclimatization);aerobic fitness; and genetics.

Acclimation is a physiological adap-tation that the human body makeswith repeated exposures to heat stressduring exercise; it increases our rate ofsweat production, shortens the time ittakes for sweating response to startand conserves sodium.

Some of the best-acclimated fire-fighters are breathing apparatus train-ing officers because of the repeatedexposures during hot fire training. Reg-ular and sustained aerobic exercise canelicit a similar response.

Firefighters who maintain an ade-quate level of fitness will have areduced cardio-vascular strain and


59

Picture courtesy of Bristol Uniforms, Ltd

The warning signs of heat stress are still notrecognized or are being ignored by many firefighters.Jeffery W Petersen provides a checklist of physicalsymptoms and gives new data showing that themental effects can be equally dangerous.

Heat Stress:Ignore The Signs At Your Peril

Heat Stress:Ignore The Signs At Your Peril

••••••••••••

••••••••••••

Picture courtesy of Jeff Petersen

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:27 pm Page 59

lower core temperature for the same level of heat stress. Fitfirefighters also tend to have reduced levels of body fat,which means that they do not have to carry around extra(non-functional) weight, therefore requiring less energy to dothe same job. Body fat is a very good insulator, which meansthat increased levels of body fat will compromise the body’sability to lose heat.

It does not matter how hydrated, how acclimated or howfit a person is – if the sweat cannot evaporate, then thermo-regulation will be compromised.

It is therefore essential that firefighters are aware of thesigns and symptoms of heat stress so that it can be identifiedearly and the appropriate measures taken.

At the first sign of any of these symptoms the Officer inCharge should be notified and appropriate action taken,including work/rest cycles instituted; keep cool and avoidradiant heat; drink small amounts of appropriate fluids; avoidcoffee, tea and alcoholic beverages; use cooling devices suchas water spray bottles, damp towels and fans. Ice packs arenot recommended.

Although technology and training have played a significantrole in reducing the number of deaths and injuries from heatstrain, it is a danger that firefighters continue to face.

The physical effects of heat strain have been well docu-mented. However, recent research shows that there is a fur-ther deleterious effect on the mental state of peoplesuffering from heat strain, which is equally dangerous.

Heat strain has a direct effect on a firefighter’s mental


60

Heat crampsSymptoms: Painful muscle cramps, especially in

abdominal or fatigued muscles Signs: Incapacitating pain in voluntary musclesFirst Aid: Rest in cold environment; Drink salted water

(0.5 per cent salt solution); Massage muscles

Heat syncopeSymptoms: Blurred vision (gray-out); fainting (brief)Signs: Brief fainting or near fainting behavior; normal

behaviorFirst Aid: Lie on back in cool environment; drink water

DehydrationSymptoms: No early symptoms; fatigue/weakness; dry

mouthSigns: Loss of work capacity; increased response timeFirst Aid: Fluid and salt replacement

Heat exhaustionSymptoms: No early symptoms; fatigue/weaknessSigns: High pulse rate; profuse sweating; low blood

pressure; insecure gait; pale face; body temperaturenormal to slightly increased

First Aid: Lay down flat on back in cool environment;drink water; loosen/remove clothing

Heat strokeSymptoms: Chills; restless; irritableSigns: Red face; euphoria; shivering; disorientation; erratic

behavior; collapse; Unconsciousness; convulsions; bodytemperature more than or equal to 40°C

First Aid: Immediate; aggressive; effective cooling;transport to hospital

Enquiries: www.holmatro.com

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:28 pm Page 60

agility and his or her ability to makedecisions. The mental symptoms arenot as readily identifiable in the heat ofa large fire, but the consequences canbe fatal. Research in this area has beenled by the interest in reducing air forcepilot error. Researchers found that thedecision-making process is significantlyhampered by the increased heat strain,with known consequences being decre-ment in mental performance, vigilanceand eye/hand co-ordination.

Highly motivated heat stressed sub-jects exhibit a higher error rate, a nar-rowed attention span with neglect ofsecondary tasks and a diminishedresponse to unusual events. The poten-tial for injury to the individual and tothose under his or her command istherefore much higher.

Stress limits for workers exposed toadverse thermal conditions have recent-ly been challenged. Rather than basingexposure limits on a physiological crite-rion – i.e. increase in body temperature– it is suggested that changes inbehavioral performance efficiency are amore sensitive reflection of humanresponse to heat.

