IFF Issue 04

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

FIRE FIGHTERI N T E R N A T I O N A L

FIRE FIGHTERReporting Worldwide to Municipal, Industrial and Fire Training Professionals

An MDM PUBLICATIONIssue 4 – November 2004

www.iffmag.com

IFF4 Front Cover 24/10/06 7:47 pm Page 1

TASK FORCE TIPS, INC.

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

For 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.

LOCAL DISTRIBUTORAUSTRALIAGaam Emergency ProductsPhone : 61394661244Fax : [email protected]

COLOMBIAImgleseg. Ltda.Phone: 5742627766Fax: [email protected]@epm.net.co

BRAZILL. TechPhone: 555132284273Fax: [email protected] www.industriadigital.com.br/ltech

EGYPTArab Commercial OfficePhone: 2025902764 Fax: [email protected]

EUROPEGroupe LeaderPhone: 33235530575Fax: [email protected] www.groupe-leader.com

HONG KONGUniversal Cars LimitedPhone: 85224140231Fax: [email protected] www.mitsubishi-motors.com.hk

INDIAForemost Marketing PVT LimitedPhone: 911126196997Fax: [email protected]

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

JAPANYone CorporationPhone: 81758211185Fax: [email protected]

MALAYSIAPhone: 60356331188Fax: [email protected]

PUERTO RICOIndustrial Fire Products Corp.Phone: 17877861555Fax: [email protected]

RUSSIATie Peleng Ltd.Phone: 78312633089Fax: [email protected]

SAUDI ARABIAIndustrialHeba Fire & Safety Equipment Co LtdPhone: 96638420840 ext. 333Fax: [email protected]

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

THAILANDAnti-Fire Co, Ltd.Phone: 6622596899Fax: [email protected] www.antifire.com

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IFF4 page ifc 24/10/06 7:53 pm Page 1

1www.iffmag.comINTERNATIONAL FIRE FIGHTER

CONTENTS

Front cover picture: courtesy of Refinery Terminal Firefighting Company

PublishersDavid Staddon & Mark Seton

Sales and Editorial Manager: Mark Bathard

Contributing EditorsAndy Shiner, Michael C Ruthy, MikeWillson, Charles McClung, DO Pete Wise,Matt Youson, Peter Trampe, Kevin Honner,Lta Tan Kim Guan

IFF is published quarterly by:MDM Publishing Ltd 18a, St James Street, South Petherton, Somerset TA13 5BWUnited KingdomTel: +44 (0) 1460 249199Fax: +44 (0) 1460 249292 e-mail: [email protected]: www.iffmag.com

©All rights reserved

Periodical Postage paid at Charnplain NewYork and additional officesPOSTMASTER: Send address changes toIMS of New York, P 0 Box 1518 Champlain NY 12919-1518USAUSPS No. (To be confirmed)

Annual SubscriptionUK - £35.00 Europe - �60Overseas - £35.00 or US$70.00lSSN - 1744-5841

DISCLAIMER:The views and opinions expressed in INTERNATIONALFIRE FIGHTER are not necessarily those of MDMPublishing Ltd. The magazine and publishers are in no wayresponsible or legally liable for any errors or anomaliesmade within the editorial by our authors. All articles areprotected by copyright and written permission must besought from the publishers for reprinting or any form ofduplication of any of the magazines content. Any queriesshould be addressed in writing to the publishers.

Reprints of articles are available on request. Prices onapplication to the Publishers.

Page design by Dorchester Typesetting Group LtdPrinted by The Friary Press Ltd




An MDM PUBLICATION

Issue 4 – November 2004

www.iffmag.com

November 2004 Issue 4 MUNICIPAL SECTION

5-8 Pumping around the world

11-12 Gas safety in confinedspaces

14 BW Technologies ProductProfile

16-18 The BA Airline, when onlyfresh air will do

20 Williams Fire & HazardControl Product Profile

INDUSTRIAL SECTION

22-23 Fixed extinguishers, makingthe right choice

25-27 IAFPA Conference Review

28 Unifire AB Product Profile

31-35 New DEFRA Report hasimplications for foam users

36-38 Future trends in industrialapparatus

FIRE AND RESCUE TRAINING SECTION

41-44 Confined space rescue

45 Bohus Innovation ProductProfile

46-49 Refinery Terminal FireCompany Profile

51-53 The Real Thing, Live FireTraining Rigs

54-55 Product updates

56 Advertisers’ index

INTERNATIONALFIRE FIGHTER

COMMENTWelcome to the November edition of International Fire Fighter, which also marks ourfirst complete year in publishing this title. I would like to take this opportunity tothank our contributing editors for supplying articles and offering advice on futurestories. A big thank you must also go to all our advertisers for whom without, wesimply could not exist and for keeping us up to date with the latest trends andtechnology in the constant battle to keep us all safe.

2005 is going to prove a very busy year for us all. Interschutz takes place next yearin June and I look forward to seeing familiar faces as well as making new acquain-tances. Singapore will be our first port of call for FESA followed shortly with the FDICin Indianapolis, a few days to get our breath back and then Interschutz and the NFPAin Vegas. The autumn of next year is when the frequent flyer miles will build up withthe IAFC in Denver and the A+A in Dusseldorf. By the time our feet are back on firmground, I should be writing my comment for the same issue again. Where does all thetime go?

Once again, thank you to everyone who have involved themselves and supportedInternational Fire Fighter (IFF) Magazine over the past year we really appreciate yourinput and I personally, look forward to working with you all again in 2005.

Have a very festive Christmas ( Hic!!!!) and a happy new year.

Mark BathardSales and Editorial Manager

P. 1 11/17/06 10:48 AM Page 1

IFF4 page 2 24/10/06 8:06 pm Page 1

Municipal

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• Wide variety of pumps for all ranges of performance; compact modular design

• The pumps comply with the international standardEN 1028

• Range of performance can be adapted to foreignstandards without problems

• Extensible

• Variable numbers of suction and deliveryconnections possible

• Proportioning systems can be added

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• With the automatic priming systemTROKOMAT PLUS

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• Almost maintenance-free

Albert Ziegler GmbH & Co. KG • MANUFACTURER OFFIRE SERVICE VEHICLES, PUMPS AND HOSES

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ZIEGLER FIRE PUMPS

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IFF4 page 4 24/10/06 8:08 pm Page 1

The opposite is true. For a varietyof reasons, the pumps of fireservices worldwide are diverging.

Certainly, some techniques and methodsare being shared as our understandingof fire suppression increases. But on alocal level, changes in building practicesand infrastructure force fire officials totailor their pumping needs to the specificneeds of their communities. Memphiswill never be Melbourne.

The purpose of this article is to high-light some of the different types of pumpsin use world-wide for fighting fires, andby doing so, perhaps spark some ideaswhere good practices can be shared. Thefire pumps in Melbourne are generallyvery different from those in Memphis, orManchester, or Münster for that matter.Each community’s needs have resulted ina specific type of pump built for thoseneeds, and pump manufacturers aroundthe world have responded by designing an

ever-widening array of pump models tosuit those applications.

The market most familiar to many,including the writer, is the US market.

Here, fire pumps 250 US GPM (1000LPM) and larger are usually built toconform to the NFPA 1901 Standard forAutomotive Fire Apparatus, written bythe National Fire Protection Agency.NFPA 1901 is a voluntary specificationthat in some localities has been writteninto local statutes, and in others islargely disregarded. Competing forattention are the specifications devel-oped by ISO, a group that providesinformation for the insurance industryand who have their own requirements.Meeting the ISO requirements conferscertain insurance benefits, such as lowerinsurance rates, for the citizens in a pro-tected zone. However, these NFPA andISO standards do not always agree on allfeatures of a firetruck. NFPA 1901 hasbeen an ongoing, changing, living doc-ument, while the ISO regulations havenot adapted to new information asquickly, though there is currently con-siderable effort to bring them intoaccordance with one another.

The end result is that in the US,departments are rewarded for havinglarger pumps, whether they are appropri-ate or not. There are many localities thatmay only consist of a few dozen build-ings and a volunteer department, butwhich boast about their 2000 GPM (8000LPM) rated pumps. Several years ago, the


MunicipalPumpingAround the World

PumpingAround the World

By Michael C. RuthyVice President – Engineering,

W.S. Darley & Company, Pump Division

IMAGINE THE PERFECT FIRE pump, the pump ideal for fighting fires anywherearound the world. Having trouble? From a layperson’s standpoint, it mightseem that fighting a kitchen fire in Memphis would require the same strategyas fighting an identical fire in Melbourne, and if the strategy is the same, theywould need the same pump. Some pump manufacturers even market whatthey call a “World Pump”, further propelling this illusory idea into the mindsof fire service personnel.

Pic courtesy of W S Darley


P. 3-20 24/10/06 8:09 pm Page 5

most popular pump rating was 1250GPM (5000 LPM), but now that is chang-ing to the 1500 GPM (6000 LPM) ratingas this trend continues. Likewise, NFPA1901 recently began recognizing pumpslarger than 2000 GPM (8000 LPM) – allthe way to 5000 GPM (20,000 LPM) forindustrial applications. There are severalimplications for this trend toward largerpumps, implications that explain thecurrent design of the US fire pump.

Pumps with higher rated capacitiesrequire more power to meet their ratingpoints. Above the 1000 GPM rating or1250 GPM rating, depending on engineand transmission, it becomes impossibleto drive the pump with a transmission

mounted power-take-off (PTO) withoutexceeding the torque limits establishedby the PTO manufacturer. These condi-tions push US design toward using amidship pump, driven by a split-shafttransmission capable of diverting powerfrom the main engine either toward therear wheels or toward the pump.

Another factor is the relative abun-dance of water in parts of the US. Com-pared to cities worldwide, US cities arefairly new and usually have access toadequate water supplies, some westernareas notwithstanding. In the popula-tion-dense Atlantic coastal region fromMaine to Florida, water is considered bymany to be a limitless commodity, and

infrastructure such as water mains andhydrants have been built with thatmindset. Naturally, in a mindset thatembraces abundant water, larger pumpratings are a natural result. “Surround itand drown it” is a US battle cry. Still, ina region that sees flooding regularly, alarge pump is quite understandable.

In other parts of the world, tacticsand pumps are different — vastly differ-ent, to say the least. In Europe, forexample, most cities are older, and thestreets narrower as a result. Additionally,the water systems can have componentsthat are antiquated, and since the weak-est link forms the limit for the watersystem pressure and flow capability,water delivery capabilities are generallylower. In Europe, there is also a strongermovement toward water conservation.For comparison, fire fighting in Europecompared to fire fighting in the US wasonce described to me by a German bodybuilder as follows:

In Germany, we go to a fire. Wedecide precisely how much waterwe need to extinguish the fire andwe use that much water to put it out.In the US, you go to a fire, cut ahole in the roof, and fill the buildingup until the fire is out.

It’s a bit of a cruel stereotype of USoperations, but I do recognize a bit of

66 www.iffmag.com INTERNATIONAL FIRE FIGHTER

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P. 3-20 24/10/06 8:10 pm Page 6

truth in it. It’s not so much that thefires are different, but the proceduresare different because the pumps aredifferent, and that is because the infra-structure and forces driving the designsare different.

In Europe and the UK, the narrowstreets have led to the adoption of arear mounted pump. A rear mountedpump offers many benefits, such asmoving the operator away from the sideof the vehicle where he can be a targetfor traffic accidents. It also allows for ashorter, more maneuverable vehicle. Dueto the limited water mains in manyareas, the pump ratings are generallysmaller than those in the US. A 1000 USGPM (4000 LPM) pump can oftenexceed the ability of a water hydrants inthose areas, so pumps with larger rat-ings are generally not any more effectiveand therefore uncommon. Since thepump is smaller, it is generally driven bya PTO, making US-style splitshaft drivenpumps quite rare.

Most trucks in Europe, the UK, andmany former UK colonial areas such asNew Zealand and Australia, areequipped with a high pressure boosterpump. One could argue that this highpressure is necessary to compensate forthe reduced pump flow capacities, but itis really just a great idea that the US fire

service failed to adopt. It isn’t the fireservice’s fault so much as it is the pumpmanufacturers, since decades ago, thehigh pressure booster pumps availablefrom the larger US manufacturers hadinadequate flow capacities for their mis-sion, leaving the fire fighters with apoor impression of the whole concept.The use of high pressure booster pumpsin the US will never be predominant as aresult.

The fact is that most fires are put outwith the water onboard the truck. Stud-ies in Melbourne have shown that mostfires are extinguished with less than 100US gallons (400 Liters) and that 93% ofall fires can be contained to the room oforigin with the water carried onboardthe truck, using the high pressurebooster pump for extinguishing the fire.This is quite a testament to its effective-ness. What makes it so effective is that


Municipal


P. 3-20 24/10/06 8:11 pm Page 7

the high pressure, typically 3000 kPa to4000 kPa (435 psi to 580 psi) causes thewater to atomize, creating more surfacearea to attack the fire. Also, in NewZealand and Australia, the boosterpumps are generally larger in capacitythan in other parts of the world, with

flow capabilities of 200 US GPM (750LPM) typically being specified.

Wildland areas worldwide are probablythe closest in terms of pump design andperformance. The common constraints oflack of water and generally rugged ter-rain, often with large changes in eleva-tion, have led to many of the wildlandpumps being much more similar than thepumps found in city or village depart-ments. Most wildland pumps aredesigned for high pressure and relativelylower flow. A common model is a PTO orengine driven 500 GPM (2000 LPM) two-stage pump, which can achieve high pres-sure operation up to 500 psi (3500 kPa)or high flows exceeding 500 GPM (2000LPM) for water transfer. Both Western USand Australia, which share many of thesame geographical issues, have adoptedthis model to a large extent.

The latest trend in pumps, however, iscompressed air foam systems, or CAFS.This trend has the potential to take overa considerable number of the applica-tions that are currently using high

pressure pumps, both the booster pumpsand the high pressure wildland pumps.In the wildland environment it trulyshines, and the US wildland fire servicehas adopted it fairly eagerly. TheAustralian fire services have been a bitslower, but are starting to experiment

with some of their first units. The abilityof CAFS to fight fires effectively withsometimes one tenth the water usage isa key benefit in those wildland areaswhere the only water available has to bebrought in by truck. The benefits of highpressure pumps, such as lighters hoseand the ability to pump extended dis-tances uphill, are shared by both CAFSand high pressure pumps, but CAFS isthe clear winner in being able to applyeffective exposure protection in front ofa fire front, so that the building struc-tures can withstand the fire unscathedwhile the surrounding area is severelyburnt. Most of us have seen the dramat-ic photos that make it clear that thistechnology will eventually be adopted bymost wildland services and will largelysupplant the high pressure pump exceptin extremely cost sensitive installations.

The value of CAFS in all settings,even urban conditions where plentifulwater supplies are available, is not underdispute. No study has shown it to beless effective than any other means of

extinguishment – the only effectivearguments against its adoption havecentered on the higher initial cost. Thehigher complexity of operating CAF sys-tems built 10 or 15 years ago has left alingering fear that CAFS is harder to use,but the truth is today’s compressed air

foam systems can be operated with theflick of one switch. It seems by focusingon CAFS, we might achieve this dreamof the perfect pump, for all conditions,around the world.


