APF Issue 03

68
APF ON-LINE www.apfmag.com An MDM PUBLICATION Issue 3 – September 2002 ASIA PACIFIC FIRE MAGAZINE REPORTING TO THE ASIA PACIFIC FIRE PROTECTION AND FIRE SERVICE INDUSTRY Tokyo Fire Department Thermal Imaging Cameras Market Guide Fire Protection in Road Tunnels RAAF Security & Fire Services ADF Fire Training School also inside Tokyo Fire Department Thermal Imaging Cameras Market Guide Fire Protection in Road Tunnels RAAF Security & Fire Services ADF Fire Training School

description

Reporting to the Asia Pacific Fire Protection and Fire Service Industry

Transcript of APF Issue 03

Page 1: APF Issue 03

APF ON-LINE

www.apfmag.com

An MDM PUBLICATIONIssue 3 – September 2002

ASIA PACIFIC FIRE MAGAZINE

REPORTING TO THE ASIA PACIFIC FIRE PROTECTION AND FIRE SERVICE INDUSTRY

Tokyo Fire DepartmentThermal Imaging Cameras

Market GuideFire Protection in Road Tunnels

RAAF Security & Fire Services

ADF FireTraining School

also ins ideTokyo Fire Department

Thermal Imaging CamerasMarket Guide

Fire Protection in Road Tunnels

RAAF Security & Fire Services

ADF FireTraining School

OFC IFC IBC OBC 1/11/06 12:52 pm Page ofc1

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Who Protects the Protectors?

Lion Apparel, with over 100 years of experience is the world’spremium and largest manufacturer and supplier of firefighter’s protectiveclothing. Lion combines proven design features with leading edge globaltechnology, also adapting it to the unique climatic and firefightingrequirements of each country.

Lion Apparel – Asia PacificLevel 1/160 Sir Donald Bradman DriveHilton (Adelaide), South Australia, 5033

Tel: +61 8 8354 3766 Fax: +61 8 8354 3788Email: [email protected]

Web: www.lionapparel.comEnquiries: www.lionapparel.com

OFC IFC IBC OBC 1/11/06 12:52 pm Page ifc2

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3 Foreword from NFPA

5-8 RAAF Security & FireServices ADF Fire TrainingSchool

11-12 Deck Monitors – From Basicto State-of-the-Art

14-17 Hospital Fire Protection

18 Sides Product Profile

21-25 Environmental Advantagesas 3M exits the AFFF/AR-AFFF Market

26-28 Tokyo Fire Department

31-34 Thermal Imaging CamerasMarket Guide

37-41 Fire Protection in RoadTunnels

42-43 Building Considerations inWildland Fire Prone Areas

45-47 Compressed Air FoamSystems

49-51 Heavy-Duty Lifting,Stabilization & ExtricationEquipment for Lorries

53-55 Fire Detection & Alarms

57-60 Emergency EscapeBreathing Devices – Whatare they and what do thenew requirements mean?

62-63 Product Update

64 Advertisers’ Index

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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Front cover picture: An RAAF Studenttackles a flashover fire within the aircraftsimulator

PublishersMark Seton & David Staddon

Editorial ContributorsMat Lock, Michael Peck, Craig Redfern, Dr. Kirtland Clark, Denise Laitinen, BillEppich, Leong Poon, Dominic Colletti,Dennis Beck, Greg McCulloch, MikeMoreton

General ManagerMaggie Evans

APF 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.apfmag.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)

Subscription RatesSterling – £35.00 AUS Dollars – $100.00US Dollars – $55.00 (Prices include Postage and Packing)ISSN – 1476-1386

DISCLAIMER:The views and opinions expressed in ASIA PACIFIC FIREMAGAZINE are not necessarily those of MDM PublishingLtd. The magazine and publishers are in no way responsibleor legally liable for any errors or anomalies made within theeditorial by our authors. All articles are protected bycopyright and written permission must be sought from thepublishers for reprinting or any form of duplication of anyof the magazines content. Any queries should be addressedin 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

APF ON-LINE

www.apfmag.com

An MDM PUBLICATION

Issue 3 – September 2002

ASIA PACIFIC FIRE MAGAZINE

REPORTING TO THE ASIA PACIFIC FIRE PROTECTION AND FIRE SERVICE INDUSTRY

Tokyo Fire Department

Thermal Imaging Cameras

Market Guide

Fire Protection in Road Tunnels

RAAF Security

& Fire ServicesADF Fire

Training School

also ins ide

Tokyo Fire Department

Thermal Imaging Cameras

Market Guide

Fire Protection in Road Tunnels

RAAF Security

& Fire ServicesADF Fire

Training School

September 2002 Issue 3

Contents

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AS I REFLECT on my past career and compare itto the challenges facing the fire industry today Ifeel that it is different but in many waysunchanged.

Unfortunately my previous comments in thiscolumn regarding the fire risks presented by unsafepractices in buildings used by the public have beenhorribly demonstrated to be true. The fires over thelast few months in an Internet Cafe in China (24dead), a Karaoke Bar in Indonesia (40+ dead) and adisco in Lima, Peru (30 Dead) show us all the chal-lenge. The problems that were present in theCoconut Grove fire in Boston, USA in 1942 (over500 dead) such as blocked and inadequate exits,lack of fire suppression/detection equipment, lackof training of staff, overcrowding were issues inthese most recent fires. We all know the problemsand solutions (adoption of a good code such asNFPA 101 and enforcement). What is missing is awill or capacity to tackle the difficult issues. Unfor-tunately these fires will continue to occur and thenumbers of dead will continue to climb.

For those managing Fire Departments in thischanged world there is a need for more sophisticat-ed equipment and technology to deal with the newproblems caused by terrorism and similar threats.These purchasing decisions present the univer-sal problems of scarce resources and conflictingneeds. A few years ago I was in New York City andspoke to the NY Fire Department about theseissues. They aimed to select equipment which hadmultiple uses and which would improve per-formance in daily activities. An example is HAZMATidentification equipment. Rather than being specificto one or two agents they selected equipment,which could be used to identify a broad range ofchemicals. Improved decontamination capacity hasapplication for “ordinary” HAZMAT incidents aswell as those involving weaponised agents. It ispossible for fire departments to improve their quality

of service to their citizens in day-to-day incidentsby preparing for the worst.

Gone forever are the days when a single agencycould cope with any event, which occurred in theircommunity. The nature and scale of events in thesocieties in which we live have made this a fact oflife. Also the lines of jurisdiction are now blurred.No longer is it a clear-cut division between a crimeand a fire/rescue. Events such as the Sarin gasattack in Japan, Oklahoma City Bombing andSeptember 11th attack on NYC clearly demonstratethe scale and complexity of such incidents.

It is easy to envision events, which would quicklyoverwhelm local and state resources. Such “whatifs” must be thought through, exercised andcritiqued in a trusting and learning environment.Only then will the emergency responders be able tomaximize their limited capabilities.

The time to be thinking about these issues isnow, not after the incident has occurred. Thenthere is a need to practice, practice and practice.Particularly interagency and Command andControl. There is a need to think beyond conven-tional boundaries. Resources may come from otheragencies, military, private sector and other countries(many countries are now developing Urban Searchand Rescue Teams with the capacity to be deployedboth within their own country and offshore).

Who will pay, who will be in charge, how arethese resources to be sourced; these are all ques-tions, which need answers now. There is also a needto explore interoperability of equipment fromvarious sources.

The fire service has met these challenges in thepast and will continue their best efforts for thewell-being of the citizens who they protect.

Jeff GodfredsonNFPA’s Asia-Pacific Operations Director

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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FOREWORDby Jeff GodfredsonNFPA’s Asia-Pacific Operations Director

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The site represents themost sophisticatedLPG training facility

in the world and utilisespatented technology to re-create a host of trainingscenarios for aviation,industrial and domestic fireenvironments. The totalcost of the project was inexcess of $10 million incor-porating the new training facilities andassociated infrastructure.

All fires are fueled by LPG Propane, asafe and environmentally acceptablealternative to conventional carbona-ceous or hydrocarbon fuels, and arecontrolled through a centrally locatedcomputerised control centre. To furtherlimit the impact of the RAAF trainingon the environment a unique mediasimulation system was developed. This facility is the first in the world to actually utilise the system. In addi-tion to the improved environmentalposition it also helps to reduce trainingcosts.

The training facility comprises ofthree separate trainers and was installedusing Chubb’s project managementexperience:

● An aircraft simulator – similarin design to a Boeing 737 (22m inlength/3m in diameter) with internalseat, storage and flashover firescenarios and external wing engineand undercarriage fires. Featuresinclude accurate door sill and wingheights for realism of ladder entrytraining, a representative under-carriage simulation and internalcollapsed flooring to simulate acrashed aircraft.

● A fuel spill simulator – cover-ing an area of 150m2 with a mockFA18 fighter jet located in the cen-tre. The instructor is able to “grow”the fire across the area and, whenfully alight, the flame height in thecentre will reach a minimum of sixmetres. A series of special detectors

located within the fuel spill enable the RAAFtraining staff to monitorthe competence of the stu-dent applying the media,thus providing accuratedata to support debriefingexercises.

● A structural fire trainer – atwo storey building. Designed toenable compartment fire training thelower floor provides an industrialunit scenario whilst the first floorsimulates office or domestic scenar-ios, including a flashover scenario.IFTE developed a unique hand-heldextinguisher trainer whereby allgeneric forms of media are simulat-ed through the use of recycled water.The control system will recognisewhich extinguisher the student hasselected together with the successrate of its application.A sophisticated control system repre-

sents the crux of the safety systemsand ensures that all scenario para-meters and allied safety systems areutilised to enable the safe yet realistic

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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CHUBB FIRE AUSTRALIA has successfully supplied astate of the art fire training complex for the RAAF inQueensland. Chubb partnered with International FireTraining Equipment Ltd (IFTE) to provide the new firesimulator training facilities at the Royal AustralianAirforce base at Amberley, near Brisbane. IFTE is a UK based company specialising in the design andmanufacture of fire training simulators.

RAAF Security& FireServices ADFFire TrainingSchool

RAAF Security& FireServices ADFFire Training School

Student tackles anundercarriage fire scenario

by Mat Lock

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training to commence. The computerenables the system to automaticallycontrol the size and signature of theflame whilst detecting the type andquantity of media applied.

“Chubb and IFTE have taken theRAAF’s ‘wish list’ for a fire fighter train-ing ground, designed, developed and

then implemented the system to meetour specific needs, then followed thisup with operator training and mainte-nance. The system has increased theefficiency and safety of our training inaddition to significantly reducing theenvironmental impact of our live firetraining,” said Damian Reitsma, Officer

in Charge, Fire Training Flight, RAAFSecurity and Fire School.

The operating system is capable ofelectronically logging all fire scenar-ios’ in order to compile a host ofinformation for debriefing and OH&Spurposes. These include the tempera-tures reached within a training com-partment, the duration and intensityof the fire, the student’s effectivenessin extinguishing the fire and othersuch critical data. A password pro-tected, tiered level of access has beencreated within the control system toensure that only trained operators areable to initiate fires. Such an accesssystem enables un-trained staff toutilise the equipment’s physical train-ing opportunities, such as rope andladder training, whilst rendering thefire elements of the site inaccessible.The facility enables training in accor-

dance with the Australasian FireAuthorities Council Standards andenables the graduate military fire fight-ers to demonstrate their absolute abilityto remain cool and decisive in the faceof a life threatening inferno or otheremergency situation.

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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The crux of the operating system

Enquiries: www.gore-tex.com

GORE-TEX® fabrics are highly sought after by Fire Brigades

worldwide due to the unbeatable level of

protection provided to firefighters’ Personal

Protective Equipment in clothing, boots and gloves. It

offers the incomparably unique combination of

Waterproofness, Breathability and Durability — ensuring that

fire-fighters are kept dry and the dangers of heat stress

are considerably reduced. Total protection can

only be achieved by the combination of waterproofness,

breathability and durability, unique to GORE-TEX fabrics.

Wetsuit

Drysuit

GORE-TEX® moisture barrier productsfor all fire fighters needs

W L Gore & Associates (Pacific) PTE LtdBlock 217 Henderson Road #03-02 Henderson Industrial Park 159555 Singapore

Tel: +65 6275 4673 Fax: +65 6275 5672

For further information on our products, please write [email protected]

www.gore-tex.comGORE-TEX, GORE and designs are registered trade marks of W L Gore & Associates Copyright © 2002 W L Gore & Associates (Pacific) PTE Ltd

APF p. 1-30 1/11/06 1:06 pm Page 6

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“The inherent safety and controlla-bility of the fire scenarios in the simu-lators have, for the first time ever,provided the RAAF with an excellenttraining tool. We can reproduce thesame scenario over and over again toensure fairness when assessing fire-fighter trainees or we can diversify andexpand the scenarios to really test theknowledge and skills of the moreadvanced fire fighters. The system isuser and environmentally friendly andhas allowed us to triple the number ofhot fire training scenarios we run in aday.

“The system is so flexible, that we canconduct training for anything from anindividual learning to use of a branchfor the first time, employing bothbranches and vehicle mounted moni-tors simultaneously, up to includingseveral crews responding to a major air-craft accident. We can generate surpris-ing realism and create the ‘perception’of real danger for the fire-fightersunder training, without sacrificing theactual safety of either instructorsand/or trainees,” said Damian.

CHUBB AND IFTE – THE WAYFORWARD FOR EMERGENCYTRAININGChubb’s introduction of IFTE’s capabil-ities to our shores comes in response tothe RAAF’s increased need to providerealistic fire and emergency training.However, this growing requirement is

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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Student practices ladder entry techniques

An RAAF student tackles a flashover firewithin the structural trainer Enquiries: www.ifte.com

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shared by the entire fire communityand the need for intense fire and secu-rity training is not reserved solely forthe aviation and Defence industry.Chubb’s partnership with IFTE enablesprovision of the ultimate in training foremergency service and rescue teams aswell as fire, security and emergencyplanning departments.

IFTE has previously provided aviationsimulator solutions in Asia Pacific,which include Changi Airport, Singa-pore Chek Lap Kok Airport, Hong Kong,Nagasaki Airport. In addition, a seriesof IFTE compartment fire trainers rele-vant to submarine, fire behavior andsearch & rescue training have beeninstalled around other Australasianregions. IFTE recently launched theworld’s largest aviation trainer atSchiphol Airport, Amsterdam. The widebodied, triple deck simulator is similarin design to a Boeing 747 aircraft andis complete with an 800m2 fuel spilltrainer, all of which is fuelled with LPGPropane.

By partnering with Chubb, IFTEensures the solutions are installed andmaintained to the very highest stan-dard using the existing expertise andproject management capabilities. Bypartnering with IFTE, Chubb enables itsclients to meet the increasing regulatoryand legislative requirements, helping totrain professional emergency personneland employees alike.