Reducing the risk of heat strain willalso reduce the incidence of cardiac

strain. In the USA, approximately 50firefighters die each year as a result ofcardiac arrest. Improved technology toreduce the risk of heat strain couldhave a positive impact upon these mor-tality rates.

From general research and specificresearch undertaken at W.L. Gore andAssociates (manufacturer of Gore-Texwaterproof and breathable fabric), weknow that the inclusion of a breathablemoisture barrier in a firefighter’sensemble can make a significantimpact on reducing risk from heatstress to a firefighter carrying out mod-erate to light duties – i.e. 80 per centof the normal workload.

Current technology is such that inthe real extremes of temperature expe-rienced when fighting a fire in anenclosed space, it is almost impossibleto remove the build-up of heat fromthe body inside the protective clothingand, at the same time, protect thor-oughly from the outside.

For most of the work undertaken byfirefighters, a moisture barrier will havea distinct effect, allowing them to workfor longer without to rest, lowering theincrease in body temperature andreducing the risk of errors through

poorer mental performance. Ourresearch is currently aimed at creatingnew clothing technology that will offerthese benefits in the most extremetemperatures.


61

Jeff Petersen is an Australianfreelance writer and a former 8-year veteran firefighter nowliving in Billings, Montana, USA.

Picture courtesy of Jeff Petersen

Enquiries: www.lukas.de

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Because we have solutions: Tests made withmost modern cars demonstrated that LUKASCENtury Cutters are working with large powerreserves. With LUKAS CENtury Cutters you areexcellently equippped for the challengesof the future.

When performance counts– LUKAS CENtury Cutters!

Do you want to upgrade older LUKASCutters to CENtury performance? Ask yourLUKAS Distributor for our upgrading kits.

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APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:28 pm Page 61


62

TRAILER-BLAZING TECHNOLOGYStormforce trailers from Angus Fire arethe new way to get fire-fighting equip-ment where you need it – quickly andsafely.

Ideal for providing a fast and flexibleemergency response in high-risk envi-ronments, Stormforce trailers aredesigned to handle a diverse range ofspecialist fire fighting equipment.

Models comprising foam tanks fitted with either monitors and propor-tioning systems or base injection equipment can be used to fight fires instorage tanks, while pump trailers fitted with suction and fire hose offera “mini fire engine” capability.

Rock solid stability during towing and operation is achieved with alow centre of gravity, while a low profile tank design and non-slip deck-ing provides added safety for operators. High quality materials and com-ponents including a non-chip thermoplastic paint finish ensure long lifewith minimal maintenance.

Excellent value for money and they look great too!

NEW LIGHTWEIGHT ERGOTECH™ RANGE OFFIREFIGHTERS CLOTHING PROVIDES GREATERALL-ROUND COMFORT Bristol Uniforms Ltd, the UK’s leading designer and manufacturer of classleading firefighters clothing, has launched a new range of ergonomicallydesigned lighter weight firefighters clothing.

Collaborating with its major UK customers, and listening to feedbackfrom overseas distributors, the Company has spent a year working withkey materials suppliers to develop a new concept in firefighting clothingfeaturing improved fit, greater comfort and less weight without compro-mising levels of operational protection. The result is the new Ergotech™range.

Driven in part by the current international focus on the problems ofheat stress, the Ergotech™ range helps reduce internal heat build-up fromthe wearer’s body through the extensive use of breathable materials there-by offering extended operational performance and greater user safety.

Incorporating Nomex® and Goretex® fabrics, the new coat incorpo-rates a tapered girth with a sleeve featuring a pre-bent construction andunderarm gusset. Added protection and comfort are provided by closedcell foam padding to shoulders and elbows with an extended lined andlaminated catch flap. The trousers also feature a pre-bent seat and kneeconstruction for greater flexibility, a lower rise at the waist (fully compli-ant with EN469) and incorporate Arashield knee pads.

Ian Mitchell, Bristol Uniforms’ Joint Managing Director, highlightedthe benefits of close customer consultation in the new product develop-ment process commenting, “We strive to make our firefighters’ clothingas comfortable as possible for the wearer consistent with the need tomeet all requisite performance and safety standards”. He added, “Closecustomer collaboration has been at the heart of our continued successand has enabled us to evolve garment design in a way which ensures ourbrand-leading styles remain widely respected both in the UK and our 90overseas markets”.