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When I consider the range of CAFSproducts that enter the marketplaceevery year, from Inteleguard’s“micro-CAFS” concept of backpackportable systems; Odin Foam’sconcept of wildland engine-powered modules; Darley’s Auto-CAFS concept of easy to use,safety-conscious systems for urbaninterface and metropolitan use; and even the engine-driven buthydraulically-coupled ultra-high-endsystem Rosenbauer showed at thelast Interschutz in Augsburg,Germany, it becomes obvious thatthe perfect pump for all depart-ments will never exist.


P. 3-20 24/10/06 8:11 pm Page 8

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In regulation 1910.146, OSHA defines aconfined space as any space which islarge enough for someone to enter

and perform assigned work, which haslimited means of entry or exit, and whichis not designed for continuous employeeoccupancy. They require any employer toevaluate the risks these workplaces poseto their employees and then monitor toprevent them. In most cases, both theassessment and the safe working systemwill require testing of the atmospherewith gas detection equipment.

The risks can be divided into three cate-gories: combustible gas, toxic gas, and highor low oxygen levels. It is of course the dutyof employers to find alternatives to mannedwork in these areas wherever possible.However, in many cases such work cannotpracticably be avoided, and so the prioritymust be to make it as safe as possible.

COMBUSTIBLE GAS RISKS For combustion to occur, the air mustcontain a minimum concentration of

combustible gas or vapor. This quantity iscalled the lower explosive limit or LEL. Atconcentrations equal to or greater thanthis, combustion will occur in the pres-ence of a suitable ignition source. Formost combustible gases and vapors, theLEL is less than 5% by volume. OSHAdefines a combustible atmosphere as“hazardous” at 10% LEL.

Typically, storage vessels which havecontained hydrocarbon fuels and oilspresent a danger. Other dangers comefrom fuel leaks: pipelines, gas cylindersand engine-driven plant.

For workers in pits, sewers and othersub-surface locations, methane is analmost universal danger. Formed bydecaying organic matter, this odorless gascollects in pockets underground.

TOXIC GASES AND VAPORSConfined space workers may be exposedto any of a large number of toxic com-pounds depending on the nature of thework and its environment. OSHA requires

a risk assessment to be made of whichtoxic substances a worker may beexposed to in any given work situation.

When generators are used in a con-fined space, for example, carbon monox-ide in the exhaust fumes creates a seriouspoisoning risk. Workers near to traffic on roads may be exposed to carbonmonoxide and nitrogen dioxide fromvehicle exhaust fumes. The decomposingaction of bacteria on organic matterreleases toxic hydrogen sulfide and car-bon dioxide, both of which are commonsubsurface hazards.

OXYGEN – TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW?The normal concentration of oxygen infresh air is 20.9%. OSHA considers anatmosphere to be hazardous if the con-centration of oxygen drops below 19.5%or goes above 23.5%. If the concentra-tion falls to 17%, mental and physicalagility are noticeably impaired; deathcomes very quickly if it drops only a few percent more. At these levels un-consciousness takes hold so rapidly thatthe victim will be unaware of what ishappening.

Without adequate ventilation, the simpleact of breathing will cause the oxygenlevel to fall surprisingly quickly. Combus-tion also uses up oxygen, which means


Pic courtesy of Crowcon

Gas safetyin confined spaces

Municipal

AN ENGINEER REPAIRS BURIED cables; a plant manager enters a small plantroom; a contractor inspects the lining of a sewage pipe. All these personnelface a common danger, despite working in widely different industries. Gas-related injury poses a serious threat in any confined space where the freemovement of air is limited.

This article discusses thegas hazards threateningworkers in confined spacesand the detection equipmentavailable to protect them.

Gas safetyin confined spaces

By Kevin Honner

P. 3-20 24/10/06 8:14 pm Page 11

that engine-driven plant and nakedflames such as welding torches arepotential hazards. A less obvious risk isthe fermentation of rotting vegetablematter, which absorbs oxygen and maycreate a hazard in agricultural storageunits. Steel vessels and chambers whichhave been closed for some time are simi-larly dangerous because corrosion mayhave occurred, using up vital oxygen inthe process.

Oxygen can also be displaced. Nitro-gen, for example, when used to purgehydrocarbon storage vessels prior to re-use, drives oxygen out of the containerand leaves it highly dangerous untilthoroughly ventilated.

High oxygen levels are also dangerous.As with too little, too much will impairthe victim’s ability to think clearly andact sensibly. Moreover, oxygen-enrichedatmospheres represent a severe fire haz-ard. From clothing to grease, materialswhich would not normally burn becomesubject to spontaneous combustionunder these conditions. Common causesof oxygen enrichment include leaks fromwelding cylinders and even from breath-ing apparatus.

EQUIPMENT TYPES

The most basic means of detecting a gashazard is a colorimetric tube, where acolor change occurs when gas is present.However, as this only provides a “snap-shot” of gas levels at the moment theoperator chooses to take a reading, it is

unsuitable for long-termmonitoring of changingconditions. More appro-priate are electronicdetection and alarmproducts which providecontinuous monitoring.

Portable electronicunits and larger fixedsystems can be used forconfined space monitor-ing. Fixed systems typi-cally comprise one ormore detector “heads”connected to a separatecontrol panel; if a detec-tor “sees” a dangerousgas level, the panel raisesthe alarm by triggeringexternal sirens andbeacons. This sort ofinstallation is suited tolocations like plant roomswhich have sufficientroom for the hardware.

However, much con-fined space work takesplace in more restrictedareas, making compactportable units more suit-able. Combining one or

more sensors with powerful audible andvisual signals to warn when pre-set gaslevels are reached, portable detectors canbe carried or worn wherever they areneeded. In addition, a small instrument iseasily carried in a confined space,ensuring that pockets of high gas con-centration are not missed.

Simple portable detectors contain asingle sensor for a specific gas. They are ideal for protecting workers where arisk assessment has identified only oneforeseeable hazard. A relatively recentaddition to this market, the most basicproducts are so-called disposable detec-tors. Activated by the user when firstrequired, they run continuously withoutmaintenance for a set period, typicallytwo years.

INCREASED INFORMATION

More sophisticated but only slightlylarger are one-channel detectors with anilluminated display showing measured gaslevels. Unlike disposable products, theseunits are designed for servicing ratherthan replacement, have rechargeable orreplaceable batteries, and generally allowthe user to set alarm levels. They mayalso offer datalogging, a valuable featurewhich stores recorded gas levels for sub-sequent downloading and review, and so builds a long-term picture of users’exposure to fluctuating gas levels.

Often, more than one hazard may beforeseeable in a single area. In such cases,multi-channel instruments are used.These generally monitor up to four gases

together, with a typical sensor array forunderground work covering combustiblehydrocarbons, oxygen, hydrogen sulfideand carbon monoxide. A wide range ofother sensors can be specified, makingthis type of unit suitable for most con-fined space applications. The slightlylarger physical dimensions of a multi-gasdetector allow for bigger displays show-ing a range of gas data, sometimes fromall channels simultaneously, as well asuseful information relating to calibrationand configuration.

Some multi-channel units incorporatea built-in sampling pump, allowing aflexible sample line to be fed into thespace while the monitor remains outsidewith the user. This easily enables the userto test the atmosphere before entry intothe confined space. This is a key require-ment of the OSHA 1910.146 confinedspaces entry regulation. Obviously, it isimportant that the sample line is free ofkinks and blockages, and that sufficienttime is allowed for the gas drawn fromthe chamber to arrive at the sensor.

Timed interval monitoring is particu-larly helpful in the oil and petrochemicalindustries. When a vessel which has heldcombustible liquids is purged with inertgas, a monitor is set up outside to recordfalling hydrocarbon levels and indicatewhen it is safe to open the container toair. The latest portable detectors incorpo-rate an infrared sensor for just this pur-pose because, unlike conventional sensorsfor combustible gas monitoring, infrareddevices can operate in the absence ofoxygen and in the presence of very highhydrocarbon levels.

UNIVERSAL FEATURESCertain features should be expected inevery portable gas detector. Clearly, life-saving tools for demanding environmentsmust be as tough as possible, withreliable electronics housed in impact-resistant casings. Additional protectionmay be provided in some cases by aremovable rubber “boot”. While the needto leave gas sensors exposed to theatmosphere means that no instrumentcan be fully sealed, a high degree of pro-tection against dust and water ingress isessential. Toughness notwithstanding, awell-designed detector will also be lightand compact enough to wear for anentire shift.


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Finally, because of the difficulties ofworking in a cramped space, per-haps under poor lighting, instrumentsshould be simple to use. No matterhow advanced a detector’s internalarchitecture or data managementoptions, personnel in the field shouldbe faced with nothing more dauntingthan a clear display and as fewbuttons and controls as possible.

Pic courtesy of Crowcon

P. 3-20 24/10/06 8:14 pm Page 12


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P. 3-20 11/17/06 10:56 AM Page 13

BW Technologies Ltd. designs, man-ufactures and markets a full line ofportable and fixed gas-detection

equipment. BW Technologies was found-ed in 1987 by President and CEO, CodySlater. Today, BW is recognized as one ofthe World’s leading manufacturers oftechnologically advanced zero-mainte-nance, single and multiple-sensor atmos-pheric monitors, permanently installedgas detection systems, and wirelesslyintegrated gas detection systems. OnJune 11,2004 BW Technologies wasacquired by First Technology PLC and istraded on the London Stock Exchangeunder the symbol FRS.

Based in Calgary, Alberta, in thefoothills of the Canadian Rockies, BW is aprogressive, high-tech company withmanufacturing, sales and distributionnetworks spanning the entire globe. InJuly 2001, BW moved into a new, 33,000

square-foot, state-of-the-art manufac-turing and headquarters facility in Cal-gary, Canada. BW additionally maintainsmajor sales and customer support centersin Arlington, Texas to support USA andLatin American sales, and in Oxfordshire,England, to support European and otherinternational sales. BW also maintainssales offices in Australia, Singapore, HongKong and the Middle East. All operationsare ISO 9001 certified.

In 2003, Vulcain Alarme Inc. ofMontreal, Canada joined BW, enhancingCompany’s range of fixed, HVAC andcommercial contractor market gas detec-tion products. Further expanding the BWproduct line, an additional alliance wasformed in 2003 when Manning SystemsInc. of Lenexa, Kansas, joined BW. A rec-ognized leader in refrigerant applicationgas detection, Manning has offeredprecision gas alarm and leak detector

equipment since 1981.Manning leads the USmarket in ambient airammonia monitoring forfood storage and process-ing facilities. These recentalliances have enhancedthe range of fixed,commercial market gasdetection products andexpertise available throughthe growing BW banner.

BW products are used to detect and measure awide variety of dangerous

atmospheric contaminants and conditionssuch as combustible gas and vapor accu-mulations, oxygen deficiencies, and toxicgases such as carbon monoxide, hydro-gen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and manyother commonly encountered atmospher-ic hazards. The Company’s products areused in oil industry, health and safety,HAZMAT, toxic industrial chemical (TIC),petrochemical and confined space entrymonitoring programs all over the world.BW has significant numbers of instru-ments currently in service with the UnitedStates Coast Guard and other branches ofthe United States Department of Home-land Security. BW products are used in allmajor United States manufacturingindustries, as well by numerous city, stateand federal agencies and departments. Asubstantial number of oil refineries, oiland gas production sites, municipalagencies and city departments have stan-dardized their programs on BW confinedspace and maintenance-free personal gasdetection products.

More for LessThe key to the Company’s rapid growthand success with customers has beenBW’s “More for less” philosophy. Eachsucceeding generation of BW productsoffers even better features and enhance-ments in capabilities, at ever-lower prices.BW Technologies’ products are known by customers and competitors alike forhaving the lowest cost of ownership, andbest price to value ratio in the gas detec-tion industry.

High volume sales, low manufacturingcosts per unit, and short turn aroundtimes are also integral to the Company’ssuccess. The availability of low cost, lowmaintenance BW products has expandedthe size of the entire gas detectionmarket. Increased availability of afford-able gas detectors has helped to increaseworker safety by making it possible toequip all the workers subject to potentialexposure with safety instruments, not justa few specialists.

Industry leading products designedand manufactured by BW Technologiesinclude the GasAlert Extreme family ofzero-maintenance and single-sensor per-sonal gas detectors; the GasAlertMicro,the world’s most popular confined spacegas detector; the GasAlertMax multi-gasdetector with integral pump; and the RigRat III family of wirelessly integrated and“stand-alone” monitoring systems.


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BW TECHNOLOGIES LTD.

Complete product information,manuals and support materials areavailable at the BW Technologies

Internet site atwww.gasmonitors.com; or contactBW directly at 1-403-248-9226.

P. 3-20 25/10/06 11:49 am Page 14

IFF4 page 15 25/10/06 11:56 am Page 1

The continued development of thebreathing apparatus (BA) hastherefore been crucial for res-

cuers, firefighters and hazmat respon-ders alike. It has allowed them tooperate in the most hostile of condi-tions and, more importantly, reachcasualties and save lives. The develop-ment of the BA Airline has made fur-ther inroads into the use of the BA setby prolonging its usage.

THE AIRLINE ADVANTAGE

In its standard form, conforming to BS4667 Part 3, the BA Airline essentiallycomprises a facemask, a demand valveand a length of hose. This hose isconnected to compressed air cylinderswhich provide the air supply. Thecylinders are located outside the riskarea. Either one or two users may beconnected to the BA Airline.

The BA Airline provides several hoursof respiratory protection to its users ascontinuous air supply can be main-tained through the airlines linked to acascade of cylinders and to the opencircuit facemask and regulator. The

smaller air cylinders of a BA set have alimited capacity and would hencerequire frequent replacement.

This extended supply of oxygen in

turn allows rescuers and firefightersmore working time, enhancing boththeir operational effectiveness and con-fidence. One limitation of a BA Airline,however, is that it does not facilitatethe users to make multiple turns, or topenetrate into confined spaces withobstacles that require significantmaneuvering.

BA Airline users also don self-contained breathing apparatus duringoperations. The latter serves as a backup should the Airline user encounterdifficulties such as entangled, kinked orruptured hoses.


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Styrene leakage

Decontamination in progress (part of a training session at the Civil DefenceAcademy, SCDF)

WHEN CONDUCTING FIREFIGHTING AND rescue operations, firefighterswould often need to work in environments in which smoke and toxic ornoxious fumes may be present. The burning of plastic materials can give offpoisonous gases, whilst leaking chemicals in hazardous material incidents canrelease poisonous fumes. Thick dust clouds can also result from collapsedstructures, such as the choking conditions experienced by responders duringthe September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New YorkCity. These can all provide an untenable environment for firefighters andrescuers.

The Breathing ApWhen Only Fre

By Lta Tan Kim Guan, Senior Instructor

Fire Fighting Specialists Branch, SpecialistsTraining Wing, Civil Defence Academy,

Singapore Civil Defence Force

The Breathing ApWhen Only Fre

P. 3-20 25/10/06 11:57 am Page 16

STYRENE SPILL INCIDENT: THE BA AIRLINE IN USE

On 24th October 2001, SCDF HazmatResponders from the Tuas Fire Stationattended to a chemical incident involv-ing leakage of Styrene from a 600m3

(430 Metric Ton) storage tank. Styreneis a chemical known for its flamma-bility and explosive characteristics, witha flash point of 32 degree celsius.