Mat Lock, National Product Managerfor Chubb Fire Australia, has relocatedto Australia after seven years with IFTEplc in the UK, to enable a more focused

product support role within Australiaand New Zealand. Considered an expertin this highly specialized field, Mat ishelping to drive and deliver state-of-the-art emergency training to meetgrowing demand.

“Currently, most airports throughoutAustralia and New Zealand use fire sim-ulators of varying degrees of sophisti-cation. These simulators are notnecessarily training fire fighters in allcompetency based aspects of fightingan aircraft fire,” said Mat. “The IFTEaircraft fire simulation technology isthe way forward for aviation fire train-ing, with great potential for use bycommercial airlines, ground crews andmulti agency, major incident scenarios.”

“During the past five years, Europeand the United States have seen a hugeincrease in the use of fire simulationsolutions across numerous market sec-tors, including fire brigades, marine,aviation, petrochemical, industry andmilitary applications. There can be nodoubt that legislative influence,increased global security awareness andthe public call for heightened prepared-ness will further the need for emer-gency service training solutions in thecoming decade,” said Mat.

“Every agency involved in emergencyservice and rapid response training hasan obligation to provide safe yet realistictraining together with an accountableand professional system that supportseven the most stringent guidelines.”

Chubb is a Registered TrainingOrganisation and offers a wide range ofnationally accredited courses and on-

going total preventative maintenancepackages to ensure longevity of theclient’s investment. Originally, thesecourses were designed for mining,commercial industries and large corpo-rate clients. Armed with this knowledgeand a detailed understanding of theIFTE systems has enabled tailored oper-ator training courses to be developedby Chubb. All Chubb instructors arefully qualified and experienced in theirfield of operations, and satisfy allrequirements of the Australian NationalTraining Authority.

“We have spent a lot of timeresearching and understanding the dif-ferences between the occupationalhealth and safety legislation through-out individual states and countries. Thecourses we provide are of a quality thatensures compliance, without leavinganything to chance.

With legislation driving the need forbuilding evacuation plans and proce-dures, emergency training is essentialfor all businesses. Through the adventof IFTE’s solutions our training coursesprovided to small businesses and cor-porations include practical demonstra-tions and hands-on “hot” fire trainingto simulate the work environment”,said Mat.

“Working as a national body, and inpartnership with IFTE, Chubb is exceed-ing the demands and expectations fortop-end training across all sectors. Weare able to draw upon a global pool ofhighly specialized knowledge within IFTEand harness it with Chubb’s facility man-agement and training expertise. Giventhe increased focus on environmentalconsiderations and health & safety legis-lation, it is likely that traditional meth-ods of training will be replaced withsolutions designed for modern day fireand safety training,” said Mat.

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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Instructor maintains control of fire during exercise

Emergency situations occur dailyand usually when people leastexpect them. Realistic traininggives people the tools to react to acrisis in the correct manner andultimately save lives. Funda-mentally, the wide range of IFTEsolutions represented by Chubb inAustralia and New Zealand arehelping to develop a safer workingenvironment.

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Enquiries: www.wananda.com

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AUSTRALIA

HONG KONG

INDIA

INDONESIA

Gaam Emergency Products-AU29 Temple Drive, PO Box 211Thomastown Victoria 3074Phone : 61-394661244Fax : 61-394664743

Universal Cars Limited374-380 Castle Peak RoadTsuen Wan, N.T. Hong KongPhone: 852 24140231Fax: 852 24136063

Foremost Marketing PvtltdM1 Green Park Extn.New Delhi 110016Phone: 91116196997Fax: 91116166961

Pt Palmas EntracoJl. Krekot 85Jakarta Pusat Phone: 62 21384 1681Fax: 62 21380 2660

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

MALAYSIA

NEW ZEALAND

PHILIPPINES

PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA

SINGAPORE

Jaya Sarana Engr Sbn Bhd14-R Jalan Kampong MelayuPenang 11500Phone: 6048291161Fax: 6048291164

Gaam Emergency Products-NZ6 Portage RoadNew Lynn, Auckland Phone: 6498261716Fax: 6498272288

Alliance Industrial SalesC/O Mr. Joseph C YoungUnit 109 Makati Prime City7708 St. Paul RoadPasong Tamo StreetMakati City 1203Phone: 63 28908818Fax: 63 28960083

PolyM ShanghaiZhong Shan Nan ER Lu999 Long, 19 Building, Room 9CShanghai 200000Phone: 862164177765Fax: 862164178696

Fabristeel Pte. Ltd.No 9 Tuas Avenue 10Singapore 639133Phone: 65 8623830Fax: 65 8615988

Fire Armour Pte Ltd.No. 95 Second Lok Yang RdSingapore 2262Phone: 65 266 6788Fax : 65 268 4494

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

TASK FORCE TIPS, INC.

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

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

JAPAN

SOUTH KOREA

MALAYSIA

Yone Corporation23, Nishinakaai-Cho,Nishinokyo, Nakagyo-KuKyoto 604Phone: 817 58211185Fax: 817 58012263

Entersell Co., Ltd.#1412 Hyundai DreamTower923-14 MokdongYangchongu, Seoul 158-718Phone: 82226021789Fax: 82226024107

CME Technologies SDN BHDLot 19 Jalan Delima 1/1Subang Hi-Tech Industrial ParkBatu Tiga, 40000 Shah AlamSelangor Darul Ehsan Phone: 60356331188Fax: 60356343838

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

SINGAPORE

TAIWAN

THAILAND

NOAH43 Kian Teck DriveJurongSingapore 628856Phone: 65 266 0788Fax: 65 266 1042

Tetra Fire Engineering Pte.Ltd10 Ubi Crescent #05-04Ubi Techpark, Singapore 408564Phone: 65 68414429Fax: 65 68415267

Quell Pte Ltd.Blk 3 Alexandra Distripark #11Pasir Panjang RoadSingapore 118483Phone: 65 271 1918Fax: 65 273 1080

S.K. Fire Pte. Ltd.8 Tuas Drive 2Singapore 638643Phone: 65 862 3155Fax : 65 862 0273

Yone Corporation23, Nishinakaai-Cho,Nishinokyo, Nakagyo-KuKyoto 604Phone: 817 58211185Fax: 817 58012263

Anti-Fire Co.,Ltd.316-316/1 Sukhumvit 22 RdKlongtoey, KlongtoeyBangkok 10110Phone: 66 22596898Fax: 66 22582422

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.antifire.com

Enquiries: www.tft.com

APF p. 1-30 1/11/06 1:08 pm Page 10

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FIXED DECK MONITORSThe earliest monitors consisted of a splitwaterway design leading to a ‘T’ joint towhich the nozzle was attached. The origi-nal monitors had limited movement andrelied on the fire-fighting vehicle being

positioned correctly at the fire scene sothe stream could be directed accord-ingly. This quickly progressed to monitorsbeing able to offer 360° horizontal andvarying degrees of vertical control. Con-trol of these axes were either by a frictionlock or by a gear allowing the firefighterto direct the water stream then lock themonitor in the new position. Typicallythe flanges were 2� or 21⁄2� 4 bolt ANSI150 lb.; however, other sizes were avail-able in addition to having the inlet of thepipe threaded to accommodate a NPTthread which is still the case today.

Today’s monitors tend toward singlewaterway Deck Monitors with flows up to1250 GPM and 2000 GPM offering 360°horizontal and 150° or more verticaltravel. Both tiller bar and gear controlsare offered depending on the applicationand space available for control of themonitor. Most manufactures offer Pyro-lite (anodized aluminum) or brass moni-tors depending on the applicationspecified.

One hybrid of the fixed monitor is theuse of a lift-off portion of a portablemonitor in conjunction with a fixedflange. This feature offers the best ofboth worlds for the fire service today. Theground base for the portable monitor canbe safely stowed in a compartment untilrequired, whereas the lift-off portionremains securely fastened on the deck of

the fire truck ready to be used as a fixedmonitor. Other developments in recentyears have seen the introduction of amanually installed pipe to extend theheight of the deck monitor enabling it toclear any obstacle on the deck of thevehicle and to offer easier operation forthe firefighter. A further enhancement tothis feature is a deck monitor with a

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Picture courtesy of The Akron Brass Company

Picture courtesy of The Akron Brass Company

Deck Monitors –from basic to state of the art

Deck Monitors –from basic to state of the artTHE USE OF FIXED DECK MONI-TORS dates back to the begin-nings of the earliest horse-drawnfire engines where a hose with asmooth bore nozzle was crudelyfixed to the fire engine. Today’smodern fixed deck monitors takeseveral forms and offer severaloptions, which were not availablejust a few generations ago.

by Michael Peck

Picture courtesy of The Akron Brass Company

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built-in elevation feature to increase theheight of the deck monitor. This isaccomplished by the firefighter engaginga safety mechanism, which allows thefirefighter to extend the height of themonitor without the need for any extraplumbing to clear any obstructions onthe deck of the vehicle. Some manu-factures offer an electrical version of this feature complete with remotecontrols.

REMOTE CONTROLLED DECK MONITORSThe late 50’s and early 60’s saw thedevelopment of the first remote con-trolled deck monitors. These were basicallymanual deck monitors that had electricmotors installed in place of the gearmechanisms and have to be maintainedon a regular basis. The flow rates of thesemonitors were similar to those for manualfixed monitors. The Remote ControlledDeck Monitors of today offer a widevariety of options for today’s firefighterand can achieve flows greater than 2000GPM. Vertical and horizontal controlshave been joined by features such asstow and deploy, automatic elevatingcapabilities, obstacle avoidance program-ming, limited oscillation and a wide vari-ety of control packages from togglecontrol boxes to sophisticated joystickand tether controls. Electrical Self-Elevating Monitors are also a new featurein recent years, eliminating the need forspecial plumbing below the vehicledeck. Elevation of the monitor is con-trolled by the pump operator from theconsole in the vehicle or a control at thepump panel allowing the operator bettervisibility of the water stream from theelevated deck monitor. Another option, inrecent years, is a control package incor-porating an electric valve the operatorcan control from the control box for themonitor without having to purchaseseparate controls.

PORTABLE MONITORSAs long as fixed deck monitors have beenin the fire service, firefighters have lookedfor a way to get the fire-fighting vehicleas close to the incident as possible to usethe fixed deck monitor effectively. This isoften a significant safety concern for boththe vehicle and the firefighter. But withportable monitors, the firefighter had aproduct he could attack the fire and safelythrow large volumes of water on the fire.

Today’s modern portable monitorshave their beginnings in the early 20’s. Bythe 30’s several companies had developedone, two, three, and four inlet Multiversalportable monitors. These products werenormally manufactured from brass andoffered to the fire service in polishedbronze or plated finishes. Their heavyconstruction and the number of hosesconnected to the portable monitors ofthe time ensured stability of the productwhen operating. In general, the monitorsof that period were heavy, bulky, and dif-ficult to set up and seldom utilized.

By the mid to late 50’s brass portablemonitors started giving way to the newerlightweight portable monitors made fromPyrolite (anodized aluminum). This gavethe firefighter a newer lightweightportable monitor to combat the fire.The significant weight reduction and thevastly improved designs gave the fire-fighter a portable monitor that wasquicker and easier to set-up. Theimproved designs led to greater flows andreaches enabling the firefighter to attackthe fire more aggressively than before.The monitors of today come in two basicconfigurations. Dual Inlet Monitors with21⁄2� (sometimes 3� or 31⁄2�) inlets withindependent clappers to allow the use ofa single hose, and Single Inlet Monitorswith 4� or 5� inlets, offered in either withthreads or Storz inlets. Most manufactur-ers offer a variety of inlet and outletthread types to accommodate varyingrequirements from the international mar-ketplace, including BSP, BIM and Storz.These monitors have flows ranging

between 800 and 1250 GPM, and allmanufacturers offer a full range ofmaster stream nozzles and discharge tipsfor varying firefighting applications.

Some of today’s portable monitorsoffer the added benefit of being used asboth a portable and fixed deck monitoron firefighting vehicles. The upper water-way (or lift off portion) of the monitor issecured to the ground base by a lockingmechanism (different manufacturers havelocking methods unique to their ownproduct), which can be disengaged by thefirefighter. The lift off portion can behanded down from the deck of the firetruck and securely attached to theground base for portable mode applica-tions and more aggressive groundattacks. While in the deck mode themonitor is operated as a fixed deck moni-tor and can be rotated in the horizontalaxis by the firefighter 360° and can offervertical angles from 35 to 90°. When themonitor is in the portable mode, thescope of movement is lessened due toreaction forces encountered when in theground configuration. Horizontal move-ment is limited to the manufacturesdesign. However, the wider the angle ofthe horizontal movement the better, as itwould require less repositioning of theportable monitor. Ideally a portable mon-itor should be able to achieve 180°of horizontal travel for maximumeffect. Built-in horizontal safety stopsoffers the firefighter added safety, as theywould prevent the firefighter from overrotating the monitor in the horizontalaxis, which could cause the monitor tobecome unstable. For the vertical travel, asafety stop set at 35° will prevent thefirefighter from lowering the elevation ofthe stream below a safe angle, whichcould cause severe reaction forces makingthe monitor unstable. The safety stopshould only be used when the monitor isin the fixed deck position on the firetruck to travel below 35° to the monitor’slowest elevation angle. The monitor’sportable ground base should also includeground spikes on each leg of the base toassist in the stability of the portablemonitor while in the ground mode andbeing used on a variety of surfaces. Theground spikes should be self-adjusting toaccommodate uneven ground surfaces,and should be repairable and replaceableas required. A safety chain and hook isalso recommended to anchor the monitorto street grating or a suitable fixture tooffer additional stability in the event of apressure surge in the hose lay.

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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Picture courtesy of The Akron Brass Company

Picture courtesy of The Akron Brass Company

In conclusion, today’s fire service hasnumerous options to choose fromcovering a wide range of specifica-tions and of course a variety of pricelevels have to be factored in to anypurchase equation.

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By Craig L. Redfern, P.E., Rolf Jensen & Associates, Inc.

Hospital Fire ProteHospital Fire Prote

The definition ofhealthcare is impor-tant to determine

how to apply the applica-ble codes. The NationalFire Protection Associa-tion (NFPA) 101, 2000edition, The Life SafetyCode (LSC) is enforcedmost universally in theUnited States. Many juris-dictions also enforce amodel building code, suchas the International Build-ing Code (IBC), which maycontain additional, some-times more restrictive,requirements. There arenumerous definitions ofhealthcare, but the mostbasic involves sleeping accommodationsfor people incapable of self-preservationbecause of age, physical or mentalimpairment. This would include primarilygeneral and psychiatric hospitals andnursing homes. Ambulatory healthcare isa related occupancy, but with less restric-tive requirements. Other occupancies thatmay be associated with healthcare, butdo necessarily require the same level offire protection, would include doctor’soffices, clinics and small treatment facili-ties. These latter building uses are typi-cally treated as a business or other lessrestrictive use. As always, the AuthorityHaving Jurisdiction (AHJ) must be con-sulted if there is any doubt about theoccupancy.