RESIDENTIAL FIRE PUMP CONTROLLERS Cutler-Hammer Residential Fire Pump Controllers work in conjunctionwith single phase, electric, residential fire pumps and packages. They aredesigned to provide fire protection for single and multiple residences.

Available as a Simplex or Duplex unit, all controllers are UL listed andmeet or exceed NEMA requirements as well as NFPA13D, SprinklerSystems One and Two-Family Dwellings and Manufactured Homes andNFPA 70, National Electrical Code.

STANDARD FEATURES● Run Period Timer● Emergency Start Handle● “Pump Run” Indication – Audible and Visible

● “Power On” Indication● Pressure Switch 15–260 psi● 120V Power Available Contacts for Remote● Alarms● Sequential Start Timer*

HORSEPOWER SUPPLY VOLTAGE ENCLOSURES OPTIONS● 1⁄2, 3⁄4, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 5, 7.5, 10Hp● 220–240V Single Phase● Standard NEMA 2● Low Suction Pressure Switch * Standard on Duplex Controllers● FDR Series Controller

THE TALISMAN WASPThe Wireless Advanced Signal Proces-sor (WASP) is the latest version of theworld’s best selling fire camera. Incor-porating a number new features andutilising the latest generation of BSTtechnology, the WASP continues tobuild the impressive reputation of theTalisman K90 series cameras.

New features added include:

● Built-in antenna and video transmitter● Enhanced Dynamic Range control (even clearer images in high heat

conditions)● New internal construction providing enhanced shock protection.● Times Two Zoom

The incorporation of sophisticated viewing optics within the camerabody enables you to hold the camera directly up to your facemask andstill see the image clearly… ideal for exceptionally dense smoke situations.

With all of the options you have come to expect (Video Overlay andDirect Temperature Measurement) the new WASP remains at the forefrontof fire fighting camera design.

Selected by municipal firefighters the world over, and by over 30 ofthe worlds navies (including the US Navy) . . . the Talisman K90 seriesremains the most capable of all BST fire cameras.

Founded in 1992 by Charles Humpoletz and Alistair Watson, ISGThermal Systems has grown into probably the most successful supplier offire fighting cameras in the world.

Today, ISG supplies its advanced thermal imaging cameras both forfire fighting and security/surveillance applications worldwide.

With plants in England and the United States, ISG can provide world-wide support for its products.

ISG is an ISO 9001 accredited company.

USE OF BATTERY-POWERED RESCUE TOOLS INWET WEATHER CONDITIONS

Recently a new generation ofbattery-powered hydraulic cuttersand combitools appeared on themarket providing a greater degree ofmobility and flexibility than anyother powered rescue tool so far.Being tool and power source in one,compact, lightweight and cordlessthese battery-powered rescue toolsare especially designed for use indifficult to reach areas or confined

spaces – e.g. in collapsed buildings or deep down a ravine – where amaximum freedom of movement is required. As the latest models weighless than 15 kg (including battery) they are also suitable to be carriedover long distances. Apart from these features, battery-powered cuttersand combitools offer the same cutting, spreading, squeezing and pullingperformances as tools powered by traditional pumps.

Product Update ● Product Update ● Product Update

For further information, please contact:Angus Fire

Fax: 01844 265156Website: www.angusfire.co.uk

For more information, please contact:Bristol Uniforms Ltd

Tel: +44 (0) 117 956 3101 E-mail: [email protected]

For more information, please contact:Cutler-Hammer

Tel: +1 905 333 6442Website: www.cutler-hammer.com

For more information, please contact:ISG Thermal SystemsTel: +44 1268 527700

E-mail: [email protected]

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 1:59 pm Page 62


63

Following the introduction of their battery-powered rescue tools,leading Dutch-based manufacturer of rescue equipment Holmatro sawtwo questions from the market coming to it quite frequently: what is theeffect of using batteries as a power source on the tool’s operation timeand how does a battery-powered tool behave when used in the rain?These questions are answered below.