When the Hazmat Responders arrivedat about 1430 hrs, Styrene was seensplashing rapidly out of one of thedelivery valves. Exposed styrene vapourcan ignite explosively should it comeinto contact with an ignition source.

Under the sweltering heat of the

afternoon sun, the initial task was toinitiate isolation and cooling opera-tions. The leaking chemical had to be

isolated and prevented from excessheat source or naked flames. Foam andwater were used for these operations.The tank from which the chemical wasleaking from was gradually cooleddown which prevented the leakingStyrene vapour from reaching its flashpoint.

In addition, the Hazmat respondershad to mitigate the leakage as soon aspossible. Donning chemical suits for res-piratory and body protection, theyeffectively plugged the leaking valve and


Municipal

BA airline equipment

pparatus Airline:esh Air Will Do

Safety Considerations● The Airline user should also be equipped with a Distress Signal

Unit, a torch and communication equipment so that he may remainin touch with the BA Control Officer (BACO).

● The Airline hose shall not exceed 90 metres, or a pressurereduction in the hose may take place. When this happens, thewearer may begin to consume and exhaust the air from hisstandby BA cylinder.

● Not more than two Airline wearers should be connected to anysingle airline. This is to ensure that there is adequate, continuousuninterrupted air supply. A third Airline wearer would seriouslyreduce the air contents and compromise their safety.

● A BACO shall monitor the entry and exit of Airline wearers, takingnote of their entry/exit time. He shall also standby an emergencyteam to initiate emergency search procedures should an Airlineteam fail to return on time or radio communication is lost.

● The air cylinders should also be closely monitored for their contentsto ensure that there is sufficient air supply. Provision should also bemade available to rapidly replace depleted cylinders.

(Additional precautionary measures are documented in the Manual ofFiremanship under “Breathing apparatus and resuscitation”.)

Under the sweltering heat of theafternoon sun, the initial task wasto initiate isolation and coolingoperations. The leaking chemicalhad to be isolated and preventedfrom excess heat source or nakedflames.

pparatus Airline:esh Air Will Do

P. 3-20 25/10/06 11:58 am Page 17

transferred the remaining Styrene fromthe tank to an International StandardOrganisation (ISO) tanker. The entireoperation took more than an hour.

Throughout the operation, the BAAirline proved essential. It provided theresponders more time and flexibility tocarry out the elaborate and carefulmitigation and subsequent decontami-nation procedures. The combination ofcumbersome chemical suits and theextended duration of this operationdemanded greater strength and stami-na from responders – something whichthe extended capabilities of the BAAirline easily supported.

The use of the normal BA equipmentwith their limited air supply would havegreatly handicapped the operations,requiring the users to replace theircylinders every 30 to 45 minutes. (Acylinder with 9 litres of air contentswould normally last for about 35 min-utes.) This would have required theusers to leave the hot zone in the midst

of their operations, undergo decontam-ination process, remove their chemicalsuits and replace their depleted BAcylinders. Alternatively, It would haverequired deployment of more hazmatrespondents to take over those whoneeded to leave the scene to replacetheir depleting cylinders. In all, the sit-uation would have been unnecessarilyprolonged with excess dependence onmanpower and equipment.

FURTHER USES OF THE AIRLINE

The BA Airline offers widespread usefor the SCDF. Aside from Hazmatoperations, the SCDF has improvised its usage for the operation of com-monly used pneumatic equipment suchas the Airgun, Leak-sealing Lance,Pneumatic Cutter and Air Lifting Bag.This has been achieved by connectingthem to the BA Airline which suppliesthe compressed air at the operationground.


Hazmat Responders conveying a casualty during a simulated Hazmat incident

The use of the normal BAequipment with their limited airsupply would have greatlyhandicapped the operations,requiring the users to replace their cylinders every 30 to 45minutes.

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The Breathing Apparatus Airline:When Only Fresh Air Will Do

The Breathing Apparatus Airline:When Only Fresh Air Will Do

P. 3-20 25/10/06 11:58 am Page 18


TM

VISION offers a feature rich Command and Control system delivering callmanagement, call history, EISEC and CLI, spatial data, integrated mappingfacilities.VISION is designed to provide connectivity to a range of standardgateways to deliver:-

Computer Telephony GatewayThe integration of Computer Telephony using Voice over IP technologiesprovides a significantly enhanced call management process througha single screen, with common head-set working.

Radio GatewayFortek can provide full voice and data based control facilities using a Voiceover IP solution within VISION. Our solution provides a path for both theexisting analogue and new digital voice and data radio networks.

Mobile Data GatewayUsing industry standard technology our system provides two way messagingcombined with Automatic Vehicle Location, satellite navigation and statusupdates. Capable of utilising a range of radio bearer networks the systemis fully integrated into VISION.

Web Enabled TechnologyVISION provides remote access to information available on the Commandand Control System. Using web-based technology the user can reviewall operational data, including management information and performanceindicators, in real time.

Command, Control and Communications

Fortek Computers Limited 1 Spring Garden Lane, Gosport, Hampshire PO12 1HY EnglandTel: +44 (0)23 9251 0088 Fax: +44 (0)23 9251 0626 Email: [email protected] Website: www.fortek.co.uk

P. 3-20 25/10/06 11:59 am Page 19

Williams Fire & Hazard Control,Inc.® rolls out it’s latest inno-vation from its engineering

division . . . Armor-Lyte™.Armor-Lyte™ is a new designation

that refers to the latest material of con-struction employed on new Williams Fire& Hazard Control nozzle designs suchas the new Ranger Lightning™ series ofadjustable gallonage self-eductingmonitor nozzles.

Armor-Lyte™ is a composite materialthat is comprised of unique combina-tions of Lightweight Alloys and FiberReinforced Polymers. This polymer is42% lighter than aluminum!

To further enhance its corrosion resis-tance, the alloy is hard coat anodized tomilitary specifications.

Polymer products have revolutionizedspace, avionics, automobile, ballistics,and computer engineering applications

among many other technologicallydriven industries.

The unique alloy has a high impactstrength, and excellent yield strength.Its high strength to weight ratio pro-vides exceptional performance, andrigged durability for industrial andmunicipal emergency workplaces.

There are many advantages to alighter weight construction. One advan-tage – less burden for a firefighter thathas to carry the equipment, possiblyhaving to climb over a pipe rack orother obstacles.

Another advantage due to its light-weight – these nozzles are better suitedfor the end of the monitor than a heav-ier nozzle would be. There is less effortrequired to control manually operatedmonitors.

Electric or hydraulic actuated moni-tors have limits to the weight they aredesigned to handle. Some nozzledesigns are simply too heavy for thesemonitors. Armor-Lyte™ material basednozzle designs are better adapted tothese monitor applications.

Armor-Lyte™ is fiber reinforced, heatstabilized, and UV protected . . . it isessentially impervious to corrosion.

When compared to conventional alu-minum alloys, its high corrosion resis-tance will provide the firefighter withlonger lasting equipment with less“lock-up” in mechanisms that have beenidle for long periods of time – provinggreater reliability in vital responseequipment when it is needed.

With less corrosive reactions tohumidity, salt water, and to UV break-

down, Armor-Lyte™ products will havebetter response to extensive use, as wellas to storage in all environments.

As you may be aware,the gun worldscoffed at Glock® when they first intro-duced a polymer frame gun. However,they revolutionized the gun industrywith this innovation. Now, practically allgun manufactures offer polymer prod-ucts or lightweight composite metals.

Williams’ acknowledges a furtherbenefit in that this advanced polymerdesign characterizes a reciprocal busi-ness relationship with our industrialcustomers. While the petrochemicalindustry does not manufacture metalssuch as aluminum and brass, mostfacilities do produce polymers, and/orcompounds that are used to producethem.

Armor-Lyte™ is a wonderful exampleof industry producing a product to pro-tect its own interests.


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WILLIAMS FIRE &HAZARD CONTROL INC.

For more information

Williams Fire &Hazard Control Inc.

Tel: 1 409 747 2347Fax: 1 409 745 3021

Website: www.williamsfire.com

Armor-Lyte construction answers thefirefighters’ call for a stronger, lighter,corrosion resistant product

Armor-Lyte™ AdvancedPolymer EngineeringTough Stuff!

Self-Educting Ranger LightningMonitor Station

ThunderStorm™

ATCAR/AFFF

P. 3-20 25/10/06 11:59 am Page 20

Industrial

P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:07 pm Page 21

Perhaps I should make it clear fromthe outset that, unlike some com-panies expressing a view on fixed

extinguishing systems and halonreplacements, Tyco Fire and Security isnot wedded to one particular solution.The organisation markets gaseous sys-tems such as FM-200® and CO2, inertgas systems and fluid fire suppressants.This means that we can bring to thedebate a view that is not distorted bythe need to promote a particular option.

Really, we should start any discussionby getting a few irrefutable factsstraight, as much of the debate sur-rounding fixed extinguishing systemsover recent years has been inspired bythe banning of halon. Vested interest inone system or another has frequentlyresulted in commercial prejudice beingportrayed as “fact”. So let us start bygetting a clear and unbiased under-standing of what triggered the debate –the Montreal Protocol.

The Montreal Protocol was signed by186 countries and provides the legalframework to globally reduce emissionsof ozone-depleting substances that,typically, were used in industrialprocesses, refrigeration, as propellantsfor aerosols, and in fire fighting. When

the Protocol was signed in the early1990s, HFC – hydrofluorocarbon – sys-tems were widely accepted as a suitablealternative to Halon 1301.

Today, while certainly other non-HFCoptions are available, HFC systems, suchas FM-200, are still very prominent inthe international marketplace. Contraryto a wholely unfounded statement Iread recently in the trade press, HFCshave not been banned in Sweden orNorway, and suggestions that they havebeen banned in Denmark are equallyincorrect because their use for firesuppression was never permitted inDenmark.

This phasing out of ozone depletingsubstances continues and Article Vcountries – the developing nations –have another six years, until 2010, toconclude their phase-out programmes.This process has resulted in a decline inthe amount of ozone depleting sub-stances in the atmosphere and expertpredictions today indicate that theozone layer will recover later this centu-ry. Without doubt, HFCs, far from beingthe guilty party that some – with vestedinterests – would portray, have helpedmake this commendable improvementpossible.

THE ROLE OF HFC SUPPRESSANTSOpponents of HFC systems often rely onthe global warming argument to dis-credit their use. However, these oftenhighly verbal opponents frequently failto put the global warming issue into areal context. Emissions from HFC firesuppression systems are extremely lowand the main culprits, which collectivelyaccount for a staggering 98 percent ofemissions, are methane, nitrous oxideand CO2 – carbon dioxide.

It also needs to be recognised thatcritical-use applications of HFCs, pro-tecting computer suites, telecommuni-cations centres and the like, that wouldonce have been protected with a Halon1301 installation, represent a very smallshare of the fire protection market.Globally, authoritative studies have sug-gested, this is no more than threepercent to four percent of the overallfirefighting market.

The truth of the matter is that HFCsare ideal fire fighting agents and aremost appropriate where speed of sup-pression, space for cylinder storage andweight are the determining factors. Inertgases are most appropriate where speedof discharge is deemed less importantand where there is considerably morespace available for cylinder storage.Typically, an inert gas system requiresup to seven times the storage space ofFM-200 and ten times the storage spaceof a comparable Halon 1301 system.However, they are certainly popular withcompanies where specifying a zeroozone depleting, non-chemical productis of paramount importance. Both typesof system are appropriate for protectingoccupied spaces.


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Pic courtesy of Macron Safety Systems

Fixed extinmaking the

IT IS CLEAR FROM much that we hear about fixed extinguishing systems, andparticularly on replacements for halon, that narrow commercial interests canso very easily get in the way of a factual analysis of the options that are nowavailable. According to Andrew Shiner, Director of Marketing, Europe, MiddleEast and Africa for Tyco Fire and Security’s Fire Suppression Products Group,if you want to be sure of getting a balanced view, it is important speak to asupplier that can offer a choice of systems for, he argues, there is more thanone solution when it comes to protecting critical business assets.

By Andy Shiner

Fixed extinmaking the

P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:08 pm Page 22

HALON REPLACEMENT OPTIONSIn certain instances, CO2 is still anappropriate choice. However, it isunsuitable for applications where peopleare likely to be subjected to exposure tothe gas, as it represents a serious toxichazard and risk to life. Its use for pro-tecting manned communications cen-tres, computer suites or process controlcentres is, therefore, wholly inappropri-ate. In unmanned environments though,such as switchgear rooms, it remains anentirely acceptable and effective choice.

Of the HFC contenders, FM-200 hasprobably enjoyed the greatest success inrecent years, and has been installed toprotect telecommunications centres andcomputer installations throughout NorthAmerica, Europe, the Middle East,Southern Africa and the Far East. It fitsthe bill in several important respects; itis fast and it causes no damage to sen-sitive electronic equipment. It also rep-resents no risk to the room’s occupants;it is free from any toxic side effects andoffers zero ozone depletion.

Inert gas systems, which are equallyas popular globally, do not, in commonwith other clean agents, leave sooty orgreasy deposits to damage sensitive

electrical or electronic equipment. Eventhough they do, like CO2, rely on oxy-gen depletion as the method of extin-guishing fire, they are an undeniablysafer option than a stand-alone carbondioxide suppression system.

In reality, each of the these systemshas its own drawbacks, in some casesapplication-specific, as in the case ofthe extra space required for inert gassystems, and in some cases overriding –namely CO2’s toxicity. Which brings usto the latest fire suppression technologyfor protecting business-critical assets.

NEW SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGYThe latest solution meets all of the mar-ket’s requirements. It is a high perfor-mance fire extinguishing agent that hasa negligible impact on the environment.It also has an insignificant global warm-ing potential, lower than any of thehalocarbon agents acceptable for use inoccupied spaces.

Tyco Fire and Security’s fluid-basedfire protection system is calledSapphire®, and it has several end useradvantages over other Halon 1301 alter-

natives. It has a foot-print similar to that ofchemically-based cleanagent systems and thelowest level of designconcentration and thehighest safety margin ofany viable Halon 1301or chemical alternative.Sapphire has impressive“environmental foot-print” credentials withzero ozone depletingpotential and a remark-ably low atmosphericlifetime of just fivedays. Significantly, it isnot included in thebasket of greenhousegasses identified by theKyoto Protocol.

The fluid is stored in cylinders as alow vapour pressure fluid that trans-mutes into a colourless and odourlessgas when discharged. Unlike other fluidfire extinguishing agents, it can be usedwith absolute confidence to suppressfires involving electronic, computing orcommunications equipment. This hasbeen graphically demonstrated byimmersing a laptop computer into atank of Sapphire fluid and showing that,not only does the laptop still worksafter the dunking, it works while it isstill immersed in the tank. Similarly, thesuppressant’s suitability for protectingarchives and museums has been estab-lished in similar trials that prove that,not only can you immerse a documentin the Sapphire fluid without damagingit, the ink will not even run!

Typical total flooding applications usebetween just four and six percent byvolume of the fluid, which is well belowthe agent’s saturation or condensationlevel and, when discharged, the agent isdispersed through natural ventilation,leaving no residue to damage sensitiveelectronic equipment; it is also non-conductive and non-corrosive.

MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICESo, how does the end user make theright choice? The answer surely lies inmaking sure that he or she gets expertadvice. And if that advice is sought froma company that offers just one solution,do not be too surprised if it falls some-what short of being unbiased.

My recommendation is that end usersshould to go to an expert supplier thatcan offer a choice of solutions. One thatis competent to design and engineer theinstallation based on a thorough riskassessment and a clear understanding ofthe customer’s precise needs and priori-ties. It should go without saying that,whichever solution is chosen, the systemshould be certified by internationallyrecognised approvals.


Industrial


inguishers – e right choice


inguishers – e right choice

P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:08 pm Page 23

3M and Novec1230 is a registered trademark of 3M Company

Your life? Your business?

Your world?

If these are precious to you... Protect the risk!

Using 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid

Contact us for information about Hygood Fire Protection Systems:Macron Safety Systems (UK) Ltd. Fireater House, South Denes Road, Gt. Yarmouth, Norfolk NR30 3PJ. Tel: +44 (0)1493 859822 Fax: +44 (0)1493 858374 Email: [email protected] Web: www.macron-safety.com

Contact us for information about Hygood Fire Protection Systems:

Zero ozone depleting potentialInsignificant global warming potentialSafe for occupied areasAtmospheric lifetime of less than 5 days

Replaces existing halon systemsRequires minimal storage spaceApproved by LPCB, UL and FMAccepted for inclusion in ISO 14520

IFF4 page 24 25/10/06 12:09 pm Page 1

The conference, held at the DorintSofitel Hotel, attracted a wideaudience from around the globe

and from all sectors of the aviation firesafety industry. The conference wasjudged a success, giving the delegatesthe opportunity to update their knowl-edge on varied subjects, such as airportrescue and firefighting vehicle design,terrorism in the aviation environmentand risk management in airport termi-nals. The conference also provided goodopportunities to network and meet thedelegates in a very comfortablesocial setting.

The delegates registered onTuesday and were treated to adisplay of various firefightingtactics used on aircraft fires atthe state-of-the-art ARFF train-ing facility at Schiphol Airport,hosted by the Amsterdam AirportSchiphol Fire Service. This alsogave the airport fire service theopportunity to demonstrate its E-One ARFF fire vehicles. The visitwas followed by a drinks recep-tion at the hotel in the evening.

On Wednesday, after an initialwelcome by John Trew, Chairman

of the IAFPA, the conference was for-mally opened by Mr G.A.J.M van Strien,Director of Fire and Disaster Control,Ministry of the Interior, The Nether-lands. Mr van Strien highlighted the wayin which, following 9/11, the Nether-lands has been changing its organisa-tional structure and how the emergencyservices prepare for disasters. To face upto the new risks the new structures nowrepresent an integrated approach todisaster planning and management,supported by changes in legislation.

The first paper, Interior Fire Attack onCommercial Aircraft, concentration onfireground operations and was present-ed by Danny Pierce, airport Safety Offi-cer, Los Angeles Airport, USA. Dan gavea fascinating round-up of the problemsconfronted by the modern firefighterwhen faced with an interior aircraft fire.This is illustrated by the imminent intro-duction of the Airbus A380 and thechallenges for firefighting and rescuethat this aircraft will bring. Dan thenoutlined the new tools and technologiesthat are available to the aviation fire-fighter to face these challenges, such asthe use of snozzle, piercing tools andpositive pressure ventilation.

The following paper, entitled Recog-nised Primed Decision Making asa precondition for ARFF scenar-ios, was given by Ed Oomes, FirePrevention and ContingencyPlanning Manager, AmsterdamAirport Schiphol Fire Service. MrOoms posed the interestingquestion: how does the incidentcommander cope with thedemands of the necessary deci-sion-making process within theinitial three minutes of an avia-tion firefighting response?

Ed postulated that the onlyway that this is possible is toequip the incident commanderwith a mental model that can be


Pic courtesy of The IAFPA

Industrial

FROM OCTOBER 6–8, 2004, the International Aviation Fire ProtectionAssociation staged the Aviation Fire Europe 2004 conference in Amsterdam,the Netherlands.

By DO Pete Wise BA(Hons) MIFireETerminal 5 LiaisonLondon Fire Brigade

International Aviation Fire Protection Association

Aviation FireEurope 2004


International Aviation Fire Protection Association

Aviation FireEurope 2004

P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:09 pm Page 25

used as a template on which to basetactics. This recognised primed decisionmaking model acts to help the incidentcommander make sense of what is, byits very nature, a dynamic, complex andtime stressed situation. This concen-trates on using the innate ability thatwe all have to use our experience tomake sense of new situations and makeuse of the this information for decisionmaking.

The next paper was given by BobbyShaub from E-One Trucks and dealtwith the design of ARFF appliances. Thisfascinating talk gave an outline of thehistory of ARFF design, how it has pro-gressed to the current state of the tech-nology and, finally, a look at the future.Bobby showed how E-One has adaptedits designs to face the modern range ofdemanding requirements from bothregulator and customer alike – forexample, in the increasingly stringentdynamic stability testing and emissionscontrol restrictions. E-One trucks iscontinuing to develop its products, such as researching advanced drivertraining, man rated booms and fuel celltechnology.

After lunch the programme resumedwith Kim O’Neil giving a paper titledAircraft and Terminal Evacuation usingDirectional Sound Technology. Kim’s

paper highlighted the practical problemswith evacuation in that people tend todisregard conventional exit signage andevacuate either by the way they enteredor by the way they are facing. Conven-tional signage is usually placed at highlevel and can quickly become unusablein smoke. This has led to the loss oflives in what would otherwise have beensurvivable air crashes, for example in theManchester air crash. Using directionalSound Technology this may have beenaverted. The technology uses directionalsound transmitters to locate the posi-tions of the exits, therefore allowing theeasy identification of the exit even insmoke. Kim showed the audience theresults from a series of tests using aVirgin A340 Airbus which demonstratedthe value of the system.

The following paper was presented byMarco van Wijngaarden, the trainingprogramme manager for NIBRA, theNetherlands, entitled Virtual RealityTraining Programmes for Fire ServiceOfficers and Managers. The speakergave a fascinating presentation on howvirtual reality training programmes can

be used to train those responsible formanaging a disaster situation. The bene-fits of the systems were shown and thesewere put into the context of the com-plete training environment where theyare used. Marco’s presentation explainedthe concepts of the use of virtual realitytraining and how it can be effectivelyand efficiently integrated into the overalltraining package for fire officers.

The final paper of the day was givenby Gunnar J Kuepper, Chief of Opera-tions with Emergency and Disaster Man-agement Inc, Los Angeles, USA. Thesubject was entitled Airport Centre Actsof Ultra Violence and terrorism Target-ing Airports and Planes. Gunnar’s talkwas a thought provoking and, at times,humorous, look at the present threatsfacing the aviation industry. The mes-sage is encapsulated in a quote fromMartin Luther King: ‘when evil menplot, good men must plan’. The paperput the problems faced by modern plan-ners in the context of terrorist acts inaviation which have been faced over thelast 40 years. Planning is the only effec-tive response, thinking the unthinkableso that when the terrorist acts, theresponse can be timely, proportional andeffective.

The first day closed, with the threadof the day’s discussions drawn togetherby Ron Parry.

The second day began with veryinformative talk given by Ian and Martinfrom the Metropolitan Police’s CounterTerrorist Office SO18. The subject washow the police prepare and train tocounter the terrorist threat at LondonHeathrow Airport. Their discussionbegan by highlighting the enormousrange of threats faced at the world’sbusiest international airport, rangingfrom catastrophic acts of terrorism tothe works of environmental campaign-ers. The policy adopted by the Met is to



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This recognised primeddecision making modelacts to help the incidentcommander make senseof what is, by its verynature, a dynamic,complex and time stressed situation.

P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:10 pm Page 26

deter, detect confront and, if necessary,react. This highlighted the amount ofunseen work in intelligence and plan-ning which must be undertaken to pro-vide an effective counter to the everpresent threat of terrorism.

This presentation was followed byRuss Timpson, from the Fire StrategyCompany, whose paper highlighted theever present threat to airports from firein the airport terminal environment. Itwas pointed out that this threat is apotential disaster which can seriouslyaffect the financial viability of airports.This was illustrated by various examplesof major fires that have occurred in air-ports. Far from being accidents, Russmade that case that with the creation ofa successful fire strategy, careful plan-ning and staff training, the potential fora fire to begin and then to cause seriousdamage can be mitigated. This can bedone by a HAZOP style analysis of theterminal, which will capture the fire risksface in a terminal, place them in theireconomic setting and finally resolvehow to produce effective measures tomitigate against the risk. This approach,typified by the Fire Summit trainingpackage, has won the prestigious’ Euro-pean strategic Risk Management

Training Course of the Year; in 2004.

The next paper returned tothe theme of disaster planningand was given by GeoffWilliams, QFSM,CIETecRI,ChFI, MIFireE., Deputy Fire-master Central Scotland FireBrigade, UK. Geoff’s paperentitled TEMPEST- ‘ThinkingSmarter to Combat Terrorism’,explained the concept of pre-planning to sustain airportscritical assets prior, during andafter a terrorist attach. This isdone by a computer model toprovide a decision makingprocess which has been preplanned foe the assets to beprotected. It defines the habit-ual decision making processand considerations that will beencountered in an incident tocreate an appropriate habitualresponse for the scenariobeing considered.

The final paper of the con-ference was presented by David Herri-man, Head of Emergency Planning,Düsseldorf International Airport, andwas entitled ‘The Düsseldorf AirportTerminal Fire – the lessons learned.’David described the events of April 11,1996 which tragically killed 17 peopleand injured at least 80 others and thendrew the lessons learned from the disas-ter. Following the fire the airport man-agement was criticised for its total lackof planning. Since the fire the airportmanagement has put measures intoplace to remedy the situation. Fixed firesafety has been provided in the form ofcompartmentation and a sprinkler sys-tem. Staff training has been introducedto enable any incident to be managed.Finally the importance of crisis manage-ment has been learnt, with procedures

and plans put into place to deal withthe disruption to business that a majorincident can cause.

The conference was closed by GaryMcDowall, Business Director of IAFPA.Gary drew together the themes of theconference. Although many of the dele-gates came from differing areas of theaviation safety industry, one centraltheme emerged: In order to prepare toprotect the people who work in, travelin and protect the aviation industry, allthose involved in protecting the industrymust prepare for the unthinkable tohappen. The only way to prepare effec-tively is to share information and ideas.Effective c-operation must begin at heplanning stage and if done well will pay dividends should the unthinkablehappen.


The conference was judged asuccess by the delegates. Thespeakers were all of the highestquality, providing entertaining andthought provoking papers on aprofessional manner. The quality ofthe venue was of the highest orderand the hospitality shown by theAmsterdam Airport Schiphol FireService made for a very enjoyableevent, this event is a must for any-one involved in the planning orresponse side of the aviation safetyindustry.


It was pointed out thatthis threat is a potential

disaster which canseriously affect thefinancial viability ofairports. This was

illustrated by variousexamples of major firesthat have occurred in

airports.


Industrial

P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:10 pm Page 27

Unifire AB was founded in 1969.The first customer for the newlystarted company was SAS, Scandi-

navian Airways, that used the Unifirenozzles for de-icing purposes.

During the 1970’s and 1980 the com-pany slowly grew and expanded theproduct range of nozzles. Product devel-opment focus was on the fire brigades,whilst the sales success developed mainlyin the Marine and industrial markets.

Today Unifire AB supply nozzles tocommercial ship owners all over theworld. The Unifire nozzles can be found

on cruise ships in the Caribbean, in theChinese sea and around the coasts ofEurope. They are widely used on oilrigsaround the world. Also the nozzles are part of the “standard” equipment on many European fire brigades. TheUnifire V-Nozzles are also one of themost widely copied nozzle designs. OurV-nozzle patent expired in 1989.

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENTThe market for relatively “low tech”products as nozzles is being challengedfrom all fronts. Over-establishment inthe European and American markets,combined with aggressive, and increas-ingly competent Asian manufacturers isreducing the margins and making it hardto win new market shares.

PROGRAMMABLE REMOTE CONTROL MONITORSTo meet this new world Unifire ABdecided to enter the high-tech monitorbusiness. The FORCE MONITOR projectwas initiated three years ago. We veryearly found that there was a need in themarket for smaller Stainless steel moni-tors than was currently available. Manyapplications required stainless steelbecause of environmental circumstances,such as salt or polluted water or aggres-sive and dirty industrial environments.

INTEGRATED GEARS AND NOZZLE MECHANICSThe truly unique features of the UnifireFORCE monitors are the supreme quality

worm gear drives. These exceptionalgears are made of high precision 316Stainless steel. The high efficiency of thegears reduces the power consumption,weight and size, whilst maintaining highturning velocity and high torque.

The newly developed INTEG 50 andINTEG 80 nozzles finally put a monitornozzle on the market that is resistant toice and dirt. Never again we have to seeactuators that get stuck, or oil drippinghydraulic nozzles.

CANBUS COMMUNICATIONThe other challenge of the project wasthe electronic controls. New micro-processor technology and miniaturizedelectronics made it possible to develop astate-of-the art control system.

The serial communication of theCANBUS protocol is used to communi-cate between control-unit and CPU. Thismakes the system very flexible, multiplejoysticks can be connected, networkinstallation of the monitors is simple,reliable and low-cost. Vehicle installationand integration is very simple.

CONNECTIONS AND UPGRADESAll connection points are fitted withIP67 multi connectors. This makesinstallation very simple and also allowsfor simple exchange of components andsimple upgrades. The control software is upgradeable from a standard PC viaserial communication.

UNIQUE CONTROL FEATURESThe new FORCE monitors are suppliedwith a unique optical joystick. The pro-gressive “slope” can be modified to fitindividual customer requirements. As a standard the monitors comes with a“record-and-play” feature, meaning a movement pattern (up to 3 min) can berepeated automatically. The nozzle controlis of a proportional type simulating twist-operation of a standard hand-line nozzle.The standard control unit can also controlan electric valve, and has user-selectableparking position. The CPU can control upto 4 motors and 8 relays. The monitorcontrol can thereby be made to controlvalves, lamps and other aux. features.

INTERNET PRESENTATIONThe FORCE monitors has their own web-site. On www.force-monitor.com detailedtechnical information, videos, installa-tion examples etc., is presented.


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The classical Unifire V-nozzle, simple androbust. Still a bestseller after 35 years

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For more details contact

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442 40 KungalvSWEDEN

Tel: +46 (0) 303 248400Fax: +46 (0) 303 248409

High tech monitors

FORCE monitors with multiconnectors forsimple installation and maintenance

P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:11 pm Page 28


www.force-monitor.com

The new UNIFIRE FORCE50 and FORCE80. Simply the best.

• Stainless 316 • Full 360° rotation, +/- 90° elevation • Integrated wormgear drive• Integrated nozzle mechanics • Progressive optical joystick• Proportional nozzle control • Record-and-play sequence• Selectable parking position • Low weight • Compact size• CANBUS communication • Multiple joysticks .... and much more

UNIFIRE AB, SWEDENTel: +46 303 248400WWW.UNIFIRE.COM

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P. 21-38 11/17/06 11:01 AM Page 29

So what do these two have in common?