Once it has been determined the over-

all occupancy is healthcare, typically therewill be other occupancies in the samebuilding. The LSC section 18.1.2.1 allowsother occupancies to be applied in abuilding primarily used for healthcarealong with the code advantages of thatoccupancy (for example the ability toreduce corridor width in a Business occu-pancy). However, the other occupancymust not be used by patients for sleep-ing, treatment or by those incapable ofself-preservation. The occupancy mustalso be completely separated fromhealthcare by a 2-hour fire resistance bar-rier without penetrations other than self-closing fire doors in corridors. If thisseparation cannot be achieved, the mostrestrictive requirements for both occu-pancies must be applied. Further, if the

non-healthcare occupan-cy is to be used for egressof healthcare occupants,the means of egress pro-visions for healthcaremust apply throughout.

The LSC and modelcodes allow for someflexibility in applying theprescriptive measures inthe code. Prescriptivereferring to the specificinstructions as outlined inthe occupancy chaptersof the code. LSC section18.1.1.1.1 has an excep-tion allowing the AHJ toapprove an equivalency.Further, although the LSCdoes not require any spe-

cific method for achieving this equivalen-cy, NFPA provides two methods to assistin evaluating alternate designs. The FireSafety Evaluation System (FSES) and LSCChapter 5 Performance-Based Option. Asone would expect, each approach has itsadvantages and disadvantages.

The FSES for healthcare occupancies isdetailed in Chapter 3 of NFPA 101A –Alternative Approaches to Life Safety.The FSES for healthcare first appeared in1981 as an appendix to the LSC and nowappears as a recommended practice. TheFSES provides a method of “scoring”points for various life safety features ofthe facility. The resulting points aretotalled and compared with the potentialpoints for a facility in full compliancewith the prescriptive portions of the LSC.

FIRE PROTECTION engineering for healthcare facil-ities requires a different approach than would beused for most other building uses. While the majorityof occupancies depend on evacuation for fire emer-gencies, healthcare facilities must “defend-in-place”.In using this approach, a greater dependence mustbe placed on life safety systems for protecting theoccupants from fire. In the defend-in-place approachfire alarm, suppression and fire resistive constructionall work together to avoid moving patients out of thebuilding. Ideally any vertical movement of patients isavoided since it can be stressful, even dangerous, tothe patient. Trained staff, familiar with emergencyprocedures are depended on to assist patients in afire and move them to a safe area.

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If the facility can demonstrate that it hasa point value greater than or equal to atraditionally compliant facility in fourmajor categories, then equivalence hasbeen demonstrated. The four major cate-gories evaluated are Fire Containment,Fire Extinguishment, Emergency PeopleMovement and General Safety. Since firesprinklers are required for new healthcareoccupancies, a large score of 10 points is included for fully sprinklered smokecompartments. This makes the FSES verydifficult to compensate for a lack ofsprinklers. Other major components ofthe FSES include protection of hazardousareas, corridors and vertical openings.

The approach provided in LSC Chapter5, Performance-Based Option is a newsection to the LSC and provides specificgoals and objectives without prescribinghow to achieve them. Although somedesigners fear this is “throwing away thecode”, Chapter 5 still requires some pre-scriptive code provisions be retained. Themeans of egress requirements for stairs,ramps, doors and lighting as well as otherprovisions must be incorporated in thedesign. However the chapter primarilyfocuses on selection and evaluation ofspecific fire scenarios. Based on criteriaagreed upon by all parties, challengingbut realistic fire scenarios are evaluated.The scenarios provided attempt to evalu-ate predicted response of the buildingsystems and personnel to a given fireevent. Perhaps the most exciting aspectof the Performance Based Option is thetools and the method can be used toevaluate fire and non-fire events. By

changing the scenarios to address non-fire emergencies, a variety of designissues can be evaluated. With recent trag-ic events, evaluating the response offacilities to a variety of disasters hasbecome essential.

A note of warning is appropriate whenusing alternate code approaches andequivalencies. Hospitals tend to havemultiple, overlapping AHJ. The Center forMedicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),The Joint Commission on the Accreditationof Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO),State health agencies and local firedepartments are some of the importantparties to consider. An approval by oneAHJ does not constitute an approval byall parties in that role. All authoritiesresponsible must approve any alternateapproaches before it can be consideredan acceptable equivalency. Since LSCChapter 5 Performance-Based Option isnew, many jurisdictions are not preparedto evaluate this method and may need tohave a third party review of the docu-mentation. The use of alternatives mustbe addressed early in the design processand include all stakeholders.

Another situation commonly encoun-tered in existing hospitals is areas that donot comply with the LSC for existinghealthcare occupancies (LSC Chapter 19).Additions to non-complying areas mustbe completely separated by a 2-hour fireresistance rated barrier, without commu-nicating openings otherthan fire rated corridordoors. When renovating anarea, LSC Chapter 18 (newconstruction) applies tothat area and unless therenovation is minor, appliesto the entire smoke com-partment. There is no set“trigger point” to deter-mine when a renovation islarge enough to require anupgrade to the entiresmoke compartment. TheAHJ will determine when arenovation is consideredminor and involves theentire compartment. Thisdetermination should bemade early in the designprocess if there is anydoubt about requiredupgrades.

The requirements for 2-hour fire resistant barrierslead to some interestingdesign approaches by facili-ties. Many hospitals sur-round all new constructionand renovation projects

with 2-hour firewalls without evaluatingthe adjacent space. This approach leads tosome very confusing and expensive wallarrangements. It is not unusual when alife safety evaluation is performed on anolder facility, to find many firewalls thatno longer appear to serve any purpose.These walls can be de-rated and signifi-cantly reduce maintenance and renova-tion costs.

As a defend-in-place structure, thegoals and objectives are stated in LSC sec-tion 18.1.1.2. Primarily the intent is tolimit the fire to the room of origin reduc-ing the need for occupant evacuation.This goal is achieved with a total conceptof design, construction and maintenance.The LSC further elaborates that the totalconcept is achieved with three majorparts. The first part is also the last line ofdefense: Construction and compartmenta-tion. The second part is detection, alarmand suppression. Third part of the totalconcept is fire planning and prevention.Section 18.7 details the operating featuresof the building including fire drills andmaintenance of fire protection features.The primary focus of the LSC, however, isthe second and last lines of defense. Inother words, the design team mustassume the worst case – a fire has started.

The LSC requires all new healthcarefacilities to be sprinklered and existingfacilities based on height and construc-tion type. Quick-response sprinklers are

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Central Dupage Hospital. Courtesy of RJA

tection

Northwestern Medical. Courtesy of RJA

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required in new sleeping smoke compart-ments to achieve the highest level of pro-tection. The code does allow alternateprotection methods to be substituted forsprinklers if the AHJ has prohibitedsprinklers in a specific location. This ismost common in electrical spaces. Thecode further requires protection with afire alarm system for new or existinghealthcare facilities. Sprinkler flow alarmswitches, manual fire alarm boxes orsmoke detectors would activate the firealarm system. Smoke detectors are required

in nursing home corridors or where hospi-tal corridors have certain open spacesallowed. The LSC requires emergencyforces notification on fire alarm, butallows a 120 second reconfirmation featureto be programmed into the fire alarm forsmoke detection. As more reliable smokedetection technology develops, reconfir-mation should become obsolete.

The last line of defense for the buildingis fire rated construction to limit thespread of fire and protect from structuralfailure. This is achieved by requiring mini-

mum structural fire resistance based onthe building height. The model codes fur-ther add limits to area based on structuralfire resistance and sprinkler protection.Another level of protection is gainedthrough compartmentation. Such that,each floor is divided into smoke compart-ments no larger than 22,500 square feet.The walls separating these compartmentsare one-hour fire and smoke rated con-struction. A minimum of two smoke com-partments are required on any healthcarefloor providing a safe place to relocate theoccupants without the need to use stairs.

The patients are further separated frompotential fire effects by corridor construc-tion. In sprinklered new or existing hospitals,the corridors are not required to be firerated, rather just resist the passage ofsmoke. These non-rated corridor walls mayeven terminate at a lay-in ceiling providedthe ceiling would resist the passage ofsmoke. In the case of existing non-sprinklered hospitals, the corridor walls mustbe 30-minute fire rated and extend throughany suspended ceilings. The doors to thecorridor accessing the patient rooms are notrequired to be fire rated. In fact the LSCnow specifically states compliance withNFPA 80, Standard for Fire Doors and FireWindows is not required. Further the LSCallows up to a one-inch gap at the bottomof the door. This recent wording has beenadded to clear up a source to confusion forenforcing authorities and designers alike. Inorder to be a tested fire rated door, it wouldhave to have a self-close feature. It has beenconsidered that self-closing patient roomdoors may add to confusion when staff aretrying to evacuate patients in a fire eventand so are undesirable. Self-closing hard-ware is required any fire rated wall opening.

The areas in hospitals that represent asignificant hazard because of fire loadingor likelihood of ignition must be separatedfrom patient care areas. In new facilitiessprinklers are required in all locations andwhere the hazard is severe a one-hour fireresistance must also be added. Section18.3.2 defines hazardous areas or in somecases refers to other standards for guid-ance. Some examples of hazardous areasinclude Paint Shops, Laboratories, Soiledlinen rooms and storage areas. For existingfacilities, these hazardous areas can besprinklered and smoke tight with self-closing doors OR one-hour fire rated. TheLSC further allows the use of domesticwater sprinkler systems as described in sec-tion 9.7.1.2 for protecting existing isolatedhazardous areas. Basically, up to sixsprinklers can be used to protect an isolatedhazardous areas piped directly from thedomestic water system. The system mustbe capable of providing a water density of

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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Hospital Fire ProtectionHospital Fire Protection

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0.15 Gallons-per-minute per square footof area. If more than two sprinklers areused, water flow detection must beincluded and sound an alarm or notify aconstantly attended location. This provi-sion allows existing facilities to protectareas without the major expense associ-ated with a complete sprinkler upgrade.Domestic water sprinkler systems stillrequire engineering and careful considera-tion of the hazard involved.

This has been just a glimpse of some of

the issues confronting the design team forhospital fire protection. Hospitals requireconstant evaluation of life safety readi-ness and reaction. Fire drills are requiredquarterly for each shift to maintain readi-ness. The required staff training as well asthe multi-leveled total concept approachhas had a major impact on healthcare firesafety. According to NFPA Statistics onfacilities that care for the sick, between1994 and 1998, there was an average of 5civilian fire deaths in an average of 2,600

structure fires per year. That accounts for0.1% of the civilian structure fire deathsin that period. This is an admirable recordand is clearly a result of the total conceptapproach to hospital fire protection.

References:National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)standards:80 – Standard for Fire Doors and FireWindows101 – Life Safety Code101A – Guide to Alternative Approaches toLife SafetyThe U.S. Fire Problem Overview ReportLeading Causes and Other Patterns andTrends Facilities that Care for the Sick –Marty Ahrens (NFPA) June 2001The International Building Code – March2000 Copyright 2000 by The InternationalCode Council

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Craig L. Redfern, P.E. is a consultingengineer with the Orlando office ofRolf Jensen & Associates, Inc. (RJA).Mr. Redfern has over 13 years of experience in the design,surveys, and code requirements ofhealthcare facilities. To learn moreabout RJA visit their website atwww.rjagoup.com.

Texas Children’s Hospital. Courtesy of RJA

Enquiries: www.ffeuk.com

CAN BE MOUNTEDVERTICALLY OR HORIZONTALLY

APPLICATIONS IINCLUDE

NOWUL LLISTED e-mail: [email protected]

website: www.ffeuk.com

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In 1951, the “Société d’ExtinctionScientifique” (Industrial Companyfor Development of Safety) PLC, was

started in the Paris area to mainly man-ufacture small capacity extinguishers,intended for the local French market.This company started the history of thepresent company SIDES.

Some years later, the first foam firefighting vehicles for Civil and MilitaryAviation and later for large towns andrefineries were manufactured at theirChampigny sur Marne facilities.

In 1965, a new plant was construct-ed in Saint-Nazaire, under the SIDESCompany name. The same year, a newmarine department was opened to

design fixed fire fighting systems forships, constructed in the neighbouringshipyard.

In 1970, SIDES became a member ofthe SICLI group. In the mid seventies,SIDES became export oriented. Lessthan 10 years later, half of their pro-duction was exported. SIDES then con-centrated on vehicle production andentered the Civil Defence market.

In 1994, SIDES applied for the ISO9002 and was awarded the certificationas an official recognition of perfor-mance and quality. SIDES, was the firstcompany in this field to be awardedthis certification.

Known throughout the world, SIDESjoined the KIDDE group.With more than 200employees, the annualrevenue is 62million Euroswith 73% of their sales,exported globally.

SIDES, placed amongthe leading Airport FireVehicle manufacturers inthe world, can offer acomplete range of firevehicles, which meet therequirements stipulated by

the International Civil Aviation Organi-sation (ICAO) and the other regulatingbodies responsible for air safety.

SIDES manufacture vehicles of highperformance in terms of speed, acceler-ation and extinguishing efficiency.Many of these vehicles are based on thewell-proven SIDES special purpose builtchassis’. More than 200 airports world-wide have chosen SIDES fire protection.

Examples of these are as follows . . .

Three SIDES S 3000.6 R Airport Crash Tenders have been delivered toSingapore International Airport. Thespecifications for these vehicles are:

Water capacity: 5,300 ltrFoam capacity: 520 ltrGlass reinforced polyester cab withcentral drive position, extra wide visionthrough a large windscreen and trans-parent doors.SIDES cab-chassis: 22.710 GM 4x4Foam monitor with dual output: 2,700 ltr/3,600 ltr – Range: 70 m

Another, one SIDES S 3000.10/VMA125 type Airport Crash Tender will bedelivered to Ujung Pandang Airport inIndonesia. This vehicles specificationsare:

Water capacity: 11,000 ltrFoam capacity: 1,280 ltrFoam monitor with dual output: 3,000 ltr/5,000 ltr

Also, SIDES is manufacturing an S 3000.10/VMA 123 type for TAN SONNHAT the Airport of Ho Chi Minh city inVietnam on a 6x6 MERCEDES chassis.