It is obvious that the operation time of battery-powered tools is notunlimited and depends on the battery’s capacity. This problem has beenanticipated, however, by equipping the new generation of battery-powered rescue tools with a so-called click-on/click-off system: if the bat-tery is running low it can be replaced in a matter of only seconds. Alongwith the fact that modern batteries are rechargeable up to 100% capacityin less than one hour (e.g. in a vehicle’s battery charger), quick and easybattery replacement ensures a long and continuous tool operation. Alter-natively, the tool can be connected to any 12/24-Volt (e.g. car or truck)battery by means of a power cable to achieve unlimited run time.

During life saving operations rescuers must be able to rely on aproblem-free operation of their tools under all circumstances and in anykind of weather. That is why Holmatro submits its battery-powered cut-ters and combitools – as well as any other tool in its rescue programme –to a great number of extensive tests, one of them being a rain test.During this test the tools are repeatedly exposed to heavy (simulated)rainfall over a period of time and under various angles, both while lyingdown and in operation. In each of the positions the tools still functionperfectly, both after and during this period of heavy rainfall.

The conclusion of the rain test as performed by Holmatro is that at leastthese battery-powered rescue tools can be marked as ‘heavy rainproof’which makes them suitable for use in wet weather conditions. Holmatrolikes to stress the fact that the battery-powered tools are not fit for underwater rescue operations. Nevertheless, there is no reason for rescuers toworry about heavy showers while on their way to remote accident locations!

WHEN IT GETS TOUGH!LANCIER Hydraulik GmbH & Co.KG, Münster, Germany with positive out-look for the future. After more than six months, the turbulences causedby the insolvency of Peter LANCIER GmbH & Co.KG, Münster, Germanyare gone. The business nearly goes on without negative effects.

For this the board of LANCIER Hydraulik GmbH & Co. KG says thankyou to all agents, distributors and of course to the end users. Althoughthere were elements of uncertainty, nearly all of them keep trusting theLANCIER product line.

With a new website, LANCIER Hydraulik will be presented within theinternet starting end of April. Under www.lancier-hydraulik.com. Allinterested parties can get full information about the company and ofcourse about the wide range of products available.

The website will be updated on a regular bases, so that it will be themost current source for information about LANCIER Hydraulik products.A highlight will be set by special offers, those will only be publishedthrough the internet.

SECOND GENERATION DECON SHOWERINTRODUCED BY PPS

Metal Frame Units WillComplement InflatableRangeA second generation of decon showersbased on a mechanical articulatingframe technology is announced byProfessional Protection Systems. Thenew range will complement thecompany’s range of inflatable decon

showers. Since their introduction in 1996 PPS has built up a worldreputation for its inflatables and in 2001 won a major NHS contract toequip hospitals and ambulance services with the UK’s first standarddecontamination shower based on the inflatable principle.

The patented articulating frame technology, made from aircraft stan-dard aluminium, at the heart of the new range was sourced by PPS in theUSA. Units range from an individual decontamination shower suitable forHazmat incidents to a mass decon unit that is large enough to providetwo ambulatory lines and one non-ambulatory line.

Standard features of the new units include an integrated fabric showerrequiring no installation, contaminant containment internal and externaland a white canopy top to provide ambient, natural light. The canopyitself is UV stabilised, fire retardant and chemical resistant.

All of the new shelters include a transport bag, ground sheet, win-dows, utility ports repair and anchor kits as standard supported by a largerange of accessories to suit all specifications.

THE DÉCOR FIRESTOPPING GASKETRectorSeal announces its latestaddition to the popular Metacaulk®Cover Guard™ line — Metacaulk®Décor Cover Guard™!

Metacaulk® Cover Guard™ is asingle component fire rated gasketfor use with electrical boxesinstalled in fire rated walls. It iseasy to install and can be utilizedwith both metal and plastic cover

plates. The Firestopping gasket can now be used for the décor single anddouble style plugs or switches. Cover Guard™ is mounted on the inside ofthe cover plate and installed at the same time as the cover plate, coveringthe opening and providing the necessary fire protection. Metacaulk®Cover Guard™ replaces the need for putty pads and saves on material andlabor costs.

When exposed to heat, Cover Guard’s™ highly intumescent materialcauses it to expand forming a char that will seal off the opening andprevent the spread of flames. This operation alone limits the temperaturerise on an unexposed surface. Metacaulk® Cover Guard™ is UL listed toUL 263/ ASTM E-119 standard, “Fire Tests of Building Construction andMaterials”. It meets the requirements of all model building codes.