Dwight lives in the South, Mitch to theNorth. Dwight circles the globe battlingfires that engulf fuel storage tanks andoil fields. Mitch travels too, but mainly tovisit laboratories and test facilities.Dwight Williams owns and operatesWilliams Fire & Hazard Control.Mitch Hubert is the senior chemist at theAnsul Fire Technology Center.

So what do these two have in common?

Call:Call:

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Choose the foam that Mitch andDwight built…THUNDERSTORM™ 1x3Firefighting Foam Concentrateby ANSUL®.

One day, Dwight asked Mitch to invent afoam that was better than any on the market.Plus, Dwight was to test it personally. SoMitch rolled up his sleeves and developeda product he knew would satisfy Dwight’shigh expectations. Dwight then tested itunder conditions far exceeding normalapproval agency requirements.Today, Mitch’s foam is the most potentweapon in Dwight’s firefighting arsenal.

Choose the foam that Mitch andDwight built…THUNDERSTORM™ 1x3Firefighting Foam Concentrateby ANSUL®.

IFF4 page 30 25/10/06 12:12 pm Page 1

3M STOCKS UP TO DEC 2002 AND ANY SUBSEQUENTLY MIXED PRODUCTS ARE AFFECTED

Fluorochemicals containing orbreaking down to PFOS were pro-duced in Europe predominantly at

the 3M™ plant in Belgium or manufac-tured in the Solberg Scandinavian ASlicenced plant in Norway. Several other3M licenced mixing plants around theworld also produced PFOS based prod-ucts, which were sold under the global3M™ or Lightwater™ brands of AFFF andATC™ AR-AFFF type foams. Theseproducts were manufactured until 3M’s™voluntary withdrawal from production,in May 2000, but unavoidably delayeduntil December 2002. All UK manufac-tured foam is entirely free of both PFOS

and PFOA (PerFluoroOctanoic Acid) intheir formulations as they are entirelybased on telomer derived fluorocarbonsurfactants. These telomer fluorocarbonsurfactants are produced by a moreadvanced and entirely different manu-facturing process (telomerisation)compared to the 3M™ Simon CellElectroFluorination process. Consequentlythey have different chemical structureswhich do not contain or degrade toPFOS, nor it is believed to PFOA.

PFOS CONFIRMED PBT

Scientific studies have shown PFOS to bea Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic(PBT) chemical. DEFRA has therefore set an objective to achieve zero emis-sions of PFOS in the UK environment.

The DEFRA report has been conduct-

ed to EU guidelines and it was agreedthat the UK Government should takethe lead in Europe on this environ-mental issue. Involvement of other EUgovernments has been encouragedwithin the steering group, along withmany other stakeholder groups in-cluding the UK BFPSA (British FireProtection Systems Association).

The report was discussed recently ata European level and a public consulta-tion phase is in progress in the UK,prior to further consideration of itbecoming a legally binding policydocument throughout the EU.

It is therefore a very important docu-ment. It aims to be fair, realistic, practi-cal and workable for all foam users.The full report can be viewed/down-loaded from the DEFRA website athttp://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/chemicals/pdf/pfos-riskstrategy.pdf.Readers are encouraged to at least viewthe executive summary section.

MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS

The main recommendations containedin the DEFRA PFOS Risk ReductionStrategy Report are summarised belowto give foam users an insight into themain issues:

● PFOS (PerFluoroOctanyl Sulphonate)meets the EU criteria for PBT (Persis-tent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic) status.

● Zero emissions and/or cessation ofuse is the aim of any risk reductionmeasure.

● Any PFOS containing products mustnow be held in reserve.

● Any PFOS usage must be contained.


Industrial

THE UK GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT of Environment, Food and RuralAffairs (DEFRA) has just published an in-depth study into the environmentalrisks and proposed reduction strategy for the chemical PerFluoroOctanylSulphonate (PFOS), which is used in many applications including fire fightingfoam.

New DEFRA ReportHas Implications For Foam Users

The report was discussed recentlyat a European level and a publicconsultation phase is in progressin the UK, prior to furtherconsideration of it becoming alegally binding policy documentthroughout the EU.

By Mike Willson ofAngus Fire


P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:12 pm Page 31

● The use of PFOS based foams forpurposes other than use in anemergency is prohibited.

● PFOS containing products are notpermitted to be released to wasterwater treatment plants withoutEnvironment Agency agreement.

● All future disposal of PFOS is to beby high temperature incineration(HTI) only.

● All foams containing PFOS must bedisposed of within 5 years.

● Telomer based foams represent anexisting and technically feasible sub-stitution but reductions in environ-mental risks compared to PFOS basedfoams are currently unquantified.

● There are concerns over alternativefluorine free products due to acutetoxicity and potential emulsificationwith hydrocarbons (List I substances).

● This allows adequate time for betterdata on environmental and healthrisks of substitute telomer based andfluorine free foams to be generated.

● Groundwater Regulations (1998)already prohibit discharge of List 1substances (including all organohalo-gens/fluorinated foams) onto or intoground with likelihood it will reachgroundwater.

IMMEDIATE DISPOSAL DEFERRED IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS

There is a 5 year delay that isconditional on a number of actionsby civil Fire Authorities (FA) and otherMutual Aid (MA) partners in UK:■ FAs are to ensure their stocks of

PFOS based foams are removed fromactive service and they are not usedat incidents where firewater contain-ment is not possible.

■ FAs should EITHER destroy PFOSbased foams immediately by HTI, ORtrade with MAs to swap for theirnon-PFOS based stock.

■ MAs are permitted to retain stock ofPFOS based foams as part of reservesfor a period of 5 years, whereuponall remaining PFOS based stock willbe destroyed by HTI.

■ If used during the 5 year period,contained fire waters are not permit-ted to wastewater without agree-ment of Environment Agency andapplication of emission controls.

■ All future disposal of PFOS basedfoams is to be by HTI at recom-mended incineration sites.

Clearly PFOS products and thosefoams mixed into bulk storage withPFOS product will need to be replaced,but the report does not give any clearguidance on the way forward for foamusers.

ARE TELOMER BASED PRODUCTS SAFE FOR CONTINUED USE?

The most logical and practical way for-ward is to replace PFOS containingproducts with a telomer based alterna-tive which is likely to have lower fluo-rine levels than the 3M™ product andshould be PFOS free. Fluorocarbon sur-factants are an important chemicalgroup in fire fighting foams that giveunique benefits to provide the highperformance levels required by fire-fighters using modern application tech-niques . The US EPA has taken telomersout of their Enforceable ConsentAgreement for PFOS on the basis of thelatest scientific research data, and hasconfirmed that telomers are safe forcontinued use.

BENEFITS OF FLUOROCARBON SURFACTANTS TAKEN FOR GRANTED – NOT EASILY REPLACED!

Firefighters take the performance levelsoffered by fluorocarbon surfactants forgranted after relying on them for thelast 40 years. Since foam fire fightinginvolves forceful application onto thehazardous area but the foam still needsto achieve swift fire control and extinc-tion to minimise the risk of escalation,the threat to life, damage to propertyand other consequential losses includingbusiness interruption. Life safetydemands high performance foam fire-fighting products which can provide fastextinction and good post-fire securityeven when low application rates and


Since foam fire fighting involvesforceful application onto thehazardous area but the foam stillneeds to achieve swift fire controland extinction to minimise the riskof escalation, the threat to life,damage to property and otherconsequential losses includingbusiness interruption.

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P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:12 pm Page 32

challenging conditions prevail. Modernfluorine free foams are in their infancyand while suitable for some niche appli-cations are by no means up to the job ofwide ranging and deep seated fire fight-ing. We should not forget that foamusers have needed the benefits ofFluorine containing foams to:

■ provide rapid fire control andextinction

■ provide efficient and effective firecontrol at minimal application rates

■ save lives (workers, public, firefighters)■ protect fire-fighters from danger of

injury (burns, heat exhaustion)■ minimise risk of escalation into other

areas ■ reduce threat to high value assets

and production plant■ minimise consequential losses of the

fire■ minimise the use of foam and water

resources■ minimise fuel pick-up in the foam

blanket ■ minimise risks of hydrocarbon pollu-

tion in the aquatic environment■ minimise risk of containment area

over-flow■ minimise run-off and subsequent

off-site impact

These are still key requirements toget the job done safely and efficientlyby most firefighters for most applica-tions. Telomer chemistry allows moreefficient use of fluorine especially influoroprotein (FP) type foams whichtypically have only 10% of the fluorinecontent of a 3x3 AR-AFFF! Modern FPsrepresent maximum efficiency in theusage of fluorine coupled with provenhigh performance for deep seatedhydrocarbon fire fighting.

FLUORINE FREE ALTERNATIVES NOT UP TO THE MARK

Current alternative technologies are notcapable of providing equivalent perfor-mance across a broad range of applica-tions, although some progress has beenmade for niche applications. One alsohas to question advice from companieswho only have a single product line orrestricted product range to offer. If theydo not convince you their product isbest they will lose the sale, so expect astrongly biased view from thesemanufacturers/suppliers. Leading manu-

facturers like Angus Fire with a fullproduct range are more balanced intheir advice. They are also investing sig-nificantly into research to find anddevelop the new ground breaking tech-nologies that will meet your require-ments in future and lead to higherperforming fluorine free products. How-ever, the challenges of this task shouldnot be underestimated as there are noreadily available “drop-in” replacementsfor the unique fluorinated chemicalgroup. Current technology does notprovide adequate answers, and thoseselecting it are in for some surpriseswhen protection of their facilities are onthe line in a big fire scenario.

Some of the drawbacks of thesefluorine free products from anoperational standpoint are:

● most based entirely on syntheticdetergent, which is the most acutelytoxic ingredient in foams

● LC50 values of 20mg/L detergent in water will kill a wide range ofaquatic organisms including fish

● Need to be applied gently throughaspirated equipment to avoid col-lapse on volatile fuels

● Emulsify with hydrocarbon fuels andcarry them past fuel separators andout into the environment as a poten-tially serious pollution incident.


Industrial

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liquid FLUOR FOAMOUSSE 3%, 6%Training foams

P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:13 pm Page 33

Hydrocarbons themselves are List Isubstances under the UK GroundwaterRegulations 1998, so even though thefoam does not contain fluorine it canstill cause List I substances to bereleased into the environment.

● Detergent foams generally performless well in seawater.

● Detergent based products collapsemore quickly when subjected tofierce radiant heat and flame attack

● Detergent based products are proneto sudden flashbacks and re-ignition.

● Detergent based fluorine free foams donot provide adequate levels of post firesecurity for use on deep seated fires,nor do they offer adequate protectionagainst a wide range of polar solventchemicals like industrial Alcohols.

● Such products are still only suitedfor Class A fires and certain nicheClass B applications.

STUDIES SHOW TELOMERS SUITABLE FOR CONTINUED EMERGENCY USE

PFOS is a known PBT substance andneeds to be controlled, but other fluo-rinated products like telomers andPFOA are also now under investigation.All fluorochemicals are persistent in theenvironment but legitimate concernsare also being raised about any poten-tially bioaccumulative and/or toxiccharacteristics. Detailed scientific stud-ies are underway with detailed environ-mental fate and behaviour studiescarried out by prominent research sci-entists and the leading fluorochemicalmanufacturer, DuPont. All the testsconducted so far suggest that telomerbased fluorocarbon surfactants whilepersistent, are neither bioaccumulativenor toxic. It will be some time untilconclusive studies can verify that this isa correct conclusion.

EPA CONFIRMS PFOA AND TELOMERS SAFE TO USE

The US Environmental ProtectionAgency has made a fundamental dis-tinction between PFOS and PFOA/Telomers and has put legislation inplace to control the use of PFOS andencourage a voluntary phase out.

● PFOS is the subject of a Toxic Sub-stances Control Act (TSCA) to preventthe manufacture and importation ofPFOS based chemicals into the USA.

● A Significant New Use Rule (SNUR)has been imposed to restrict, controlor prevent any potential new use forPFOS based materials that may beproposed in the future.

● An Enforceable Consent Agreement(ECA) has been implemented toensure anyone using PFOS on thegrounds of no alternative technolo-gies must verify this and gain con-sent for continued use. This onlyaffects certain military uses. Follow-ing detailed data provided to the USEPA, they were able to justifyremoving PFOA from this consentagreement and confirm both PFOAand telomer based fluorochemicalsare safe for continued use.

● Flexibility may be the key. The world’sfirst UL listed high fluidity naturalprotein based foam without the useof thick water soluble polymers has anamazingly wide range of applicationsin one fluid concentrate (Niagara 1-3AR-FFFP). It can be used for:– Class A wetting agent applications

at 0.2%-1%– Compressed Air Foam system

(CAFS) applications at 0.6-1%– shallow hydrocarbon spills at just 1%– deep seated hydrocarbon fires at 3%– fires involving a wide range of

polar solvent chemicals at 3% – fires involving a range of noxious

chemicals at medium expansion at3-6%

BEST WAY FORWARD

The best way forward is to retain allthe benefits of telomer based foamslike FP70 Plus, Petroseal and Niagarafor emergency incident use, while ultil-ising a modern F3 (Fluorine Free Foam)product for training and system testing.These modern F3 training foams mimic




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All the tests conducted so farsuggest that telomer basedfluorocarbon surfactants whilepersistent, are neitherbioaccumulative nor toxic. It willbe some time until conclusivestudies can verify that this is acorrect conclusion.

P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:14 pm Page 34

the proportioning and foam qualitycharacteristics of these operationaltelomer based foams but without anylist I or List II substances present.

In this way the training foams can beused for equipment calibration, systemcommissioning and personnel trainingwith the run-off passing through asewage treatment plant after fuelseparation and on into groundwater,rivers or the sea.

MODERN F3 TRAINING FOAMS LEAD THE WAY

The most advanced area of fluorine

free technology is F3 mimic foams:

● TF3 a modern 3% Training Foamspecifically designed to mimic naturalprotein based products like Petro-seal, Niagara and FP70/FP70 Plus.

● TF6 a modern 6% Training Foamconcentrate specifically designed tomimic protein based 6% foams,specifically in aviation.

● TFAL 3 a modern 3% Training Foammimics the polmer containing naturalproducts like Alcoseal AR-FFFP.

● Synthetic detergent based AR-AFFFslike Tridol ATF are mimiced by TFA 3.

● Standard AFFF 3% and 6% foamsare suitably mimiced by a new prod-uct called Trainol.

Polymer containing detergent basedUL listed front-line operational fluorinefree fire fighting foams with ICAOapproval and EN 1568 certification likeSyndura are only suitable for certainspecific niche applications where fluo-rocarbon surfactants are preventedfrom being used. They do not represent“cure-alls” for diverse fire applications.


Industrial

Tel: 0870 240 5547Fax: 0870 240 5548www.arcticfoam.com

The professional choice for fast extinguishment and a safer environment. Arctic Foam AFFF, ATC & RE-HEALING foams are made in Norway and distributed throughout Europe.Please visit our website at www.arcticfoam.com, for comprehensive information.

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Training foams can be used forequipment calibration, systemcommissioning and personneltraining with the run-off passingthrough a sewage treatment plantafter fuel separation and on intogroundwater, rivers or the sea.

RESEARCHING FOR A BETTERFUTUREAt the forefront of research towardsradically new technologies areleading companies of globalstature. They realise that newthinking will be required to achieveequivalent levels of fire per-formance to current fluorinecontaining foams. These will notuse fluorinated chemicals which arethemselves a unique chemicalgroup without a “drop-in” replace-ment, so progress is slower thanthey would like.