Water capacity: 11,000 ltrFoam capacity: 1,320 ltrAssisted foam monitor – output: 4,500 ltr

For more information about the SIDESrange if Fire-Fighting Vehicles, pleasecontact:

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SIDES Firefighting& Rescue Vehicles

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

SIDES Fire-Fighting & Rescue Vehicles

182, rue de TrignacF – 44600 Saint-Nazaire

France

Tel: +33 2 40 17 18 00

Fax: +33 2 17 18 03

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.sides.frSIDES S 3000.10/VMA 125

SIDES S 3000.6 R

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Enquiries: www.pyrozone.com.au

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Enquiries: [email protected]

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3M argued for years that the highfluorine content was necessary toassure AFFF product performance.

However, it is now very clear thatalthough fluorosurfactant is certainly anecessary component of AFFF agents, the quantity used by 3M was excessive.One could ask, “How do you prove thatthe fluorosurfactant level was excessive?”The most direct proof is to compare thefluorosurfactant content of 3M productswith various competitors’ products, whichmeet the same specifications.

Fluorine Content of US MilitaryListed AFFF AgentsLet’s first compare the fluorine content ofUS Military Listed (Mil-F-24385, QPL)products. Since these are highly competi-tive products developed to meet a diffi-cult specification and independentlytested by a government agency, it isautomatically understood that no manu-facturer uses more fluorosurfactant than

necessary to do the job. 3M’s FC-203CElisted 3% has 2.1% fluorine contentwhile, Ansul’s AFC-5A has 1.1%, Chem-guard’s C-301MS has 1.0%, and Nation-al’s Aer-o-Water 3EM has 0.8% fluorine.Note that all competitive products havefrom 52-38% of the fluorine content of3M’s product, yet all products meet thesame comprehensive performance specifi-cations. It must be concluded that all thecompetitive products are more fluorineefficient than 3M’s product!

Fluorine Content of UL Listed AFFFAgentsLet’s further compare the fluorinecontent of 3% UL Listed AFFF agents;the bread and butter products of theindustry. 3M’s FC-203A contains 1.7%fluorine, while National’s Aer-o-Lite con-tains 0.4% and Chemguard’s C-303contains 0.3% fluorine. Again, theseproducts all meet the same fire perfor-mance specifications.

Fluorine Content of UL Listed AR-AFFF AgentsComparing the fluorine content of 3X3UL Listed AR-AFFF agents gives us a sim-ilar picture. 3M’s product, ATC-603, con-tains 2.9% fluorine, while Ansulite 3X3LVhas 0.9%, National Gold has 0.8% andChemguard’s Ultraguard and C-333 have0.4% and 0.2% fluorine, respectively.

Why do such extreme differencesin fluorine efficiency exist?3M were the first to enter the commercialAFFF market in the early 1970’s. Havinga basic patent (Francen 1971) on theAFFF concept, 3M essentially held com-petitors out of the market for almost 5years. As a chemical manufacturer, 3Mwas basic in the manufacture of fluoro-surfactants going into their own productsand formed a tight grip on the AFFFmarket. In the late 1970s, CIBA-GeigyCorp. (now CIBA Specialty Chemicals)challenged 3M’s patent and entered theAFFF market by selling fluorosurfactants toAnsul in the USA. CIBA’s challenge of 3M’spatent was generally upheld by the courtshearing the cases, thereby opening theAFFF market to other foam manufacturers.

CIBA earned the right to competethrough the courts, but still had to

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Picture courtesy of Chemguard, Inc.

EnvironmentalAdvantages as

3M Exits the AFFF/

AR-AFFF MarketBy Dr. Kirtland Clark

EnvironmentalAdvantages as

3M Exits the AFFF/

AR-AFFF MarketTHE EXIT OF 3M from the fire extinguishing market has sent ashock wave through the industry. 3M had such a big presence forsuch a long period of time that much of the market knew onlytheir products. For instance, 3M had the military bid for over 12years straight. Without question, 3M sold quality products, butproducts with a very high fluorosurfactant content.

•••••••••••••••

•••••••••••••••

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develop AFFF agents that would sellagainst 3M products and still be prof-itable; not an easy task. Not being basicin fluorochemicals, CIBA had to developmore efficient fluorosurfactants and for-mulations to compete on a cost basisagainst the 3M products. As Director ofCorporate research during this develop-ment effort (1982-1990), I can attest tothe intense R&D program undertaken tochallenge 3M in a marketplace, which theyall but owned. For more than 8 years,CIBA conducted more than 10 weeks peryear of fire tests at Ansul’s test facility todevelop some of the most fluorine effi-cient AFFF agents available at the time.

Early AFFF agent optimization effortswere concentrated on fluorosurfactantdevelopment. Except for 3M, by 1990Ciba Specialty Chemicals and AtoFinasupplied most of the AFFF market withspecialized Lodyne and Forafac fluorosur-factants, respectively. Additional fluoro-surfactant development proved onlymoderately beneficial toward improvingfluorine efficiency after about 1990.

In 1989, National Foam obtainedimproved fluorine efficiency through theuse of sugar based hydrocarbon surfactantsknown as alkyl polyglycosides. Most ofNational’s key fluorine efficient productsare based on this technology to this day.Little further progress was made until 1999when Chemguard achieved even greaterfluorine efficiency through the develop-ment of a new hydrocarbon surfactant andfluorosurfactant pair created solely for usein AFFF agents. Working together, thesesurfactants allowed the highest fluorineefficiency obtainable to date.

Low fluorosurfactant content AR-AFFF … performance?Tables 1 & 2 present UL verified fire testdata for Chemguard 3% AR-AFFF agentsUltraguard and C-333, with only 0.4 and0.2% fluorine content. The similarity inthe control and extinguishing times onheptane where both products wereapplied at 0.04gpm application rate isastonishing since C-333 has less thanhalf the fluorine content of Ultraguard.The real performance difference in theproducts can be seen on isopropyl alcohol(IPA) where Ultraguard is used at 4.5gpm, while C-333 is used at 4.9 gpm toget the same results.

Low fluorosurfactant content AR-AFFF … effect on environment?After verifying that low fluorosurfactantcontent AFFF and AR-AFFF agents effec-tively extinguish fires, the most importantissue becomes the effect these productshave on the environment. Because theycontain drastically reduced fluorosurfactant

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Table 1

Enquiries: www.angusfire.co.uk

2

2

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Enquiries: www.bioversal.com

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levels, they must immediately be consid-ered more environmentally acceptable. Ifwe compare Ultraguard to 3M FC-603,the same quantity of each product wouldbe required to extinguish a given fire,while FC-603 would carry 574% or 5.74times more fluorochemical into the envi-ronment than does Ultraguard. Similarly,if the fire is extinguished with UniversalGold versus FC-603, FC-603 would carry263% or 2.63 times more fluorochemicalinto the environment.

It must, therefore, be concluded thatextinguishing Class B fires in the absenceof 3M products will lead to much lessfluorochemical entering the environmentgiven the same number of fires since allcompetitive products have lower fluorinecontent.

Further, all competitive AFFF and AR-AFFF products are manufactured usingtelomer based fluorosurfactants and donot contain perfluorooctanyl sulphonate(PFOS) being targeted by the EPA. There-fore, the use of all competitive AFFF and AR-AFFF products on fires will notcarry PFOS or it’s derivatives into the

environment; an important consideration.Tables 3 & 4 give a comparison of

environmental impact of ChemguardUltraguard, C-333, 3% Fluoroprotein, 3%Protein and baby shampoo (Johnson’s NoTears). Protein based products are oftentouted as being especially earth friendly,while AFFF and AR-AFFF agents are gen-erally considered by environmentalists asundesirable. Certainly, everyone considersbaby shampoo to be exceptionally mild.It can be clearly seen that 3% Fluoropro-tein, 3% Protein and baby shampoo haveby far the greatest oxygen demand, whilestill not having as large a BOD/COD ratioas the two AR-AFFF agents. Of mostimportance, 3% Fluoroprotein and 3%Protein had very large Total Organic Car-bon (TOC) loading of 260 and 158grams/liter, respectively, while baby sham-poo had a low TOC of 14 grams/liter.Therefore, baby shampoo is much moreenvironmentally friendly than either 3%Fluoroprotein or 3% Protein.

Clearly, the only AFFF agents on thechart, Chemguard Ultraguard and C-333,had the best environmental impact num-

bers. The low BOD and COD values andhigher BOD/COD ratio assure that algaepluming is less likely to occur, while effi-cient biodegradation is assured. Furtherand most importantly, the TOC’s werefound to be lower than even baby sham-poo, at 8.2 and 5.7 grams/liter, respec-tively. Assuming this data obtained byLancaster Laboratories is accurate, onemust conclude that these AR-AFFF prod-ucts are more environmentally friendlythan baby shampoo, except for theknown presence of fluorosurfactant.

When is a fluorosurfactant contentlow enough?I have clearly demonstrated that AFFFand AR-AFFF products left in the market-place after 3M’s withdrawal, extinguishfires effectively while having much lowerfluorine content. I have further demon-strated that two Chemguard AR-AFFFproducts having 0.4 and 0.2% fluorinecontent perform well and have excellentenvironmental properties relative to evenbaby shampoo. The question however is . . . Is this good enough? Or must thefluorosurfactant level be zero to be goodenough?

Logic would certainly say that the ben-efit obtained from such products, even ifthe 0.4% fluorine product was used,would assure their use without pressurefrom environmental groups. After all, thefluorine level is only 15% of the 3Mproduct and the fire is still extinguished!

However, I think it is more likely thateven C-333 at 0.2% fluorine will likely berejected as too much by environmental-ists. As would be expected of an AR-AFFFwith such low fluorosurfactant content,C-333 has spreading coefficients of4.3/4.1 in distilled/seawater and spread-ing on cyclohexane is tremendouslyslowed. Lower fluorosurfactant levelswould yield foam agents, but non-AFFF(Aqueous Film Forming Foam) agents.

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

24

Picture courtesy of Chemguard, Inc.

Table 2 Table 3

2

2

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Can FluoroSurfactant Free Foam(FSFF) compete with AFFF agents? Having C-333 type technology in produc-tion, one might think the next logicalstep would be an FSFF product. However,the development of an FSFF was difficult,requiring almost two years and more than300 fire tests for optimization. A broadbased patent application defining theproducts, was filed in October 2001. Fireperformance data for two 3% FSFFagents (A&B) and one 3X3 AR-AFFFagent is given in Tables 5&6. Clearly,AFFF-type fire performance has beenobtained from non- AFFF agents for thefirst time.

Unlike protein foams, FSFF agents arelight yellow to almost colorless with amild odor. Without fluorosurfactant, it isanticipated that environmentalists willwelcome the new products. Time willtell!!

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

25

Table 4 Picture courtesy of Chemguard, Inc.

Dr. Kirtland Clark, vice presidentand head of Chemguard’s R&D,holds a doctorate degree in physicalorganic chemistry from Brown Uni-versity. While being the director ofcorporate R&D at Ciba-Geigy Cor-poration he directed the develop-ment of fluorochemical surfactantsand AFFF and polar AFFF. He holds17 US patents in the field of fluoro-chemical foam stabilizers, film form-ers and polar AFFF compositions.

During his tenure at Chemguard hehas been developing fluorosurfac-tant and hydrocarbon surfactantcompositions uniquely for fire fight-ing foams and FluoroSurfactantFree Foams®.

In case of firebetter safe than sorry!

We offer to the fire professional the completerange of high performance foaming agents,e.g.

MOUSSOL-APSAlcohol resistant universal AFFF foam liquids

STHAMEX-AFFFAqueous film forming foam liquids

STHAMEXSynthetic foam liquids

STHAMEX-class-AFoam liquids for class A and B

FLUOR-FOAMOUSSEFluoroprotein foam liquids

FOAMOUSSE-FFFPFilm forming fluoroprotein foam liquids

FOAMOUSSEProtein foam liquids

Ask for more information!

fights

Dr.STHAMER HAMBURGLiebigstrasse 5 · D-22113 Hamburg · GermanyTelefon +49 40 73 61 68-0 · Telefax +49 40 73 61 68-60

E-Mail: [email protected] · http://sthamer.com

Enquiries: www.sthamer.com

APF p. 1-30 1/11/06 1:14 pm Page 25

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The Tokyo Fire Department (TFD)has come a long way from theEdo period (1603 to 1867), when

fires were put out by demolishing theburning building. Back then, the samu-rai acted as firefighters, and their wiveswore red coats to stand out in thecrowd and help evacuate people.Today, the fire department is thelargest in the world, with 17,993employees and a budget of US$2 bil-lion (244 billion yen for fiscal year2001.) Some 1,839 pieces of apparatus,including 20 firefighting motorcycles,are housed in 80 fire stations through-out Tokyo, which is composed of 23wards, called “ku,” 24 surroundingcities, 3 towns, and a village.

For a city of 12 million residents, or10 percent of the entire Japanese pop-ulation, Tokyo has a remarkably lowfire rate. There are roughly 19 fires ofvarious types and origin every day, orapproximately 6,933 a year. In 2001,4,044 of these were structure fires.

Although buildings in Tokyo are typ-ically five to seven stories high, there is

tremendous interest in building Tokyoup instead of out. As a result, the cityhas become a hodgepodge of soaringskyscrapers, high-rises, and one- andtwo-story dwellings. And with land at apremium, it’s increasingly common forhigh-rises to be multi-use buildings.

In the Shinjuku section of Tokyo, forinstance, the lower floors of a 45-storyhigh-rise contain restaurants, whileseveral upper floors contain offices. Onthe 19th floor is a hotel lobby.

Among the companies investing mil-lions in new multi-use buildings is Mis-awa Homes, which is spending $1.5billion to develop twin 60-story towerscontaining offices and condominiums.Minori Mori, the biggest landlord inTokyo with 88 buildings, plans to com-plete 17 new office buildings in centralTokyo in the next three years. Thelargest of the Mori Building Companyprojects is Roppongi Hills, a $2.1 billionoffice, cultural, and residential com-plex. Mori and other developers arebetting that childless couples, thelargest growing segment of Japan’spopulation, will prefer to live in multi-use high-rises close to work and attrac-tions than in the suburbs.

KEEPING BUILDINGS SAFEOne of the major codes that governbuildings in Tokyo is the Building Safety

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

26

Test of a fire suppressing agent

In Tokyo, the low fire rate is a testament to a well-trained fire department and its citizens

By Denise Laitinen

The TFD Volunteers at drill

Tokyo Fire Departm

This article is reprinted with permission: NFPA Journal (vol. 96 no 3) © 2002, National Fire ProtectionAssociation, Quincy, MA. All rights reserved.

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Law, managed by the Land, Infrastruc-ture and Transport Ministry andenforced in Tokyo by the Tokyo Metro-politan Government. The other is theFire Service Law, which has appliednationwide since 1948.