Founded in 1937, RectorSeal® has grown steadily over the yearsthrough a commitment to providing high quality products and services.With a diversified business strategy, the company is aggressively pursuingnew and unique technologies to serve the plumbing, hardware, heating,air conditioning, and construction markets both domestically andinternationally. RectorSeal® is devoted to providing innovative qualityproducts supported by strong customer and technical service.

FIBRE OPTIC DETECTION SPECIFIED FOR BRITOMARTSensa’s fibre optic linear heat detection system forms an integral part ofthe fire detection system at Britomart Station in downtown Auckland.The station is a major regeneration project to provide a transport hub,comprising an underground station with provision for light rail use, a businterchange, and an underground walkway linking to Queen ElizabethSquare. Auckland City Council and Opus International Consultants have worked together to ensure that the fire and safety systems through-out Britomart station are state of the art. The Sensa fibre optic sensorcable is used to protect the platform and tunnel areas of the station, andis divided into thirty two seamless detection zones. Alarm signals from the Sensa system are used to activate the foam deluge system. Firealarm signals are fed to the Pertronics fire alarm system, supplied byTotal Fire. Continuous temperature and position data are simultaneouslyfed to the command and control system, supplied by Downer Engineer-ing. The sophisticated systems integration package presents the completedata set to the operators, to ensure the most effective emergencyresponse.

Product Update ● Product Update ● Product Update

For more information please contact:Holmatro Rescue Equipment

Tel: +31 162 589 200E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.holmatro.com

For more information, please contact:LANCIER Hydraulik GmbH & Co. KG

Tel : +49 2506 301 500E-mail: [email protected]

For further information, please contact:Professional Protection Systems

Tel: +44 1908 287123Fax: +44 1908 583741

For more information, please contact:RectorSeal, Inc.

Fax: (713) 263-7577Website: www.rectorseal.com

For more information, please contact:Sensa plc

Fax: +44 238 027 5305Website: www.sensa.org

APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 2:00 pm Page 63


64

Akron Brass Company, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Albach GmbH & Co. KG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Albert Ziegler GmbH & Co. KG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

American Pacific Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Angus Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Autoflug GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Chemetron Fire Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Dafo Fomtec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Draeger South East Asia PTE Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

e2v Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Edwards International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .04

Elkhart Brass Mfg. Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Fire Fighting Entreprises Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Great Lakes Chemical Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OBC

Hale Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Helmet Integrated Systems Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Holmatro Rescue Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Hughes Safety Showers Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

IFTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

ISG Thermal Systems Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Lion Apparel Asia Pacific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IFC

Lukas Hydraulik GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Luxfer Gas Cylinders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .02

Macron Safety Systems (UK) Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC

MSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

MSA Gallet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

NFPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .09

Notifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .07

Phillips & Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

PPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Rectorseal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Securiton AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .06

Sensa plc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Sides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Svenska Skum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Task Force Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

The Fire Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Trelleborg Protective Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Tyco Engineered Products & Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Waterous Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

WH Brennan & Co. Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

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APF p. 38-64 2/11/06 2:00 pm Page 64

Enquiries: www.macron-safety.com

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Your intention was to protect your high-value assets from fire

with a clean agent. But many clean agent fire suppressants

are odorless, colorless gases. So how do you know for sure

that you are being properly protected and not misled by

an impostor?

Only Great Lakes’ FM-200® fire extinguishant is supported

by years of testing and use in applications like yours. It is

manufactured under the most rigorous quality and purity

standards in the world to ensure a safe, reliable product.

The FM-200® extinguishing agent has also received product

listings and approvals from the leading independent testing

laboratories worldwide—your assurance of product quality,

consistency and reliability.

Demand the protection that only the world’s most trusted clean

agent can provide! Do not compromise your security. Ask for the

FM-200® extinguishing agent for your fire suppression system.

Areyoubuyingcleanfireprotection?Orareyoubuyingtrouble?

www.FM-200.comFM-200 is a registered trademark.FM-200 use is covered by U.S. patent 5,124,053.

©2002 Great Lakes Chemical Corporation

The World’s Most Trusted Choice In Clean Agent Fire Suppression.Enquiries: www.FM-200.com

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APF Issue 06