P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:14 pm Page 35

Some of these trends will changethe size and location of future oilrefineries, shipping terminals, and

related chemical plants as the industryregroups to better meet the needs of thenew marketplace. In turn, these trendswill also help define the type of indus-trial fire apparatus required to protectthose facilities.

LARGER, MORE EFFICIENT REFINERIESIt used to be that there were only alimited number of oil producers thatsupplied a limited number of customers.The United States was, and still is, oneof the biggest customers. Oil was plenti-ful, and operating costs were low. What the United States didn’t produce

themselves, they imported from othercountries. Competition for the seeming-ly endless flow of oil was minimal.

Today’s situation is more complex,with dozens of countries producing oiland even more countries wanting to useit. Competition is greater, and the oil isharder to obtain. To remain competitiveand keep prices in check, many olderrefineries around the world have beenclosed, further restricting supply. Forexample, in the United States more than200 older, mostly smaller, refineries havebeen closed since the early 1980sbecause changes in technology andtougher environmental restrictions havemade them unprofitable. In China,which is potentially one of the largestusers of petroleum products in theworld, many of their older refinerieswere shut down five years ago after itwas decided that they could not effec-tively compete in the changing worldmarket.

In response to the new market condi-tions, there has been a growing trend tobuild larger and more efficient refineriesin areas where the demand is high andthe costs of construction and operationare favorable. New refineries are currentlyunder construction in many countries ofAsia, Africa, and South America witheven more to follow. The United States,which was once a worldwide supplier ofpetroleum products, has fallen behindthis trend and can now barely meettheir own needs. Despite the over-whelming demand for more capacity, oilcompanies have been reluctant to build


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Pic courtesy of E-One

Future Trends in Indus

SOME EXPERTS SAY THAT this year’s record prices for crude oil mark thebeginning of an era when the demand for petroleum products threatens tooutpace the supply. Customers in Europe and North America already findthemselves competing with a growing number of users in Japan, China, andother countries. At the same time, oil companies around the world are scram-bling to expand their production facilities to get the oil out of the ground andturn it into a wide range of finished products. It’s a situation that is expected tobe with us for decades to come and it has triggered a wide range of trendsthat are changing the petrochemical industry.


In response to the new marketconditions, there has been agrowing trend to build larger andmore efficient refineries in areaswhere the demand is high and thecosts of construction andoperation are favorable.

By Peter Trampe

Future Trends in IndusP. 21-38 25/10/06 12:15 pm Page 36

new refineries in the UnitedStates because of tough envi-ronmental restrictions, highconstruction costs, and long leadtimes — in fact, there hasn’tbeen a major new refinery con-structed there in twenty years.

Instead, new refineries arespringing up all around theworld. As they do, oil companiesfind that they can gain signifi-cant economic advantages bylocating related industries near-by. While the refineries are busypumping out thousands ofgallons of fuels and lubricantsfor consumers, they can alsosupply a wide range of petrochemicalfeedstocks to chemical plants within thesame industrial complex. Natural gas,which was once burned off as a wasteproduct, can be liquefied and shipped.Nearby port and pipeline facilities cancarry products to and from the refineriesto meet the needs of eager customers athome and abroad.

The result has been the worldwidegrowth of new, more-efficient oilrefineries surrounded by a wide varietyof related industries to form largepetrochemical processing facilities thatrival many cities in terms of area andeconomic importance.

. . . AND LARGER, MORE-EFFICIENT APPARATUSOne of the natural outcomes of havinglarger facilities is the need for increasedfire protection at these sites. The plantsare larger, the storage facilities arelarger, and the input and outputflowrates are higher. In the ports andalong the connecting ship channels, thenumber of ships is greater. If a fireshould occur anywhere within thesesprawling complexes, it would requirelarger volumes and higher flowrates offire suppression foam.

Several of these refinery mega-complexes already exist in the UnitedStates and other countries. To deal withthe need for increased fire protection,the fire brigades at many of these siteshave found that high-capacity foampumpers equipped with high-capacitymonitors provide the best and most effi-cient way to fight large-scale fires.

A typical high-capacity industrialfoam pumper usually has a 500+ horse-

power diesel engine with a pump capa-ble of delivering 9,460 to 13,250 litersper minute (2,500 to 3,500 US gallonsper minute) of water or foam solutionwhen lifting from a static source and upto 17,040 liters per minute (4,500 USgallons per minute) when pumping froma pressurized source, such as a hydrant.The pumper carries 3,785 liters (1,000US gallons) or more of foam concen-trate in an onboard tank and isequipped with a high-capacity monitorcapable of delivering up to 15,140 litersper minute (4,000 US gallons perminute) of finished foam product.

The high-capacity foam monitor isespecially important when fighting firesin large-diameter storage tanks, wherethere is a very large surface area ofburning liquid that needs to be coveredquickly with a thick blanket of foam.

Industrial brigades that use these bigmonitors say the streams have a greaterreach and can be delivered with greateraccuracy than is possible with streamsfrom smaller monitors. The greater reachand accuracy allows firefighters to oper-ate at greater stand-off distances fromthe fire for protection against radiantheat. Some foam monitors are availablewith optional features such as radioremote controls to allow operationsfrom more protected locations. Othermonitors include various dry chemicalinjection systems to increase the fire-fighting effectiveness of the foamstreams on pressurized and flowing fuelfires.

To provide an adequate water supply to support foam monitor opera-tions, high-capacity foam pumpersusually carry several hundred meters of


Industrialustrial Fire Apparatus



ustrial Fire ApparatusP. 21-38 11/17/06 11:05 AM Page 37

12.7-centimeter (5-inch) diameter hosethat can be connected to high-volumehydrant systems on the site. For evengreater delivery rates, some brigadesnow use 18.4-centimeter (7.25-inch)diameter hose to provide additionalwater without having to lay multiplelines.

On congested sites where accessroads are narrow, foam pumpers can beequipped with rear-mounted pumpsrated up to 11,350 liters per minute(3,000 US gallons per minute). Mount-ing the pump at the rear of the vehiclepermits a shorter wheelbase for bettermaneuverability, and spreading the hoseconnections across the back of the bodyresults in a shorter pump installationthat provides even more room for hoseand equipment.

NEW FOAM SYSTEMSHigh-capacity foam pumpers can alsotake advantage of several new develop-ments in foam and foam systems thatmake application faster and easier, aswell as provide significantly longeroperating times from a single tankful.

One of the most recent foam develop-ments is a new alcohol-resistant AFFFfoam concentrate called ThunderStorm1x3 ATC, which was specifically devel-oped by Ansul Incorporated and WilliamsFire & Hazard Control for use on oilrefinery fires. The new foam can beapplied at a 3% ratio for fighting firesinvolving polar solvents — such as ace-tone, methanol, and methyl ethyl ketone— and the same foam can also beapplied at a 1% ratio for fighting firesinvolving hydrocarbons — such as gaso-line, jet fuel, and naphtha. Because thefoam can be used on the two most com-mon types of flammable liquid fires thatmight occur in an oil refinery, it simpli-fies the storage and application require-ments for firefighting personnel. Andwhen the foam is used on hydrocarbonfires at the very low 1% ratio, it allowsmobile high-capacity foam pumpers to

stay in operation up tothree times longerthan if they used moretypical 3% foam.

The new Thunder-Storm 1x3 ATC foam isespecially effective athandling fires in stor-age tanks containinghighly volatile premi-um gasoline. The foamspreads across the sur-face of the burningliquid quickly and sealsagainst the walls of the

tank to form an effective vapor barrier. Italso has excellent fuel shedding proper-ties, which means that large streams offoam can be projected over the side ofthe tank and into the burning liquidwithout breaking up the foam blanket.

To make it easier and faster to switchapplication rates with this new foam,Williams Fire and Hazard Controldesigned a new proportioning valve foruse with their Hot Shot I and Hot ShotII foam systems. Unlike some high-capacity foam proportioning systemsthat are designed to inject foam con-centrate at a fixed ratio, the new valve isinfinitely adjustable to inject foam overa wide range of ratios. This allows fire-fighters to quickly change the propor-tioning ratio after they arrive on thescene to handle the specific flammableliquid involved.

FEWER PEOPLEAnother advantage of using high-capac-ity foam pumpers is that they allow afire brigade to provide protection withfewer personnel. Instead of respondingwith two or three smaller pumpers, eachstaffed with its own driver and crew, thebrigade can use a single high-capacitypumper that produces the same amountof foam with a single driver and crew.And if the fire brigade is stationed

within the refinery itself, instead ofhaving to respond from a nearby town,then they do not have to deal with thevehicle length, width, and weightrestrictions that apply on roads in thesurrounding area.

The continued growth of new, largerefinery facilities around the world givesfire brigades even more opportunities toreduce personnel. For example, in largeindustrial complexes, where dozens ofpetrochemical plants are grouped on thesame site, fire protection can often beprovided by a single fire brigade operat-ing high-capacity foam apparatus out ofone or two centralized stations that pro-tect the entire complex, rather thanhaving separate smaller apparatus sta-tioned at each individual plant. Thisarrangement is already used in manyrefinery complexes in the United Statesand several other countries, and its useis expected to grow as brigades findthey can provide the same protectionwith fewer, but larger, foam pumpersand fewer people.

CONTINUED GROWTH IN THE FUTUREAlthough oil industry experts may dis-agree on the timing of events in thefuture, they all agree that the demandfor petroleum products is going to con-tinue to grow for many years. And with that growth there will be a needfor newer, larger, and more-efficient oil refineries and related industries incountries all around the world.



Indu

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To match that growth, the number ofindustrial fire brigades will alsogrow and will meet the needs for fireprotection at these larger facilitieswith larger, more-efficient, high-capacity foam pumpers equippedwith the latest technological ad-vances in pumps, monitors, foamsystems, and fire suppression agents.

P. 21-38 25/10/06 12:16 pm Page 38

Fire and Rescue Training

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IFF4 page 40 25/10/06 12:17 pm Page 1

There is one situation that reallychallenges those skills, confinedspace rescue. Here in the face of

unseen hazards and extremely difficultworking conditions the risks to rescuerand casualty are like no other. It is notonly the hazards that challenge us butoften a combination of rescue tech-niques that are required to safely extri-cate the injured from their predicament.

So what is confined space rescue?Essentially I believe it is removing acasualty from a situation where there isinsufficient space to either access,extricate or treat the casualty effective-ly without intervention of specialistequipment or rescue techniques.

Such incidents could include:

■ Pits or bore holes■ Trenches■ Silos■ Sewers and underground water

pipes■ Collapsed structures■ Holds of ships■ Tanks of trucks or railway cars

(cleaners)■ Petroleum Refineries■ Cellars

No matter what the incident thedangers to rescuers should not beunderestimated at any cost. The situa-tion is already perilous as it is without

us compounding it by making rashdecisions that defy logic in an effort to rescue a casualty, who may havesuccumbed already.

While speed is demanded by the pub-lic, and often we are at the receivingend of a myriad of abuse due to our“appearance” of doing nothing, theyhave little idea of the extremely danger-ous and often life threatening situationwe are about to enter. Statistics indicatethat 60 percent of all confined spacefatalities are rescuers, DO NOT becomeone of them.

In order to highlight some of thedifficulties involved with confinedspace rescue I would like to share twoincidents with you.

● A grain silo rescue.● Ship rescue.

GRAIN SILO RESCUE

It was about 14.00h one afternoonwhen we were called to a milling com-pany about 60km away from our basein Gaborone, Botswana as someonehad been injured in the grain silo.

Upon our arrival entry from theground was not possible and our onlyaccess point was 50m up via a ladderand through a hole in the silo wall justwide enough for a person to getthrough. The ladder, attached to thesilo wall was secured by a cage sousing it for a packaged stretcher/spinalboard was impossible. Egress wasalready a concern.

My initial size-up was from above,the casualty lay on the floor of the silo,it was fairly dark inside but ventilationholes gave us enough light. The silo



Confined SpaceRescue Training

The situation is already perilous as it is without us compounding it by making rash decisions thatdefy logic in an effort to rescue a casualty, who may have succumbed already.

Confined SpaceRescue Training By Charlie McClung,

Ndip AEC Natal

IN 22 YEARS OF being a Rescue Paramedic there are few situations I havenot been involved in, traffic collisions, assaults, mountain and aviationrescues, were all common place as Africa was inherently a violent as well astopographically challenging arena for every rescue worker, and multi skilledparamedics were an essential component of the Emergency Services.

P. 39-53 25/10/06 12:31 pm Page 41

was fairly well ventilated so the risk ofexplosion was minimal. Access to thefloor of the silo was gained by climbingdown an identical ladder on the insideof the silo, sliding down the pile ofgrain about 3m and onto the silo floor.The spinal board worked very well as aplatform for this.

There were no doors onto the floorof the silo so I initially thought ofmaybe assisting the patient to climbout with us if his injuries enabled it,however my hopes were dashed whenwe did our primary survey.

He was scooping grain into thecrusher with a spade and pushed thespade in too deep, the crusher pulledthe spade with him still attached intothe jaws and in the process amputatedboth arms mid-shaft humerous, botharms were gone pulled into the crusher.I was amazed he was still alive.

His vital signs were unbelievably rela-tively good, helping us to climb outwas going to be a problem and in anyevent, I felt that he may have incurreda spinal injury following his collisionwith the crusher whilst being draggedin. Our treatment included, bandagingboth stumps, IV access using the exter-nal jugular vein, C-collar and spinal


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Do’s and Don’tsDo’s■ Gather as much information as you

can from the caller and updatesfrom the control centre prior to yourarrival, this will help you select thecorrect equipment before you leaveand may save time later.

■ Once on scene Set up a commandpost and select the team accordingto expertise and experience, thistype of rescue needs personnel whohave been there before and arewell aware of the risks.

■ Take time to do a thorough size-upand correlate the information youhave to what you see and detect.Determine if this is a body recoveryor a rescue as soon as possible as itwill affect your approach.

■ Use all the resources available toyou. Monitoring equipment such asO2 and Explosion meters if you havethem use them, it will lower the riskof a potentially hazardous situation.Place the monitoring equipment intothe area some time before entry isgained. If continuous monitoring isrequired leave the equipment inplace for the duration of the rescue.

■ For pits and drain pipes it may bean idea to use a search camera (ifavailable) to look around first ifpossible prior to committingpersonnel. Physical hazards can beidentified and prepared for, bytaking the correct equipment withthe entry team.

■ If this equipment is not available toyou follow the better safe than sorryprinciple, ie. always wear fullprotective gear (SCBA) whenentering a subterranean space which

due to lack of oxygen or thepresence of toxic gasses may behazardous to an unprotected rescuer.

■ Prior to entry, isolate all powergoing into the building,electrocution is a hazard to allrescuers and may have been thecause of the rescue itself.

■ Initial access and egress routesshould be evaluated and alternativeroutes especially egress planned forthe eventuality that plan A fails orneeds adjustment.

■ Equipment for casualty access andremoval should accompany therescue team, based on informationfrom the initial call, not be called forlater when plan A is exhausted,these could include ropes andwinches, lifting gear etc.