According to the Fire Service Law, ahigh-rise is a building 101 feet (31meters) high — the length to which atypical fire department ladder extends— or higher. A building 101 feet (31meters) tall is about 11 stories, and theFire Service Law stipulates that build-ings 11 stories or higher must besprinklered. Office buildings, factories,apartment houses, schools, and ware-houses 11 stories or less need not besprinklered. However, fire preventionordinances in Tokyo require sprinklersin buildings not governed by the FireService Law, including those with base-ments, windowless floors, and others.

Buildings 11 stories or higher musthave emergency public address systemsand emergency power outlets for fire-fighter operations. Automatic detectionsystems are required for high-risesabove 11 stories, as well as lower,smaller buildings.

Multi-use buildings in Tokyo usethree types of automatic detection sys-tems: heat detectors, smoke detectors,and flame detectors, which soundalarms to alert occupants and send asignal to a safety center control roomin the building.

Workplace managers are required toform private fire brigades depending onthe square footage and occupancycapacity. Movie theaters, for example,including those in high-rise shoppingcenters, must have fire brigades ifthey’re 107,642 square feet (10,000square meters) or larger, or if they canhold 2,000 or more people. Multi-usebuildings that cover 1,858 square feet(20,000 square meters) or more mustalso have a private fire brigade, the sizeof which is determined by the build-ing’s size. Japanese building codes arestrict when it comes to protectingmulti-use structures from fire, sincethey house different types of occupan-cies and a large number of unspecifiedpeople.

According to the Fire Service Lawand the Building Standard Law, theauthority to approve or disapprove

construction in Tokyo lies with the citybuilding supervisor or designatedinspection specialist who must get con-sent from the Tokyo Fire Chief or one ofthe local station chiefs before he or shegives the owner(s) permission to build.Houses, built in unzoned areas, such asthe suburbs, are exempt from this rule.

Even flame-retardant products insidemulti-use buildings are regulated.According to Fire Service Law Article 8-3, high-rises, including the officesand residential units within them, andbuildings used by a large number ofunspecified people are required to haveflame retardant items, such as curtainsand carpets above the level set by theCabinet Order. Officially approved“flame retardant materials” are markedby a white label with red “flameretardant” letters.

On the other hand, upholsteredfurniture, bedding and so forth isn’tregulated by law, but is given approvalby the Japan Fire Retardant Associ-ation, a private body. Items approvedby the Japan Fire Retardant Associationare designated as “flame retardantproducts.” For example, officialsencourage the use of such designatedproducts for car covers, because arson-ists often set fire to car covers in Japan.

SAFETY-CONSCIOUS CITIZENS

The Tokyo Metropolitan Governmentrequires every workplace to have a dis-aster preparedness plan that includessafety drills, and building fire protec-tion managers, who are often thebuilding’s owner, are trained in firesafety and disaster preparedness. Of the780,000 workplaces in Tokyo, 330,000must submit preparedness plans to theauthorities. Though the others needn’tsubmit their plans, they must be pre-

pared, as fire department personnelvisit workplaces regularly to make sureplans are in place and are being prac-ticed. Safety drills are held every year,although the frequency differs accord-ing to the type of occupancy.

Public education and these repeatedsafety drills are key elements in main-taining Japan’s low fire rate. The TFDrelies heavily on educating its residentsin fire safety and on changing behav-ioral patterns. This pertains not only tofire safety, but to disaster preparedness,as well. In fact, says Tokyo Fire ChiefTetsuya Sugimura, the departments“first priority is on earthquake pre-paredness, residential fire safety, andemergency medical services.”

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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TOKYO FIRE DEPARTMENT AT A GLANCEPersonnel: 17,993

Budget: US$2 billion

Number of apparatus: 1,839

Includes: 20 motorcycles, 6 helicopters, 9 fireboats

Number of stations: 80

Number of ambulance runs in 2000:575,690

Number of structure fires in 2000:3,986

In 2000, the largest source of majorfires were:Arson, 38.3%

“Other”, 31.5%

Smoking, 16.7%

Gas ranges and others, 9%

Playing with matches, 3%

Bonfires, 1.5%

tment

Haz-mat members at drill

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Fifty-two fire stations in the cityhave a seismic meter, and every year onSeptember 1, Japanese fire, police, civildefense departments, municipal gov-ernments, and residents participate in anational, large-scale safety drill focus-ing on earthquake preparedness, as wellas weapons of mass destruction. This ishardly surprising when you considerthat Japan experiences a large-scaleearthquake about once a decade andhas withstood seven quakes that mea-sured more than 7.0 on the Richterscale since 1945. One of these was theGreat Hanshin Awaji earthquake of1995, which killed 6,000 residents ofKobe. A similar-sized earthquake isfeared to strike Tokyo in the future.

After the Great Hanshin Awaji earth-quake, TFD officials reviewed andstrengthened all its disaster measures.Their goal is to prepare the city fordisasters by encouraging officials toredevelop urban areas, particularlythose in which wooden houses prolifer-ate; secure open spaces; widen roads;and support the construction of fire-

resistive buildings. Large water cisternshave also been strategically placed inimportant areas, such as refuge areas,to aid fire crews.

Preventing the fires that often eruptafter an earthquake is one of TFD’smost important disaster preparednesspolicies. Fire department personnelwork with representatives of facilitiesusing hazardous materials; chemical,electrical, and gas facilities; high-rises;underground garages; and tunnels toimprove safety and eliminate fire dan-gers. TFD staff also inspect such facili-ties regularly and teach companyemployees how to put out fires andotherwise prepare for disasters.

In April 2001, the Tokyo Metropoli-tan Government’s Earthquake Counter-measures Ordinance was enacted,encouraging office workers, buildingowners, and neighbors to rely on them-selves in the initial aftermath of a dis-aster, cooperating with and helpingeach other. There are 24,434 trainedvolunteer fire corps members in Tokyo,who play an important role as leaders

in the community. Like fire officials

elsewhere in Japan,TFD officials believestrongly that those atthe scene of disastercan help contain a fireshortly after it ignites,preventing a small firefrom becoming larger,and that they canhelp those in need ofcare. To this end,everyone applying fora driver’s license inJapan must showproof that they’vepassed a CPR class,and fire department

personnel work with fire corps volun-teers and with every family in everyneighborhood and every company inTokyo to teach them how to extinguisha fire in the early stages.

Tokyo fire officials also train abouttwo million people a year at three LifeSafety Centers around the city run bythe Tokyo Fire Department. The HonjoLife Safety Center, one of the threecenters, cost 2.8 billion yen to buildand is a virtual wonderland of hands-on fire and life safety training, open tothe public free of charge.

Visitors to the Life Safety Centers getexperience putting out a kitchen fire inthe firefighting training section, findingan exit while crawling through asmoke-filled hallway in the smokemaze section, taking appropriate actionduring an earthquake in the earthquakesimulation section, and performing CPRin the first-aid training section. Dailytraining is provided to anyone interested,including schoolchildren.

All this is part of the TFD’s seven-pronged Earthquake CountermeasurePromotion Plan, which also stresses themanagement of information to savelives and the deployment of speciallyskilled rescue crews. Technologicalinnovations, such as pop-out electricoutlets, have also been introduced tohelp reduce the threat of electrical firesafter earthquakes, and a long-distancewater supply system has been imple-mented to help control fire spread.

THE FUTURE

As the global source of cutting-edgeelectronic equipment, it may seem sur-prising that the Japanese rely more onpeople than technology when it comesto fire safety, but training remains key tothe Tokyo Fire Department. “We contin-ue to enhance volunteer fire corps capa-bilities, improve our citizens’ ability torespond to disasters, and promote fireprevention,” says Chief Sugimura.

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

28

Every year, the Tokyo Fire Depart-ment receives a million emergencycalls, and fire service personnel per-form about 570,000 ambulanceruns, 60 percent of which are minorinjuries. And department officialsexpect this number to climb dramati-cally in the next 5 to 10 years. Thebetter-prepared people are to pre-vent fires and to respond effectivelyto disasters on their own, officialsfeel, the more effective fire crews willbe when deployed to an incident.

Combined drill for the Emergency Fire Response Teams

RTA extrication and rescue

APF p. 1-30 1/11/06 1:15 pm Page 28

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ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

29

Enquiries: www.plysuprotectionsystems.com

Enquiries: www.trelleborg.com

Trelleborg Protective Products ABP.O. Box 1520,

SE-271 00 YstadPhone: +46 411 67940

Fax: +46 411 15285www.trelleborg.com/protective

[email protected]

Trelleborg S.E.A. Pte Ltd10 Toh Guan Road #03-06

International TradeparkSingapore 608838

Phone: +65 6 8989 332Fax: +65 6 8989 303

www.trelleborg.com/[email protected]

Enquiries: [email protected]

The Professionalsin Fire Safety

As one of the world’s leading fire safety organisations,Warrington Fire Research is at the forefront of firesafety technology. Our range of services includes:-

• Fire Safety Engineering• Testing of Products and Systems• CERTIFIRE Product Certification• FIRAS Installer Accreditation• Site Inspection• Litigation Advice

Our global network includes offices in Australia, HongKong and Singapore. From testing and approval of asingle product, to a complete fire safety programme, wecan provide solutions to all aspects of fire management.

Warrington Fire Research Group Ltd., Holmesfield Road, Warrington WA1 2DS, England.

Tel: +44 (0)1925 655116. Fax: +44 (0)1925 655419Website address: www.wfrc.co.uk

E-mail address:- UK: [email protected] Australia: [email protected]

Hong Kong: [email protected] Singapore: [email protected]

APF p. 1-30 11/21/06 8:56 AM Page 29

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On your feet or on your knees, the ability to “see” speeds recovery

efforts and enhances firefighting effectiveness and safety. Even in dense

smoke or complete darkness, Scott’s Eagle Imager II thermal imaging

camera puts this power of visual detection squarely in your hands.

A high definition, auto focus microbolometer delivers state-of-the-art

infrared detection and unsurpassed thermal imaging quality with no

blurring or halo effects. Innovative radiometry provides on screen

temperature readout, while infotherm coloring accurately displays a

wide range of viewable temperatures. Three distinct color palettes,

advanced optics and the industry’s largest LCD display deliver optimum

resolution. A patented internal, redundant cooling system battles

the elements, ensuring peak performance of all electronics, optics

and display. Designed for combat, the Eagle Imager II is ultra-light,

with a rugged housing and diamond coated lenses. Glove-friendly

controls, on screen programming and 3-hour battery allow rapid on-site

deployment. See your way clear to safer firefighting and rescue with

Scott’s Eagle Imager II.

EAGLE IMAGER ® IITHE LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION WITH IMAGING THAT WILL FLOOR YOU

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Enquiries: www.scotthealthsafety.com

APF p. 1-30 1/11/06 1:16 pm Page 30

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ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

31

THERMAL IMAGINGCAMERAS MARKET GUIDE

MANUFACTURER CAIRNS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES CAIRNS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIESa Div. Of Diversified Optical Products, Inc. a Div. Of Diversified Optical Products, Inc.

Camera Model CairnsVIPER Scout75Origin USA USAManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC) 3 Years 3 YearsDetector options Microbolometer MicrobolometerBattery life 90+ Minutes Plug and PlayAmbient temperature measurement available N/A N/ASpot temperature available N/A N/AIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency) Digital Spread Sprectrum – 2.4 GHz frequency Digital Spread Sprectrum – 2.4 GHz frequency

band at an output power of 300mW, FCC part band at an output power of 300mW, FCC part15 approved & SAR compliant, capable of four 15 approved & SAR compliant, capable of fourchannel operation and scrambled transmission. channel operation and scrambled transmission.Receivers available include a compact case Receivers available include a compact case receiver and a vehicle-mounted receiver OR FM receiver and a vehicle-mounted receiver OR FMtransmitter – Internal FM system operates at 2.4 transmitter – Internal FM system operates at 2.4 GHz frequency band at an output power of 750mW GHz frequency band at an output power of 750mWFCC Part 90 approved & SAR compliant. Available FCC Part 90 approved & SAR compliant. Availablescrambled or unscrambled scrambled or unscrambled

Weight ready for use (kg) 5.75 lbs (2.15kg) 4 lbs (1.49kg)Dimensions 7.13” wide x 13” long x 3.62” highWarranty 1 year from date of shipment from factory 1 year from date of shipment from factoryLocal service centres available No NoOther features (max 15 words) 2-Stage Intelligent Colour, 180o Rotating Display Remote Control Access

Thermal Management Bar Pan / Tilt

Manufacturer

Camera ModelOriginManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC)Detector optionsBattery lifeAmbient temperature measurement availableSpot temperature availableIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency)

Weight ready for use (kg)DimensionsWarrantyLocal service centres availableOther features

CAIRNS ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES

Manufacturer BULLARD BULLARD BULLARDT3 TIx MX

Origin USA USA USAManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC) 2001 1998 2000Detector options 160 x 120 Amorphous 320 x 240 Barium 320 x 240 Vanadium

Silicon Microbolometer Strontium Titanate Oxide MicrobolometerBattery life 2.5 Hours 1.5 Hours 1.25 HoursAmbient temperature measurement available No No NoSpot temperature available No No YesIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency) Yes (2 or 4 channel) Yes (2 channel) Yes (4 channel)Weight ready for use (kg) 1.1 2.6 2.6Dimensions 4.75� x 4� x 7� 12� x 10� x 6� 12� x 10� x 6�Warranty 1 year 1 year 1 yearLocal service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only) No No NoOther features (max 15 words) Powerhouse direct charger, Truck mount, glare shield, tripod, Truck mount, glare shield, tripod,

handle with transmitter, clamp, thermal throttle, 4� screen clamp, temperature measurement,alkaline battery pack, carry case EI mode, red hot feature, 4� screen

ManufacturerCamera ModelOriginManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC)Detector options

Battery lifeAmbient temperature measurement availableSpot temperature availableIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency)Weight ready for use (kg)DimensionsWarrantyLocal service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only)Other features

BULLARD

BullardTel: +1 859 234 6611Fax: +1 859 234 6858Website: www.bullard.com

Cairns Advanced TechnologiesTel: +1 603 898 1880Fax: +1 603 893 4359Website: www.diop.com

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:10 pm Page 31

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ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

32

MANUFACTURER E2V TECHNOLOGIES E2V TECHNOLOGIES E2V TECHNOLOGIESCamera Model ARGUS®1 ARGUS®2 ARGUS®3Origin UK UK UKManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC) 1992 1999 2002Detector options Pevicon Tube BST BST / ASI / VOXBattery life 3 Hours 4 Hours 4 HoursAmbient temperature measurement available no Yes As standardSpot temperature available no Yes YesIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency) External External YesWeight ready for use (kg) 2.7 2.2 1.8Dimensions 330mm x 310mm x 150mm 330mm x 310mm x 150mm 122.6mm x 271mm x 162.6mmWarranty 1 year 2 years 2YearsLocal service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only) Yes Yes YesOther features (max 15 words) Times 2 Zoom, On Screen Time & Date Captures up to 15 pictures. X2 Zoom, On

Screen Time & Date as standard – Worldsmost advanced TIC.