■ To the public a fire fighter is this 2mlad built like a shed capable ofanything, while this is good, hedon’t fit into confined spaces toowell, having rescuers smaller instature in the team reaps benefitswhen small people need to crawlinto extra small areas.

■ Be flexible, put your plan into actionbut be prepared to change it if thescene changes. Have at least onepreferably two backup plans inplace and brief the remaining teammembers on them. This will aid thetransfer from one plan to another.

■ Multi-skill the team, in most casesseveral techniques using an array ofequipment is often required to safelyremove a casualty from a confinedspace, make sure that the team isskilled in the use of all theequipment you use on a daily basis.

Fire

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Confined Space Rescue Training

Confined Space Rescue Training

P. 39-53 25/10/06 12:32 pm Page 42

immobilisation on a spine board. Egress was now a serious problem.

Initially we thought of cutting thesafety bars around the ladder by ourinitial point of access and using ropesto lift him out, however upon measure-ment this was not going to be possibleas the hole was too small for man andboard.

An alternative way out was found byusing the vents at ground level in thesilo (used to remove grain), more spacehad to be made by digging away theconcrete slabs making up the vent andthe patient/board just made it through.The whole rescue took two hours.

It is often not the dangerous rescuesthat challenge us, even the relativelysimple ones, can produce difficult cir-cumstances. I often wonder how long itwould have taken if we had had towiden then use our access route, usingropes to lift then lower the stretcher.

SHIP RESCUE

In this case we were called to a ship inthe Durban Harbour, where one of thecrew had been injured in the hold.

Upon my arrival we descended usingthe gangways of the ship into thelower reaches of the aft hold. We could

barely get through with all our equip-ment, it got narrower as we went downand we eventually climbed down abouta 30ft ladder into the hold.

The casualty was off loading 16 tonbales of wire, when one rolled off thepile and crushed both legs mid shaftfemur down. The damage was severeand he clearly needed to be placed in abasket stretcher on a spine board. Hewas between the bales in the hold andtreating him in situ was not going to

be effective the area around him wastoo small. I made the decision to placehim on a back board and slide him outto an area where we could effectivelymanage his injuries. After treating him,wrapping his mashed legs in glad wrap,and bandages we applied the PASG asan air splint, two IV’s and oxygen, heneeded to get to surgery urgently, weneeded to find a way out.

Egress was not going to be easy asour access route was definitely notsuitable as it was very narrow and thestairwells had barely enough room forus, never mind a badly injured sailor ina basket stretcher.

Our options were, either to use ropesor use the docks’ crane to exit the hold.We used the latter and the crane rideup and out was uneventful but thwartwith danger as there are no sides onthe platform so we needed to be wellsecured before lifting.

LESSONS LEARNED

When we think of confined space res-cue most people envisage rescuing aninjured casualty from an area the sizeof a 44 gallon drum. While this is prob-ably a worst case scenario, sometimes asituation that looks easy suddenlybecomes unbelievably difficult, espe-cially if you have limited resources oryour casualties’ injuries warrantextreme care during the extricationprocess.

I have learned from experience thatthese types of situations should neverbe rushed into. Lateral thinking isessential as a team leader and always



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Don’ts■ Don’t rush, while time is essential

for the casualty, we do not want tobecome part of the problem andincrease the statistics. An effectivesize-up will assist you greatly in thisregard.

■ Never unnecessarily risk the lives ofyour team members in order toeffect a speedy solution to theproblem

■ Short cuts are not an option here,they WILL cost lives.

■ Don’t rely on one source ofinformation gather as muchinformation from as many peopleand as many angles as possible.

■ Never send inexperienced orinsufficiently trained personnel intothis type of situation. In almostevery case medical staff arerequired to manage the patienthowever in some countries they arenot trained in the use of SCBA orlong lines for air supply. Rescuetechniques such as rope work and

the use of breaking and enteringequipment are not their every daytasks and they could freeze or panicat a crucial moment during therescue.

■ As a team leader, don’t ever losetouch with the overall situation,tunnel vision could cost lives andwaste precious time, stay back andallow the team to work, consultregularly with your safety officer,keeping your finger on the pulse ofthe rescue.

■ Don’t ever try to take on a situationthat you cannot cope with, withyour current resources. Never betoo proud to call for help, ifspecialist equipment such as gasdetection equipment or explosionmeters are required and you don’thave them, request assistance anddelay entry of the team until thearea has been declared safe. Thesafety of you and your team may becompromised by your decision.

P. 39-53 25/10/06 12:32 pm Page 43

have a plan B or even C in case of the situation becomingunmanageable.

CONCLUSION

Confined space rescue is a daunting task, not every rescuer iscomfortable in the ever decreasing size of a cave or tunnel. Ittakes nerves of steel and an ice cool head when the goinggets tight and there is ever increasing pressure from above fora happy conclusion to the rescue.

Team members should be selected very carefully, based ontemperament and experience. Training is essential, equipmentand techniques change over time, the team should be keptabreast of all the latest techniques and equipment used inthis demanding field. Realistic ongoing training is essential inthis regard, every team member should be confident andcomfortable with every piece of equipment in the arsenal.

Above all BE SAFE, allowing your head to rule your heart iskey to the success of the operation, the rescue of JessicaMcClure was the finest example of this. Hearts were breakingon the surface but the guys just stuck at it. If you allow youremotions to get away from you, your decision making capa-bilities will be affected and your team could suffer as a result.

Of course we all have feelings, after all we are all humans,however it is the ability of the commander and indeed theteam to focus on the task at hand, without letting emotioncompromise their judgement that will succeed above all.


Fire

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Trai

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Charlie McClungNdip AEC NatalCharlie has been a rescueparamedic for 22 years, hisskills were honed in the mili-tary and the Kwazulu Nataltownships in South Africa as aNational Diploma Paramedicbefore moving to Botswanawhere he was chief para-

medic for an aviation rescue service. At present he runs atraining school in Botswana and provides specialist res-cue assistance the local emergency services. Part of hisportfolio is a chief instructor for ICET in the Netherlands,providing specialist rescue training to rescue teamsworldwide.

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Training is essential,equipment and techniqueschange over time, the teamshould be kept abreast ofall the latest techniquesand equipment used in this demanding field.

P. 39-53 25/10/06 12:33 pm Page 44

The Sweden based companies ORCAB and BOHUS INNOVATION ABhave together launched two sys-

tems for fighting oil spills in fast flowingwaters and sweeping in harbours and atsea.

The Boom Vane is a device for oil boomdeployment in rivers and other waterways.This powerful yet light and handy toolmakes spill control and recovery possiblewithout the need for boats, anchors orfixed installations of any kind. The BoomVane can be operated in waters with heavytraffic since the control rudder allows forfast and effortless system retrieval frommid stream. As a fast-water tool, theBoom Vane works equally well whendeployed off a vessel – in this mode ofoperation the vessel’s progress through thewater powers the Boom Vane.

Oil spill response operations arenotably difficult in rivers with strong cur-rent and river vessel traffic – indeed,many professionals claim such missionsimpossible. Considering typical responsetime margins allowed for river spills inrelation to the mobilisation time andresources required for conventional land-

or vessel-based boom systems, a timelyresponse is not a logistic possibility –with the Boom Vane it is.

The Boom Vane is constructed as acascade of vertical wings mounted in a rectangular frame. Powered by the cur-rent flow the Boom Vane – held by asingle mooring line only – swings outtowards the opposite shore with the oilboom in tow.

The BoomVane is deployed with anangle of approx. 45o to the current whilethe oil boom is set at approx. 11o to thesame, running from the BoomVanedown-stream back to the shore-siderecovery point [Circus].

However, the system does not requirethe operators to trim line/angle, as theBoom Vane’s fixed line will configure thesystem to correct angle when launched.

The BoomVane oil spill responsesystem is based on the followingcomponents:

● BoomVane complete with 150m12mm Dyneema Line system.

● FLEXI 350 River 105m oil boomadapted with vertical support lattices.

● Optional: FLEXI “High Speed” boomfor speeds above 3 knots

● River Circus skimmer system.● Foilex Mini skimmer

and is designed for operations in flowingwaters of velocities between 1 and 5 knots.

The unique BoomVane system allowsfor very fast spill response – two menmay have the system in operation within30 minutes of arrival at the response site.

Vessel applicationIn coastal and offshore sweep operations,the Boom Vane offers important advan-tages compared to both two-vessel U-sweep or a sweep vessel with rigidoutrigger arms. The Boom Vane’s highspeed and wave-action stability, coupledwith the elasticity inherent in the system,allows for unparalleled sweep width andequipment durability in different vesselsweep modes. As the towing vesselrequires no more than a sturdy cleat, theBoom Vane is the ultimate boom deploy-ment tool for Vessel of OpportunitySkimming Systems (VOSS).

New Walboom “Clean Sweep”The new self expanding boom is designedto withstand the tremendous forces thatoccur during sweeping operations in severeconditions. The new “Clean Sweep” boomis specially designed to be towed by theBoom Vane. The advantage to use thiskind of boom is that it can even be usedfor corralling and as a fence. It is stored ona vertical winder and the deploying time isreduced to a minimum. The recovery of theboom is fast and easy, and 200m of boomcan be stored on the winder. With 200m ofboom, 100m on each leg, we achieveapprox. 100m of sweeping width.

By inducing a drag at the opening inthe middle of the boom – for example byhooking up a skimmer vessel trailingbehind – the U-shape of the boom sweepis ‘straightened’ out to that of a “V”,which allows for higher sweep speedswithout losing oil under the boom.


Fire and Rescue TrainingP R O D U C T P R O F I L E

150 m flexi 350 River boom deployed by Boom Vane System on River Visla in Poland

ORC AB and BOHUSINNOVATION AB

The Boom Vane – revolutionizing fastwater Oil Spill Response

For more details contact

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Tel: +46-31-744 35 54Tel: +46-31-744 35 55Fax: +46-31–22 35 56

E-mail: [email protected]

P. 39-53 11/17/06 10:50 AM Page 45

OVERVIEW OF THE $5.5 MILLION TRAINING FACILITY

The RTFC Training Academy annuallytrains customers throughout the UnitedStates and the world in all aspects ofemergency response. In the past fiveyears the RTFC Training Academy hasconducted a total of over 150,000hours of training to customers not onlyfrom Texas, but also the continental

United States as well as, clients from asfar away as Canada, Mexico, Malaysia,Venezuela, Brazil, Africa and SaudiArabia. All RTFC Training AcademyInstructors are career firefighters, who“practice what they teach” in their dailywork assignments. In addition, theRTFC Training Academy has a variety of“Adjunct” instructors, from across theUnited States and the United Kingdom,whom are considered experts in their

respective fields of instruction. TheRTFC Training Academy specializes in“custom tailored” courses which arebuilt to meet the unique hazards andspecific training needs of its individualcustomers.

INFRASTRUCTURE

The RTFC Training Academy is situatedon approximately 9 acres of land and isequipped with a variety of Live Fire,Hazardous Materials and rescue trainingprops. A 220,000 gallon water tank pro-vides fire water flow to the training fieldvia two Detroit Diesel 3,000 GPM firepumps. A 5,000 gallon kerosene tankand a 10,000 gallon propane storagetank provides fuel for fire training propsand all fire water run off is captured andtreated, on site, in the facilities 250,000gallon waster water treatment plant. TheTraining field has a variety of commonindustrial and municipal fire hydrants,sprinkler systems and foam systemsavailable for use. Classrooms are avail-able on site, with seating capacity of upto 100 students. All classrooms areequipped with modern audio/visualtraining capabilities. Restroom, rehaband showering facilities are also locatedon site, and the RTFC Training Academy


Fire

and

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Trai

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The Refinery Terminal By Jason Flores,

RTFC Firefighter, and John David Lowe,

RTFC Division Chief

The Refinery Terminal

Brief History and overview of the Refinery Terminal Fire CompanyThe Refinery Terminal Fire Company (RTFC) was established in 1948, in the wake ofthe Texas City, Texas disaster, and today is the largest non-profit industrialfirefighting group in the United States. RTFC currently has over 100 full time careerfirefighters, which operate 6 fire stations 365 days a year (protecting itsmembership’s 70 plus industrial facilities). As a company RTFC has responded tothousands of fires, hazardous materials releaases, rescues and medical emergenciesthroughout the oil, petrochemical, pipeline and port facilities of its members. Allcareer RTFC firefighters are highly trained in industrial firefighting, storage tankfirefighting, interior structural firefighting and marine firefighting; as well ashazardous material responses, emergency medical responses, confined spacerescue, high angle rescue and trench rescue response. RTFC also provides a numberof special services such as: inspections, testing and maintenance of equipment; fire& rescue pre-planning; fire or rescue emergency “stand by” services and consultingservices. In addition, RTFC operates a $5.5 million training center which is used totrain its worldwide clientele in all aspects of emergency response and preparedness.

P. 39-53 25/10/06 12:34 pm Page 46

has a fully stocked and functionalmedical clinic manned by a certifiedEMS staff member.

TRAINING PROGRAMS AND COURSES

● Industrial Firefighting (Process UnitFirefighting)The Process Unit Fire Fighting Pro-gram offers students with intense“hands on” live firefighting trainingthat resembles the specifics haz-ardous that may occur in a particularcustomer’s facility. The programincludes live LPG and flammableliquid fires, offensive and defensivestrategies, as well as, day light andnight fire attack scenarios.

● Marine FirefightingRTFC is also responsible for the pro-tection of the Port of Corpus ChristiAuthority with any fire that maytake place on vessels, docks or otherfacilities in the ship channel. ThePort of Corpus Christi FirefightingBarge is operated by RTFC personaland is capable of pumping 8,000GPM of water and carries 15,000gallons of foam concentrate. There-fore, RTFC personnel are well trainedwith the newest innovations inmarine firefighting and as a result,can offer a wide variety of instruc-tion pertaining to marine vessel andfacility related emergencies. TheRTFC Training Academy is equippedwith $500,000 marine firefightingprop, with both LPG and flammableliquid fire capabilities, to make thesetraining courses as realistic as possi-ble. The RTFC Training Academy is aUSCG approved training facility.

● Structural FirefightingRTFC personal are trained to respondto structures buildings and ware-houses that are owned and operatedby its member companies. As aresult, the RTFC Training Academycan offer a variety of training coursesthat encompass all types of structuralfirefighting responsibilities. These

courses are custom built to theclient’s needs and include such top-ics as: exterior fire attacks, apparatusplacement, interior fire attacks,ladder operations, occupant searches,stand pipe and hose pack operations,ventilation operations, overhauloperations, “Rapid Intervention”(RIT) training and much more.

● High Angle and Confined SpaceTechnical RescueThe RTFC Training Acade-my rescue courses regularlytrain individuals to respondto a wide variety of indus-trial, municipal and othertypes of emergencies.These course encompasstraining on equipmentidentification, care anduse; rope anchors, riggingand hauling system build-ing techniques, patientaccess, packaging andextrication techniques aswell, as rescuer responsibil-ities and safety practices.

● Trench Collapse RescueBecause RTFC is also responsible forresponding to any trench rescueincidents that may occur within itsmembership, the RTFC TrainingAcademy is equipped with a trenchrescue trailer, fully stocked withhydraulic shoring and diggingequipment, as well as, having highlyqualified personnel to present trenchcollapse training courses. All training



l Fire Company (RTFC)l Fire Company (RTFC)P. 39-53 25/10/06 12:36 pm Page 47

courses are designed to use actualtrenches that are purposely collapsedduring the scenarios and must berapidly shored, using appropriatetechniques, prior to rescuers enteringand extricating the patient.