® ARGUS is a registered trade mark of ARGUS INDUSTRIES Inc. ® ARGUS is a registered trade mark of ARGUS INDUSTRIES Inc. ® ARGUS is a registered trade mark of ARGUS INDUSTRIES Inc.

ManufacturerCamera ModelOriginManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC)Detector optionsBattery lifeAmbient temperature measurement availableSpot temperature availableIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency)Weight ready for use (kg)DimensionsWarrantyLocal service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only)Other features

E2V TECHNOLOGIES LTD

Manufacturer ISG ISG ISGCamera Model Talisman Surveillance X2 SpiritOrigin UK UK US/UKManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC) 1994 1999 2002Detector options BST/Raytheon S200 Raytheon S200 AS2000 CoreBattery life 4 hr 5hr 4hr & 7hrAmbient temperature measurement available NO NO NOSpot temperature available YES NO YESIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency) YES YES YESWeight ready for use (kg) 2.2 2.2 without the lens 1.2Dimensions 310 x 115 x 156 L310 x W115 x H156 135 x 162 x 112Warranty 24 months 24 months 24 monthsLocal service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only) Chubb Fire Australia and Cito Malaysia Chubb Fire Australia and Cito Malaysia Chubb Fire Australia and Cito MalaysiaOther features (max 15 words) Most versatile thermal camera X2 Thermal Imager for long The smallest lightest, full

available. Best pictures. Video range passive covert featured firefighting ThermalOverlay, Temperature surveillance operations Imaging Camera in the worldMeasurement & Video K2000 Thermal Imager idealTransmission options for perimeter and internalavailable security

ManufacturerCamera ModelOriginManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC)Detector optionsBattery lifeAmbient temperature measurement availableSpot temperature availableIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency)Weight ready for use (kg)DimensionsWarrantyLocal service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only)Other features

ISG

MANUFACTURER GB SOLO GB SOLOCamera Model Solo Vision Solo TicOrigin UK UKManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC) 1994 1994Detector options Micro Bolomater Micro Bolometer / FPABattery life 2.5 Hours 2.5 HoursAmbient temperature measurement available No NoSpot temperature available No NoIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency) Yes YesWeight ready for use (kg) 650g 3.9Dimensions 120mm x 150mm x 80mm N/AWarranty 2 Years (tbc) Lifetime (Shell) 1 ear

1 year Camera & Electronic ComponentsLocal service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only) Australia, Thailand Australia, ThailandOther features (max 15 words) Worlds only hands free hand held. Worlds only totally integrated Fire-Fighting

Worlds lightest Thermal Imaging Helmet incorporating TIC, SCBA, Camera Communications and Helmet

ManufacturerCamera ModelOriginManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC)Detector optionsBattery lifeAmbient temperature measurement availableSpot temperature availableIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency)Weight ready for use (kg)DimensionsWarranty

Local service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only)Other features

GB SOLO

E2V TechnologiesTel: +44 1245 453 443Fax: +44 1245 453 724Website: www.argusdirect.com

GB SoloTel: +44 1609 881 855Fax: +44 1609 881 103Website: www.gbsolo.co.uk

ISGTel: +44 1268 527 700Fax: +44 1268 527 799Website: www.isgfire.co.uk

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:11 pm Page 32

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Enquiries: [email protected]

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:11 pm Page 33

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ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

34

MANUFACTURER MINES SAFETY APPLIANCES MINES SAFETY APPLIANCES MINES SAFETY APPLIANCESCamera Model Evolution 5000 Evolution 4000 Evolution 3000Origin USA USA USAManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC) 2002 1999 1999Detector options 160x120 Microbolometer 320x240 Microbolometer BST focal plane array sensor technologyBattery life 2 Hours Nominal 1.5 Hours for 1 Battery 2 Hours nominal per battery

3 Hours for 2 BatteriesAmbient temperature measurement available No No NoSpot temperature available Optional Quick-Temp Indicator Optional Quick-Temp Indicator Optional Digital Direct TemperatureIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency) No – Direct Video Output via Optional (2458 / 2474 MHz) Optional (2458 / 2474 MHz)

SMA ConnectorWeight ready for use (kg) 1.4 2.7 2.6Dimensions 112mm x 205mm x 275mm 191mm x 215mm x 381mm 255mm x 191mm x 279mmWarranty Express Warranty – 1 year from Express Warranty – 1 year from date of Express Warranty – 1 year from

date of sale, not to exceed 18 months sale, not to exceed 18 months from date date of sale, not to exceed 18 monthsfrom date of manufacture, provided of manufacture, provided they are used from date of manufacture, provided they are used and maintained with and maintained with MSA’s instructions they are used and maintained withMSA’s instructions and/or and/or recommendations. Lifetime MSA’s instructions and/or recommendations warranty on TIC outer camera housing recommendations

Extended Service – at customers request Extended Service – at customers request Extended Service – at customers requestReplacement Parts – Warranted for 90 Replacement Parts – Warranted for 90 Replacement Parts – Warranted for 90days from date of repair of product or sale, days from date of repair of product or sale, days from date of repair of product or sale,whichever occurs first whichever occurs first whichever occurs first

Local service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only) No – USA Only No – USA Only No – USA Only

ManufacturerCamera ModelOriginManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC)Detector optionsBattery life

Ambient temperature measurement availableSpot temperature availableIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency)

Weight ready for use (kg)DimensionsWarranty

Local service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only)Other features

MSA

Manufacturer ISI ISICamera Model ISI Surveyor Navigator DigitalOrigin USA USAManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC) 1998 – Vision 3/2001 – Surveyor 1998 – Vision 3/2001 – Navigator Detector options Raytheon BST 300D Raytheon BST 300DBattery life Up to 2.45 hours Up to 1.45 hoursAmbient temperature measurement available No NoSpot temperature available Yes YesIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency) External/900MGz & 2.4GHz Internal/2.4GHzWeight ready for use (kg) 6 lbs 1 oz with battery 5 lbs 5 ozDimensions 7.25H x 6.6W x 13L 6.1H x 6.5W x 10LWarranty One year One yearLocal service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only) No NoOther features (max 15 words) Reverse polarity; Reverse polarity;

Videomix; pistol grip 2x zoom; pistol grip

ManufacturerCamera ModelOriginManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC)Detector optionsBattery lifeAmbient temperature measurement availableSpot temperature availableIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency)Weight ready for use (kg)DimensionsWarrantyLocal service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only)Other features

ISI

MANUFACTURER SCOTT HEALTH & SAFETY SCOTT HEALTH & SAFETYCamera Model Eagle Imager II Eagle Imager IOrigin USA USAManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC) 2000 1998Detector options Micobolometer – Vanadium Oxide BSTBattery life 2 Hours Non-Transmitting; 1.5 Hours 3 to 6 Hours depending on use of

Transmitting (lomger when stand-by stand-by modemode employed)

Ambient temperature measurement available N/A N/ASpot temperature available Equipped with radiometric on-screen N/A

digital temperature readoutIntegral video telemetry available (approved frequency) Yes YesWeight ready for use (kg) 2.26 2.6Dimensions 290mm x 210mm x 149mm 220mm x 158mm x 152mmWarranty 1 Year (Extended Warranty Available) 1 Year (Extended Warranty Available)Local service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only) No – USA Only No – USA OnlyOther features (max 15 words) Specifically designed for crawling, the Capable of withstanding the most

camera also features a unique palette rugged use, the camera features a large,colourisation of surfaces exceeding multi-positional LCD for maximum450°F (230°C) image detail

ManufacturerCamera ModelOriginManufacturers pedigree (year of first production TIC)Detector optionsBattery life

Ambient temperature measurement availableSpot temperature available

Integral video telemetry available (approved frequency)Weight ready for use (kg)DimensionsWarrantyLocal service centres available (Asia Pacific Countries Only)Other features

SCOTT HEALTH & SAFETY

International Safety Instruments Tel: +1 770 962 2552Fax: +1 770 963 2797Website: www.intsafety.com

MSA InternationalTel: +1 412 967 3354Fax: +1 412 967 3451

Scott Health & SafetyTel: +1 704 291 8408Fax: +1 704 291 8420Website: www.scottaviation.com

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:12 pm Page 34

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35

Enquiries: [email protected]

Enquiries: e2vtechnologies.com

APF p. 31-64 17/11/06 11:20 am Page 35

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Enquiries: www.detronics.com

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During the last decade, tunnel firesin Europe alone have caused 64deaths and 123 associated injuries.

As tunnels continue to handle more thantwice the vehicle traffic than originallyplanned for, the incidents of fire withinthese structures can be expected toincrease. Even more alarming are statis-tics that show that a higher portion ofvehicle fires in tunnels involve HGV’s(heavy goods vehicles). An analysis pub-lished last year by the Permanent Interna-tional Association of Road CongressTechnical Committee (PIARC), the worldadvisory body on roads, showed that therate of truck fires in tunnels was muchhigher than that of car fires. Before therecent Mount Blanc tunnel fire where 42people died, there were reported 12.9truck fires per 100 million vehicle kilo-meters compared with 1.5 car fires.2 Arecent research study by AIT (AllianceInternationale de Tourisme) in Genevaconcluded that 33% of European vehicletunnels are unsafe and lack adequatesafety and fire prevention means.3 Fireprotection in vehicular tunnels must beachieved through a composite of facilitydesign, operating equipment, hardware,software, subsystems and proceduresintegrated to provide the requirementsfor the protection of life and propertyfrom the results of fire. The level of firedetection and protection required for the

entire facility should be accomplished byintegrating the requirements developedthrough proven methodologies whoseoperating parameters have been tested,applied, and have successfully proventheir primary purpose of detection ofoverheat and fire. Studies of fire protec-tion for tunnels indicate that there arethree interdependent factors to be con-sidered. The first is the early detection ofoverheat or fire and the rapid transmis-sion of alarms to the proper authorities.The second is the response of appropriatefire fighting personnel with minimaldelay. The third is a matter of rescueoperations followed by extinguishmentand control. Where life is endangered byfire, effective rescue operations decreasesrapidly with any delay. Unless an effectivemeans of early warning and communica-tion is established, the reporting of fireand other emergencies, coincident withventilation control, may be of little valuein terms of lives saved.

The early warning of heat and firebecomes an important factor in the oper-ation of tunnels. During tunnel emergen-cies involving fire or the smoke, theproducts of combustion produces gasseswhich are potentially toxic or incapacitat-ing. During a fire, the intended purposeof emergency ventilation equipment is toprovide control of smoke mitigation anda means to purge smoke and supply a

fresh supply of air to the tunnel. It there-fore becomes critical to control smokeback layering and heat release rates afterthe onset of fire so that the ventilationsystem can become effective. While airvelocities in the range of 2.7 m/s must bemaintained to prevent back layering ofsmoke it becomes obvious that the timeinterval between the start of a fire andthe activation of the ventilation systembe minimized because hot smoke layerstypically will spread rapidly during the ini-tial 2 minutes of a fire. The early detectionand warning of fire should be a primaryconsideration in tunnel design. Unlessearly fire detection is provided, the mostsophisticated ventilation systems or theirempirical design data may be overworkedas energy release rates and flame doublingtimes increase. While some experts willargue that a well designed and well oper-ated ventilation system is the key to con-trolling smoke from tunnel fires, otherspoint out that ventilation systems can fanfires by supplying oxygen to fires, as therecent Mount Blanc disaster illustrated.

Of the available fire and heat detectiondevices for industrial uses, includingsmoke detection, optical detection, inci-dent detection, the most promisingmethod of providing the early warningand annunciation of overheat of fire in atunnel is with linear heat detection tech-nology. Linear heat detectors are reliable,cost effective, impervious to tunnel envi-ronments including CO, dirt, dust, EMI,and periodic tunnel washings and areable to monitor long lengths of a tunnelwith an infinite number of alarm pointsalong its length. Linear heat detectors aretypically used where other types of detec-tors would be unsuitable which has madetheir use in tunnel environments moreacceptable. Since the introduction of lin-ear heat detection technology over 60years ago, line heat detection hasreplaced other means of fire protectionfor many hazards. Major applications for

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37

Shi Huang Tunnel. Picture courtesy ofEternit Asia

Fire DetectionSystems inRoad Tunnels by Bill Eppich

FIRE IN A TUNNEL is unquestionably the most feared risk which couldhappen to a tunnel operator, not only in terms of the potential for cata-strophic damage, but in terms of the risk of life. As illogical as it mayseem, traveling in a tunnel conjures up in ones mind primal fears aboutentering an abyss of the unknown. Popular opinion has it that at least 15%of an educated public would avoid using a tunnel if an alternate routewould be available. Should a disaster occur, there are very few options forescape compared to a surface disaster. This is why architects of tunnelstructures should go to almost inordinate lengths to put safety and preven-tion of disasters at the forefront of tunnel design. There is a lot of equip-ment, procedures, attention and resources to look after a few kilometers ofroadway which on the surface, does not rate much attention.1

Fire DetectionSystems inRoad Tunnels

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line heat detectors have included: con-veyor systems, cable trays, dust collectors,cooling towers, pipelines, fuel distributionterminals, mines, off shore platforms,tank farms, refrigerated storage, a widevariety of industrial and power plant sys-tems., and more recently, vehicular tun-nels. The distinct advantage to linear heatdetectors is the ability to place the detec-tor in direct contact with or in closeproximity to the area or equipment beingprotected, or to monitor long lengths ofareas in a single detection zone. It is thisapplication flexibility that makes lineardetection so desirable where other typesof detection technology would not beapplicable. Depending on the responsetime of the detector, many classes ofeventual fires may be detected longbefore the incipient stages of the firebecome uncontrolled.

TYPES OF LINE HEAT DETECTORSThere are various types of linear heatdetectors currently used in vehicle tunnelsaround the world. An overview of the vari-ous systems available will allow an under-standing of the types and why thesesystems are well suited for this application:

THERMISTOR TYPEThe sensor consists of a center conductorsurrounded by a ceramic metal-oxide coreand enclosed in a metal sheath. As theambient temperature increases, electricalimpedance between the center conductorand outer shell decreases. The impedancechange is measured across the center wireand sheath and is converted to a tempera-ture indication by a control panel. For thesystem to work properly at least 30 cm ofthe wire must be heated by a higher thanambient temperature. Even then, it tends todetect high temperatures on short lengthsof wire and lesser temperatures over longlengths. Because of its temperature averag-ing characteristics, an allowance must bemade for variations from actual tempera-ture of as much as 30 degrees or 6% of thereported temperature, whichever is greater.The averaging, or integration of the cablescharacteristics creates slower response timesto rapid increases in ambient temperatures.

ANALOG INTEGRATING TYPEThis is a sensor cable consisting of fourwires, two of which are coated with a

negative temperature coefficient materialto measure resistance changes which areconverted to an electrical by a specialinterface module. The other two wiresmonitor continuity and report a troublesignal if disconnected in any way. Theinterface module in turn triggers analarm or trouble condition through aconventional control panel. With thisdetector the alarm point is the directresult of the length of the detector thatmust be heated and the ambient temper-ature of the area. A chart (Nomogram) isprovided on which those two points areplotted to determine the temperature atwhich an alarm will occur, and to selectone of twelve alarm trip switch positions(sensitivities) should be programmed tothe control panel. Should the maximumambient temperature change (a strongpossibility in some hazards), the switchmust be reset, and a new alarm point setas indicated by the Nomogram. The sen-sor is activated only when the alarm tem-perature indicated on the chart is presentover a major portion of the line length, ora significantly higher temperature isreached at a single location. Since eitherof these situations requires a considerablefire, the system response time is slowerthan other types of linear heat detectors.

DIGITAL TYPEThis sensor is made of two spring steelconductors – each coated with a thermo-plastic material, which is compounded to

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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Damansara Tunnel. Picture courtesy ofEternit Asia

Enquiries: www.promat-ap.com

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● Integrity/insulation in accordancewith the criteria of local building standards

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When driving through a tunnel, does it ever occur to you to ask what would happen if afire occurred within the tunnel? Over recent years, all too many lives have been lost asa result of major fires within tunnels, not only this aspect of life safety requiresconsideration, how about the economic losses resulting from extended closure oftunnels etc.

For these reasons, more and more designers of tunnels and underground spaces areincorporating protection for the structural elements against fire risks.

For all your fire protection needs in tunnels, Promat recommend PROMATECT®-H withsystems which will help to solve your problem.

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disintegrate at a specific temperature.Upon reaching a predetermined alarmpoint, the heat sensitive insulation meltsand inner conductors create the alarmpoint. Various alarm temperatures areavailable to cover a wide range of useableambient temperature conditions. Thissensor is available with a variety of outerinsulation’s to suit the various environ-ments in which it is used includingwaterproof, flame retardant and corrosiveresistant coatings. Since single zones ofthis sensor may be as long as 1,070meters, a display meter is employed in thecontrol panel to indicate the exact loca-tion of any alarm. Response Time Index(RTI) of a digital sensor is typically in theorder of 38 which accounts for its fastresponse and accuracy to localized over-heat and fire. Digital sensors provide aknown alarm point anywhere along itsentire length. If the sensor is damaged byaccident, or if a fire occurs, all that isrequired to restore and reactivate the sys-tem is to splice a new piece of wire in theline to replace the damaged area. Digitalsensors have been in widespread use inindustry for over 60 years.

FIBER OPTIC TYPESFiber Optic line heat sensors have beenintroduced within the past few yearsunder various names and operating prin-ciples. Most notable is the Optical TimeDomain Reflectometry (OTDR) type whichoperates on a back scattering percentageof light principle along it’s length. Thesensor constructed of a length of smalldiameter optical fiber with a light sourcegenerated by a laser diode at one end.After the length of cable is initializedalong its length to establish the percent-age of reflected light based on theReyleigh theory, the cable establishes anormal, no fire signature. When the cableis heated the fiber optic strand is com-pressed and micro bending occurs. Theamount of compression will be deter-mined by the amount of heat applied andwill cause varying degrees of reducedlight reflected back to the receiver.Reflected light contains minute levels oflight energy according to the theory ofRaman Scattering which theoreticallywould allow the temperature of the heatsource to be indicated and reflected backto the control processor. The amount orpercentage of reflected light determinesthe severity of the fire while distance tothe overheat may be computed by lightvelocity versus time formulas. The con-cern that surrounds fiber optic cables foruse in industry or similar aggressive envi-ronments is the ability to withstandrough use and handling. While it hasbeen suggested that stainless steel tubingmay be used to enclose the optical cable,the transconductance of the steel tubingwhich acts as a heat sink must be consid-ered as delaying the response times of thedetector. The current high cost of micro-processor based control units will initiallymake the system rather expensive for

applications where conventional linearheat detection systems are as suitable.More development will be required forfiber optic line heat detectors before theiruse can be justified for long term employ-ment in industry with justifiable costs.

FUSIBLE OPTICAL FIBER TYPESThis sensor has an optical strand sur-rounded by a fusible metal cladding.After initialization from a diode laser toestablish normal reflected light patterns,the cable changes characteristics whenheated. Any disturbance of the integrityof the core/cladding interface reduces thetransmittance of the fiber. Since thedetector operates by sensing loss oftransmittance caused by fusion of thecore due to heat effects at specific tem-peratures, it is referred to as a fusibleoptic device. When heated, the claddingsurrounding the optical strand melts and

allows light to escape thereby reducingthe reflected pattern back to the receiverwhich may be interpreted as a loss of sig-nal or fire. Outer jackets are available tomeasure extremely high temperatures atlong lengths, or moderate temperatures atshort lengths. The difficulties inherentwith splicing fiber optic cables after anoverheat or fire have limited its use unlesscomplete replacement of the loop is made.

INTEGRATED CIRCUIT TYPESAnother type of linear heat sensor usesintegrated semiconductor circuits asnumerous measuring points, connectedby only a single bus cable. Sensor circuits(hybrids) are integrated in certain inter-vals (e.g. 1.0m, 4.0m, 16.0m) within arobust cable or small diameter aluminumtube. Each sensor consists of an address-able integrated circuit and a semiconduc-tor temperature measuring element. Up

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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Protectowire, the world’s first and most advanced linear heat

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cable trays, conveyors to warehouses. With our speedy,

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Call for your free specification disk today.

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The Protectowire Company, Inc.P.O. Box 200 Hanover, MA 02339Tel: 781-826-3878Fax: 781-826-2045

www.protectowire.com

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:13 pm Page 39

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ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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Enquiries: www.chemetron.com

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to 1024 measuring points could be con-figured, each with an individual address.Essentially, the detector is a series of spotdetectors connected in a continuouslength. The transmission of data is donein analog form as the sensors provide animpressed current of about 200-400 m-Amps which is proportional to the tem-perature. Current is measured by a controlunit and converted by software to tem-perature values, while control algorithmssupply sensors with power, addresses,temperature calculations, and value com-parisons to determine various tempera-ture profiles. Individual sensors may bepreset to report temperature differencesanywhere along its length.

PNEUMATIC TYPEPneumatic type heat sensors operate onthe principle of gas expansion in a smallsealed copper tube that is connected to adiaphragm monitoring device and capil-lary tubes. The pressure in the sensortube rises and creates a pressure differen-tial at the capillary tube if in case the firethere is a sudden rise in temperature inthe monitored area. This pressure differ-ence is checked by a diaphragm releasingthe alarm via an electric contact whenthe alarm limit is reached. In view of con-ditions encountered with aggressive en-vironments, ambient heat, atmosphericconditions, frequent diaphragm replace-ment, and regular maintenance, thedetector is generally limited to zonelengths up to 80 meters, with adiaphragm monitor required for eachzone. These systems may be generallyfound in Europe but have seen limiteduse outside the EU.

CONCLUSIONSThe recent trend for tunnel designershave placed emphasis on the integrationof various subsystems within the tunnelinto a common computer controlled sys-tem and user interface. In addition toplant monitoring, environmental control,communications, traffic control, andemergency operations, fire detection hasbecome an important consideration intunnel design. Recent tunnel fire tests inItaly and Norway have concluded

successful results with integrated safetysystems where CO, NO, temperature airvelocity, opacity monitoring and linearheat detection technology may be com-bined into a single subsystem for inputto a SCADA system. The latest edition ofNFPA 502, Standard for Road Tunnels,Bridges and Other Limited Access High-ways, requires at least two systems todetect, identify, or locate a fire in a tun-nel, including one manual means.4 Auto-matic fire alarm systems become anintegral part of these subsystems toextend the life safety requirements of thetunnel by providing an early warning andlocation of fires. While fire detection sys-tems for use in tunnels in the past havebeen considered as a “compliance trade”or “necessary evil”, that is, unless requiredor mandated, they have been overlookedprimarily due to a lack of understandingof their operating parameters. The firescience community is striving to educatetunnel designers and end-users aroundthe world as to the benefits of these sys-tems being part of their integrated sub-systems. As new technologies in firedetection continually emerge, these sys-tems will enhance safety for both thenormal operational environment andemergency situations with particularemphasis on fire safety.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS1. Howe, Peter, Cegelec Australia – 2nd

International Tunnel Conference,Amsterdam, March 1997

2. Reference www.newscientist.com, Archive19 – June 1999

3. Reference www.aitgva.ch4. National Fire Protection Association,

NFPA 502, Standard for Road Tunnels,Bridges, and Other Limited AccessHighways.

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Bill Eppich is Manager of Special Haz-ards Engineering for the ProtectowireCompany Inc. in Boston. He serves onthe Technical Committees for NFPA513- Motor Freight Terminals, NFPA520- Subterranean Spaces, and isSecretary of NFPA 502- Standard forRoad Tunnels, Bridges, and OtherLimited Access Highways.

Picture courtesy of The ProtectowireCompany, Inc.

Enquiries: www.securiton.ch

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Surveys that have been conductedon houses following the aftermathof wildland fires have identified

three modes in which houses may beattacked.

(a) Burning debris lodging on com-bustible material

(b) Radiant heat from the fire front(c) Direct flame impingement.

Burning debris or embers (also calledbrands or firebrands) are fragments ofcombustible materials, which are loftedupwards through the fire plume andpropagated by the prevailing winds.Due to their extensive means of trans-port from the fire source, burningdebris can attack buildings some timebefore and for many hours after the firefront passed, and is considered the majorsource of ignition of buildings during awildland fire. Buildings that survive thefire front have been known to subse-quently burn down some hours after dueto fire initiated by burning debris.

High radiation levels from the flame

front usually last only several minutes asit passes the building. Ignition of com-bustibles that occur via exposure to theimposed radiant heat is considered as‘spontaneous’ or unpiloted ignition. Inaddition to the flame front, significantcombustibles adjacent to the buildingmay also become a fire source. Theseinclude adjacent buildings and externalstructures such as decks and sheds.

Combustibles located close to thebuilding may be ignited by burningdebris or from the imposed radiationfrom the flame front. If the com-bustible is sufficiently close to thebuilding, direct flame contact with thebuilding may occur. However, there islittle evidence of actual direct flamecontact to be found in the surveys thatwere conducted.

Resisting ember attacksEmbers cause ignition by being in con-tact with combustible materials. Theareas where this can occur include win-dow and door sills, timber decking or in

junctions next to vertical combustibleconstruction such as stumps, post andwall cladding. Embers accumulated ingutters may ignite adjoining construc-tion such as roof battens, fascia boardsor rafters. Vertical elements require pro-tection against embers near the base ofany horizontal projections on whichembers can accumulate. Horizontal ele-ments will require protection over allareas that can contain embers.

The second means of ignition byembers is through the break-ing of glazed windows. A sim-ple means of protection fromthis form of ember attack isby the use of metal mesh orexternal shutters. The meshshould be able to filter outthe smallest projectile size

that is capable of causing windowbreakage. However, it should also besufficiently fine to not allow debris toaccumulate and develop a hot spotthat may cause localised failure of theglazing. Internal mesh screens can alsoprovide a level of protection if a win-dow breaks if they remain in place.

The use of metal mesh, however,may significantly affect the amenity ofoccupants and glass, with a reasonableresistance to the impact of debris, maybe a more acceptable solution.

Resisting radiant heatWindows and other openings are themost likely means through which radia-tion can penetrate and ignite com-bustibles in the building. Windowglazing possesses some radiation block-age but are vulnerable to breakageunder the imposed heat. The followingare potential means to reduce the like-lihood of window breakage againstradiation but further work is requiredto quantify the performance of theseelements:■ Double glazing■ Toughened glass■ Laminated glass■ Fire resistant glass■ Window shutters

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An aerial view of a wildland fire affected region. Note the extent of fire spread halted byseparation provided by roads and vegetation clearance around the houses. Six of thehouses (D1, E0, E2, I1, I3 and I5) along Cross St in the direct path of the fire werecompletely destroyed. (Inset shows burnt vegetation)

by Leong Poon

H9I1

I3I5

E2E0

D1C5

Building Considerations in Wildland Fire Prone Areas

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The systems would also be expectedto have improved resistance againstwindow breakage from debris/emberattack.

Resisting flame impingementThe effects of severe fire exposureincluding flame impingement are diffi-cult to quantify. Based on studies car-ried out at Warrington Fire Research(Australia), a 30-minute fire resistancelevel has been recommended for con-struction materials to withstand theflame front from high intensity forestfires. AS 1530.4 is presently beingrevised to include options to exposeelements to radiant heat flux.

Holistic approach to wildlandfire safetySite AssessmentThe occurrence of wildland fires inareas where it has the greatest pro-pensity to threaten buildings and its

occupants is in the interface area wherethe urban construction borders withwildland vegetation. The extent ofprotection required depends upon anumber of factors but mainly on theamount and type of vegetation and theproximity to the vegetation. A sec-ondary issue is the proximity of adja-cent buildings or construction thatwhen alight may pose a greater threatthan the effects of a wildland fire. Inurban dwellings, an adjacent buildingmay only be 1.8m or less away.

Site Planning An important consideration whenbuilding in wildland fire prone areas ischoosing a location where the hazardsfrom the effects of a wildland fire isminimized. Considerations relating tosite planning in a wildland fire pronearea include the following:■ The separation distance between the

building and the vegetation.■ Construction that may become

potential ignition sources.■ Slope of the land (avoid top of

slopes).■ Prevailing winds (avoid leeward side

of vegetation).■ Access to building (more than one

path for occupant access, adequatewidths for fire-fighting appliances).

Fuel ManagementFuel management essentially involvesthe control of vegetation such thatthere is an area of ‘defensible space’(see NFPA 299). The extent of fuelreduction required will depend uponthe site conditions. In general, mea-sures should include treating groundfuel (eg mulching), clearing dead vege-tation, pruning live vegetation andreducing height of intermediate vege-tation or ladder fuels as part of a fuelmanagement strategy.

Site MaintenanceMaintenance of the site is important toensure that the strategies that havebeen identified and implemented inproviding a measured level of defenceagainst wildland fire attacks will beavailable when the need arises.