● Hazardous MaterialsThe RTFC Training Academy’s goal isto train individuals on how to appro-priately respond to a release of ahazardous material(s). These coursesprovide training relevant to the 29CFR 1910.120 and NFPA 472 stan-dards and are tailored to the HAZ-WOPER, First Responder, Technicianand Refresher levels. The multitude oftraining props available for thesecourse allows the Training Academyto supply real life scenarios that meetthe some of the following objectives:surveying the hazardous materialsfrom a safe location, estimation of thepotential harm, identifying defensiveoptions, as well as, assuming the moreaggressive roles of determining theappropriateness of personal protectiveequipment, decon setup, plugging,patching or otherwise stopping therelease of a hazardous substance for avariety containers, rail cars, pipelines,process systems and others.

● Aircraft Rescue Firefighting (ARFF)These courses are designed to givethe structural firefighter a basicknowledge of aircraft firefightingprinciples. Personnel who mayrespond to an aircraft incident, on oroff an airport site, will benefit from

these courses, which focus on thestrategy and tactics of general, com-mercial and military aircraft inci-dents. Some of the topics willinclude aircraft and airport familiar-ization, firefighting and rescue tac-tics, and hazardous materials. TheRTFC Training Academy is a FAAapproved training facility.

● Emergency Medical TrainingAll RTFC instructors are Texas Dept.of Health EMT-B or Paramedic certi-fied and capable of presenting avariety of EMS courses, from FirstAid, Refresher or Certification courses.

TRAINING PROPS

● Industrial Process Unit Prop The RTFC Industrial Process Unittraining prop is used to create worsecase scenarios that may occur withinindustry and is capable of providinga variety of LPG and flammable liq-uid fires on equipment, such as:process towers, piping, vertical prod-uct pumps, horizontal productpumps, heat exchangers, fin fans,storage tanks and other commoncomponents of the modern chemicaland refining processes. Evolutionsoften involve all aspects of fire andhazardous materials responses andcan include: Incident Command,apparatus placement, fixed fire sys-tems, foam attacks, water run-offmanagement, fire water manage-ment, offensive and defensive strate-gies, search and rescue and manymore. Students gain first handknowledge in techniques for hosehandling, fire stream applications,use of portable and fixed equipment,foam application, communicationsand teamwork.

● Pump Alley PropThis training prop is a series of 4horizontal product pumps, locatedwithin the Industrial Process Unit,and is capable of producing LPG andflammable liquid fires on one or all


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of the pumps simultaneously. Stu-dents learn how to approach thesefires set up portable equipment andsuccessfully isolate block valves onmultiple pieces of equipment.

● Truck Loading Terminal PropThis training prop consists of multi-ple flange leaks and pipe ruptureswhich spill to a holding area thatmay be ignited. This type of trainingallows students to learn the dangersand techniques associated withemergencies involving the loading orunloading of tankers.

● Rail Car PropThe rail car and rail track trainingprops are used for a variety of Haz-ardous Materials and confined spacerescue training scenarios and can beused to teach students the identifica-tion procedures and tactics involvedin these types of emergencies.

● Two level fire structure PropThis building can be used to simu-late either house, office or apart-ment fires and consists of threerooms upstairs and three roomsdownstairs, all capable of burningClass A materials for firefighting.This structure provides intense heatand zero visibility, while allowingstudents to practice search and res-cue, attack, standpipe, ventilationand overhaul operations.

● Ship/Barge PropThe simulated ship/barge trainingprop consist of multiple decks with

two diesel engines, a boiler front, abilge, various pumps, steep ladders,a bridge, storage compartments anda “Universal Ship-to-Shore” waterconnection. This training prop iscapable of produce LPG and flam-mable liquid fires and allows stu-dents to master techniques forsearch and rescue, access and egress,fire water and foam applications anda variety of other tasks associatedwith modern marine vessel emergen-cies. This training prop has beenapproved by the USCG as a trainingfacility for “Marine Firefighting forLand based Firefighters”.

● Aircraft PropThe aircraft training prop is designedto simulate an aircraft that hasencountered a crash or fire and iscapable of producing flammableliquid engine fires as well as, Class Amaterial fuselage fires. This trainingprop allows students to performsearch and rescue and fire attackoperations on realistic vehicle, com-plete with a passenger seating com-partment. This training prop hasbeen approved by the FAA as an“Aircraft Crash Fire and Rescue”training facility.

● High Angle and Confined SpaceRescue Training PropsThe RTFC Training Academy hasmultiple props available, in which toconduct high angle and confinedspace rescue operations. These propsinclude: pipes, vessels, towers, reac-tors, rail cars, tanks and drums all of

which are equipped with a variety ofhorizontal and vertical access entryconfigurations to meet 29 CFR1910.136 regulations. In addition,the RTFC Training Academy regular-ly conducts rescue training courseson board the U.S.S. Lexington Air-craft Carrier Museum. This decom-missioned aircraft carrier provides aunique training environment withover 14,000 confined spaces, mostof which are in parts of the shipwhich not accessible to tourists. CallRTFC today and you can enjoy “Res-cue Training at the Beach”, courtesyof our association with the U.S.S.Lexington Museum.



Company Information:

Refinery Terminal Fire Company

P.O. Box 4162Corpus Christi, Texas (USA)

78469-41621-361-882-6253

www.rtfc.org

Emergency ResponseServices

4802 Up River RoadCorpus Christi, Texas (USA) 78407

1-361-882-6253

Training AcademyServices

3920 Carbon Plant RoadCorpus Christi, Texas (USA) 78410

1-361-885-7100

P. 39-53 25/10/06 12:37 pm Page 49


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– Process Unit Firefighting– Confined Space / High Angle Rescue

– Hazardous Materials / WasteOperations

– Marine Firefighting– Structure Fire / Rescue

– Airport Rescue / Firefighting

When it comes to Industrial or Marine Emergencies; it takes training,experience, and discipline to mitigate such incidents; the RTFC

Training Academy supplies this and more, including:

When it comes to Industrial or Marine Emergencies; it takes training,experience, and discipline to mitigate such incidents; the RTFC

Training Academy supplies this and more, including:

REFINERY TERMINAL FIRE COMPANYFIRE TRAINING ACADEMY

WWW.RTFC.ORG (361) 885-7127

REFINERY TERMINAL FIRE COMPANYFIRE TRAINING ACADEMY

WWW.RTFC.ORG (361) 885-7127

P. 39-53 25/10/06 12:38 pm Page 50

Emergencies by their very nature aredifficult to predict, a fact that firefighters around the globe seek to

counter with incessant, repetitive train-ing. While such preparation is the cor-nerstone of professionalism on which allfire fighting services rely, this throws updistinctive challenges for specialist crews.

Most emergency services around theglobe subscribe to the axiom that thereis no substitute for experience. Thecliché is entirely valid but creates itsown problems for those fire fighterstraining for a once-in-a-lifetime situa-tion. Unlike domestic fire fighting wherea continuous stream of real world situa-tions serves to hone the skills of thecrew, experience for a specialist crew –for example tasked to fight fires inaircraft, ships or petrochemical installa-tions – has to come in the form ofsimulation. The task for trainingproviders is to make that simulation asrealistic as possible.

The crews staffing the fire station at

airports, on board ship etc., are trainingfor a situation that may never arise.Nevertheless they must be ready for avariety of scenarios and repetitive train-ing is the only method to adequatelyprepare them. Each faces a unique setof characteristics for which genericfirefighting techniques would be inade-quate, making conventional trainingmethods of little use. An increasing

tempo to training regimes has seenstrong growth in the demand for live-fire test rigs.

Since the late 1990s the market hasseen exponential growth. The perceivedthreat from terrorism is an obvious con-tributory factor with many of the long-standing markets for hot rigs ostensiblyvulnerable to attack, though there aremany catalysts for growth to be foundin much less malign circumstances: thevolume increase in low-cost civil avia-tion and the development and upgrad-ing of airport facilities to accommodateit for example.

Whether the application is civil ormilitary and based in aviation, marine,industrial or another industry, the coretechnologies to be found in live-firesimulators are essentially identical. Thebespoke nature of the work, however,ensures that any desired configurationof the outer shell can be catered for:from a Boeing 757 to a light aircraft; a



Pic courtesy of Simulation

THE LAST THREE YEARS have inevitably seen the emergency services comeunder greater scrutiny from government, media and public alike and while firechiefs will argue that their level of readiness has always been elevated, mostwill also agree that extra funding post 9/11 has allowed an intensification ofthe training cycle, pushing the boundaries of preparation to new levels.

Live fire training rigs are a growth market inwhich solutions are increasingly bespoke,flexible and environmentally acceptable

By Matt Youson

The Real ThingThe Real Thing

The perceived threat fromterrorism is an obviouscontributory factor with many of the longstanding markets forhot rigs ostensibly vulnerable toattack.

P. 39-53 25/10/06 12:38 pm Page 51

complete firehouse to a fire attack unit;or a ship’s compartment through to awhole multi-deck ship. Extremely com-mon are hybrid configurations, such asthe multi-purpose military aircraft simu-lator designed for the UK Ministry ofDefence and installed at the MoD’s FireService Central Training Establishment(FSCTE) at Manston, Kent. The unit,believed to be the largest hot fire air-craft training simulator within the MoDfeatures a main fuselage based on thatof a wide-bodied civil aircraft but alsoincorporates elements of a Tornadofighter aircraft, a Hercules transportplane and, bizarrely, elements of a SeaKing helicopter.

The majority of live-fire rigs have abasic structure composed of substantiallyreinforced steel plate. Thick walled boxsections are used for the support con-struction and are extensively braced.The rig is then fitted out with variousfuel burners that simulate a variety ofpossible fires – or scenarios as the firecrews call them. Increasingly common,particularly for aviation applications, isthe commissioning of a dual fuel rig.Bodies responsible for safety certifica-tion, for example the UK’s Civil AviationAuthority (CAA), frequently require firefighters to train with ‘realistic’ fuel fires.In the case of the CAA the obligation isfor these training simulations – usingkerosene – to be carried out at leastonce a quarter. While training fire fight-ers to combat pressurised fuel-fed firesis served most realistically by using fuelsof this type, such methods carry anenvironmental burden that is becomingincreasingly unacceptable.

The many ecological problems associ-ated with the use of carbonaceous fuelsmake it the bugbear of the Green lobby,

and so outside of the quarterly require-ments the industry is leaning in favourof training with liquefied petroleum gasfires. While LPG lacks the thick blacksmoke and atomised fuel cloud charac-teristics of kerosene, its relatively cleanburn with little or no smoke outputmakes it more acceptable to environ-mentalists. By and large fire chiefs haveacquiesced to the need for compromiseand therefore airport authorities keen todispel perceptions of environmentalrecklessness see the dual-fuel rig as aneminently attractive option.

The simulator at Nottingham EastMidland Airport in the UK is a goodexample of the breed. Dimensionallymodelled on a Boeing 757, the rigfeatures seven LPG- and eight kerosene-fuelled scenarios. It will simulate anunderwing or rear fuselage engine fire,underwing and undercarriage fires andseveral scenarios in the main fuselage.

Kerosene is delivered from a pressurevessel, the pressurisation of which isobtained by using breathing apparatuscylinders that are recharged with the firestations own compressor. The pressurisedkerosene is then distributed via a mani-fold once the master control console hasbeen enabled and all the safety systemsoperated correctly. LPG is stored at pres-sure in its liquid form in two 4,000-litrevessels. All the scenarios have a pilot igni-tion system and these are ignited using alighting lance prior to the exercise com-mencing. LPG in its vapour phase drawnoff from the top of the storage vessels isused as the fuel for the pilot lights.

While the rigs themselves are neces-sarily robust, the nature of an intensivetraining regime does little to promotelongevity. The solution employed by oneleading rig developer is an innovativewater-cooling system designed toextend the service life of its equipmentby pre-drenching the structure with aprotective layer of water. At Nottinghamthe drenching system that protects thefuselage uses water pumped from oneof the airport fire fighting vehicles. The10,000-litre capacity of the tendertranslates into an operating time on therig of something over ten minutes. Thepiped system terminates in a series ofspray nozzles on top of the fuselagewhich establish a film of water aroundthe body, while similar nozzles spray thetop and/or outer surfaces of the wingand wing engine.

The water-drench system requires 30seconds to pre-drench the rig prior tothe running of a scenario and a postcooling time of one minute. With indi-vidual burns limited to three minutes (ina real incident the fire-fighters wouldexpect to have a fire under control inless time) it uses water at a rate that will


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The Real ThingThe Real Thing

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allow a minimum of two exercises tobe run back to back from one tender.

In one of the latest rigs to enterservice the role of water-supply is verydifferent. The National MaritimeTraining Centre in Ireland has spentUS$100 million building a world-classnaval fire training facility that will pro-vide comprehensive training to over800 students per year. The Centre, dueto officially open in October 2004, isalready drawing delegates from allover the world to view the wide-rang-ing training facility which includes oneof the most innovative and realisticships simulators available for naval firesuppression training anywhere in theworld.

Located in Ringaskiddy, CountyCork, the Ship Fire Training and Damage Limitation Unit is acombined rig that will allow trainees to perform fire andrescue training as well as damage limitation and repair to abreached engine room. The rig simulates three decks of a shipand has been designed to provide an engine room togetherwith accommodation areas including mess and sleeping facili-ties. Of the four possible pressurized fuel fires simulated by therig, three (engine, a cooker and a bed fire) burn natural gaswhile the fourth, again based in the engine room, is a kerosenefire.

Via a series of internal corridors and external walkways the firesimulator connects to the damage limitation unit where fiveinstalled fracture points allow instructors to simulate engineroom water ingress based on wall fractures, hatch seal failure andhigh level fire main fractures.

The market for live-fire simulation equipment has beenworth an estimated billion US dollars over the last five yearsand projections for the second half of the decade suggest thisfigure will be superseded. The nature of the business, however,is set to change, with hot-training rigs moving into smallerand more specialised niches. The high capital expenditure

required sees equipment designers increasingly looking at newways to allay the high up-front cap-ex costs of commissioningequipment.




Alongside the innovative solutions that have come alongsuch as a Transportable Aircraft Fire Training Simulatorand the Mobile Fire Truck which can be transported fromvenue to venue, many fire services are now looking intopossibilities of developing a modular approach to fireground provision whereby a long term plan sees an initialrig installed with a master control panel and fuel storageand delivery systems capable of accommodating a total ofthree, four or five further rigs in the future.


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THE WORLD HAS CHANGED AND THE ROLE OF THE FIRE SERVICES HAS CHANGED WITH IT.To help protect the fire fighter and first responder Scott Health & Safety, encompassing

Sabre breathing apparatus, now provide the most comprehensive range of respiratory protection equipment available. Thermal imaging, gas detection equipment and compressorsnow combine with SCBA, airline and powered and negative pressure respirators to provide one unique global offering under a single brand . . . SCO .

The Scott range is built with the future in mind – both in terms of your protection andupgradeability – to ensure that no one ever gets left behind.

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IFF4 page obc 30/10/06 10:05 am Page 1

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