EvacuationThe issue of evacuation is not straight-forward and the decision to stay withthe house or evacuate is not readilyresolved. There are three broad cate-gories of actions:(a) Evacuate early(b) Evacuate late(c) Do not evacuate

The decision to evacuate does notnecessarily mean that the risk to wildlandfire attacks is reduced. Late evacuations

can lead to congestion in the roads andpossibly entrapment by the effects ofwildland fires. Occupants should acquiresufficient information in order to be wellinformed in deciding on an appropriateescape route. The choice to evacuateshould be based upon giving priority ofsaving lives over property. Only if occu-pants believe that adequate means havebeen put in place to ensure survivalthrough the wildland fire attack shouldthe decision be made to stay.

Fire FightingReliance on fire fighting is usually placedupon country-based fire-fighting ser-vices. However, providing a water supplyfor occupant fire fighting purposes canenhance the chances of surviving thewildland fire. In particular, connecting tohand-held hoses is useful to:(a) wetting the surface of combustible

materials (walls, roofs, decks) toreduce the risk of ignition, and

(b) extinguish spot fires before, duringand after the passage of the fire front.

Observations from wildlandfire investigationsThe observations made in a recentwildland fire substantiates the findingsthat ignition of houses that weredestroyed were likely to be from burn-ing brands (gaining access either fromcrevices or through broken glazing).

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Houses adjacent to the destroyed housewith light trimmings still intact. Many of thehouses that were destroyed have adjacenthouses that were left virtually intact. Inother words, the houses were eithercompletely destroyed or suffered minordamage. Where houses were completelydestroyed, firefighting activities were eithernot available or not successful.

The gutted building had 5mm steel meshover its windows. It is likely that the meshwould have prevented burning brandsfrom gaining access through the windows.It is therefore suspected that access wasgained through the crevices in the roof.

The outdoor furniture consisting of a benchand a table at the rear of a destroyedhouse were left essentially intact.

Leong Poon Ph.D is the ResearchManager of Warrington Fire

Research (Australia). His areas of interest include fire development,occupant behaviour and structural

behaviour.

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:15 pm Page 43

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The innovations continue...

More efficient, more effective firefightingfrom Hale Products Europe

World Series Pump Modular SystemMulti-pressure pump now available with -● Gearbox● Integrated CAFS● Control Panel -

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For details of your local distributor please contact:

Enquiries: www.haleeurope.com

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:15 pm Page 44

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If you have not investigated thepotential impact of CAFS on yourfire operations and firefighter safety,

the level of service provided to thecommunity could be cut short. That isdue to the fact that Class A foam and CAFS are current technologies that have shown significant capabilityto reduce fire loss and increase fire-fighter safety during manual firecombat.

While structure fires of all types arelikely to cause the largest dollar loss inyour community, residential dwellings— the “bread and butter” of fire opera-tions — statistically remain the leadingfirefighter fatality and injury hazard inthe United States. Using Class A foamand CAFS correctly can assist in thereduction of firefighter injuries byreducing fireground exposure to thehostile fire environment of heat andtoxic products of combustion.

Here are the results of one writtensurvey of brigades that currently useClass A Foam and CAFS in fireoperations:

. . . Please list and briefly explain thepositive effects you have found ofusing Class A foam and CAFS in fireoperations.

● Quicker knockdown of structure fires.● Quicker reduction of heat – cooler

environment.

● Much greater knockdown of fire,ideal for exposure protection.

● Less overhaul mop-up.● [Gives us] confidence in leaving the

scene.● Less exposure for firefighters to haz-

ards of firefighting.● Excellent exposure protection – long

and short term.● Reduction in firefighter fatigue due

to reduced suppression time andeffort.

● Less water needed . . .

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

45

Picture courtesy of Hale Products, Inc.

Picture courtesy of Hale Products, Inc.

Compressed Air Foam Systems

Compressed Air Foam Systemsby Dominic J. Colletti

AS DIFFICULT AS IT IS to observe grass grow, it is likewise difficult to spotemerging trends in the fire service. One emerging trend is the use of ClassA foam and Compressed Air Foam Systems (CAFS) to fight all sorts ofordinary combustible materials including structural fires.

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To summarize field experiences ofusing Class A foam and CAFS in firesuppression, we find that flaming com-bustion is stopped quickly, overhaultimes are reduced and exposure protec-tion applications become more effi-cient. Since the fire threat is stopped inless time, firefighter stress and propertydamage are reduced. With less totalwater supply being used to extiguish astructure fire, damage to building con-tents away from the immediate firearea is lessened.

What is Class A foam and how doesit work? Class A foam concentrate, pur-chased from the manufacturer in eitherfive or 55-gallon containers, is made tobe diluted with water and applied onordinary combustible fuels. Originallyused in forestry firefighting, it wasdeveloped in Canada during the early1980s. After its introduction, forestryfirefighters found exposure protectionapplications for the product on homessituated in the wildland/urban inter-face. Trial and error testing by fireinstructors also indicated that it workedwell for direct fire attack on other com-mon materials (besides foliage) includ-ing those encountered in structurefirefighting. This includes deep seatedhay bales, coal silos and automobiletires.

Class A foam concentrate is classifiedas a synthetic detergent hydrocarbonsurfactant and is similar to a triplestrength dish detergent. Its componentsreduce water’s high surface tension toeffectively make water penetrate thecrevices found on fuel surfaces. Addi-tionally, it contains foaming agentsthat create bubbles when the foamsolution is agitated with air. The bub-bles created keep the water containedwithin them in contact with verticalsurfaces to provide efficient fuel cool-ing. Class A foam clings to fuels insteadof rolling off, preventing the fireground

water waste associated with conven-tional water fire streams.

In structure firefighting applications,Class A foam works well when appliedon burning synthetic fuels associatedwith interior furnishings and finishes(such as foam chair padding). Thesesynthetic fuels are hydrocarbon basedand give off much higher rates of heatrelease and burn at higher temperaturesthan their non-synthetic counterparts.As they undergo pyrolysis, flammablegases distilling from these syntheticmaterials increase flashover potentialfor firefighters inside a compartmentinvolved in rescue or suppression activi-ties. The benefit for initial attack teamsis that Class A foam provides the extrapunch needed to knockdown andsecure high-challenge synthetic burn-ing materials.

What is stopping your brigade fromtaking the required steps to invest inClass A foam and CAFS? Do decision-makers perceive Class A foam concen-trate to be expensive and difficult tomix and apply? Do they think that it issimilar to Class B (flammable liquid)foam? Do they believe that CAFSequipment is too costly and is notneeded? What may seem intuitivelytrue in theory is not always so inpractice.

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

46

Picture courtesy of Hale Europe

Picture courtesy of Hale Products, Inc.

Compressed Air Foam Systems

Compressed Air Foam Systems

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:16 pm Page 46

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Today, new technology built intofoam proportioning hardware has madeClass A foam application easy, accurateand more cost-effective than everbefore. The initial investment ofacquiring foam concentrate,foam hardware and depart-ment training must beweighed against the benefitsthey provide. That’s right,foam equipment is an invest-ment. When costs such asClass A foam concentrate andCAFS hardware can be provento turn a yield, they are nolonger an expense, but rather aninvestment. Class A foam andCAFS technology makes goodeconomic sense for your com-munity because it reducesproperty damage and increasesfirefighter safety.

COMPRESSED AIR FOAMSYSTEMSThe most effective delivery systemavailable today to generate Class Afoam is a CAFS.

Simply, a pumper equipped with aCAFS contains a high-volume air com-pressor (50- to 200-cubic feet perminute in size) integrated with a foamproportioning system and the normalcentrifugal fire pump.

In a CAFS, compressed air is injectedinto foam solution in the apparatus

piping, prior to discharge into thehoseline. Finished foam is dischargedinto the fire hose or fixed master

stream appliance. The features of usingCAFS, over using standard branchesand foam nozzles to generate finished-foam, include higher quality finished-foam production, lightweight hoselines, increased fire stream dischargedistance and finished-foam consiten-cies that range from “milky” wet to

“shaving cream” dry. The benefits forthe fire officer are increased flameknockdown capability from a limited

water supply, betterexposure protection,less fatigue fromlightweight CAFShoses (hoselines arefilled with a partialvolume of air) andincreased foamstream penetrationinto burning struc-tures to reach thecore of the fire.

The potential of CAFSused with Class A foam offers

the ability to deliver large quantitiesof agent over long distances with theabsolute minumum manpower toattack structural fires that previouslyrequired massive tactical operations.

So what results can you expect fromClass A Foam and CAFS in your firedistrict?

Initial attack time should be reducedon most fires. For those fires which arenot knocked down with the initialattack, susutained combat time shouldbe reduced. Overhaul and mop-uptimes for all fires should be reduced.

Implementing CAFS can significantlyimprove your fire suppression capabil-ity. If you are considering a new fireengine, and plan on keeping it in ser-vice for some time (10 to 20-years), itmakes sense to install the best technol-ogy currently available and implementa brigade-wide training and educationprogram. If a fire engine is deliveredtoday without a CAFS installed, it istechnologically obsolete.

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

47

Dominic J. Colletti is the director ofsales at Hale Products Inc. and isan author and fire instructor. Forover a 15 years, Dominic hasfocused his efforts in researchingthe best Class A foam and CAFSapplication techniques. Dominichas authored Class A Foam—BestPractice For Structure Firefighters, abook that contains real-world datafrom brigades using Class A foamand CAFS in firefighting opera-tions. The book is available throughthe author.

Picture courtesy of Hale Europe

Picture courtesy of Hale Products, Inc.

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:16 pm Page 47

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ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

48

Enquiries: www.waterousco.com

Enquiries: www.lukas.de

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

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APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:16 pm Page 48

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Picture courtesy of Zumro b.v.

The use of lifting bags is a topic,which needs more explanation.There are several kinds of lifting

bags in use today and they all have theirown advantages or specific usage tech-niques. Certain characteristics howevermust be applied to each lifting bag. Solet’s have a look at each of the liftingbag types and their specific usage.

1. Low-pressure bags 1⁄2 or 1-bar types,cylindrical or square type shapes.

2. Mattress types with fibers betweentop and bottom for stability.

3. 8 bar high-pressure pillow type.4. New Technology 10 bar spherical

shape connectable type.

These are the known types of liftingbags. Let us go through the specific useof each type of bag.

1 LOW PRESSURE BAGS 1⁄2 or 1 bar cylinder type or squarebagsIn general low-pressure bags are mainlyused for recovery. Why? Let’s first lookat their construction. The sidewall is areinforced (mostly by nylon fiber) rubber

mat, which is glued together like acylinder. Then the top and the bottomrubber mats are glued to the cylinderand there are belts between the top andthe bottom. The belt functions are togive stability when fully erected.

The square types are basically of thesame construction, but claim more sta-bility through their square bottom mat.Both can have an extra-glued mat ontop or bottom to give a good resistanceagainst puncturing. Both types are rela-tively stable when fully inflated and atmaximum inflation height.

As said they are mainly bought forrecovery. Why? As there maximum pres-sure is only 1⁄2 bar. This means 1⁄2 kg/cm2.They can lift a bus or lorry with veryweak sidewall construction withoutdamage, by spreading the lifting loadover a wide area. These vehicles usuallyhave big surfaces so enough force canbe generated to lift the vehicle in orderto put it back on its wheels. In order toput a vehicle back on its wheels youhave to move it through an arc.

This is possible as the bags are veryflimsy and they can follow the arc until

they reach their maximum lift.There are 2 important factors to realize:

(a) You are using a pressure of a 1⁄2 bar(1⁄2 kg/cm2). In order to reach 6 tonslift capacity you therefore need anarea of 12000 cm2 that is approx.110x110 cm or a diameter of 124 cm.

(b) The bags provide no stability untilthey reach their full inflation.

From the above you can concludealready that you cannot use these bagsto lift a heavy load in a small area. Ifonly a small contact area is availableyou cannot lift. This is why you need ahigh-pressure bag or a hydraulic cylin-der. More on this issue later!

2 MATTRESS TYPES WITH FIBERS ETC.The fibers between the top and bottomare there to provide more stability.

This again is only achieved when fullyinflated. You then inflate mattress bymattress in order to reach the requiredheight. Of course the mattresses areglued together which means they areheavy and relatively expensive andtherefore only used in aircraft recovery.Again you need a big surface area inorder to reach the required lifting force.

3 CONVENTIONAL 8 BAR BAGS8kg/cm2 pillow typesFirst let us look at the construction ofthese bags. You take a square or right-angled piece of material that does notglue together under pressure or heat.

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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by Dennis Beck

THE PROPER USE OF RESCUE LIFTING BAGS is essential for saving lives ataccidents. Not only at road accidents, when using bags to stabilize vehiclesbut also when buildings have collapsed due to earthquakes when the bagscan be inserted in hard-to-reach places in order to save lives or free corpsesfrom the rubble. In order to achieve the lifting height you desire, it is necessaryto create a stable column of bags to gain lifting height.

The use of heavy-dutylifting and stabilization

equipment on lorries and specialized cutting

gear for extrication

The use of heavy-dutylifting and stabilization

equipment on lorries and specialized cutting

gear for extrication

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:17 pm Page 49

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Then you take strips or a mat of rubber and cover the firstmaterial on both sides. Then a mat of woven fibers or steelwire is folded over this rubber mat. This will be covered withrubber. You then put an inlet in. Then you put it in a mouldand vulcanize it under pressure.

The industry typically looks for a 25 ton or 50 ton bag.Many people think that they can lift 25 tons with a 25 tonsbag, which is a complete misunderstanding. With a 25 tons bagyou only can lift a much smaller load. Why? It is important torealize that if you have a flat mat and you inflate it, the shapechanges as you go from a flat mat to a round pillow shape.

Of course the round shape can only be obtained in themiddle. As soon as you start to inflate the bag the cornerscannot follow the deformation. What does this mean? Theresult is that the working surface will rapidly become smalleruntil you only have a very small spot left over. This means noforce remains.

If you have a 25 tons bag and you lift 5 tons you can onlylift 22 cm. If you need to lift this further, you need a muchbigger bag or 2 of the same type on top of each other. This iswhere the problem starts. If you put two pillows on top ofeach other they are not going to be very stable. There is oneother factor. Almost every load that you lift describes an arc.For example, think of lifting a concrete plate.

As you lift the plate, the two pillows will start to rotate andthey are no longer in the center of each other. Finally they willpop out.

Another example is lifting a heavy load with a small liftingarea, for instance, the differential of a lorry.

You first need to create a platform under the axle in orderto increase the lifting area. In between you place the liftingbag, or if you dare 2 bags. Then you inflate the bag(s). Youstill have a very limited lifting height (depending on the size ofyour bag(s)) and a very instable lifting device. Of course anylift needs to be cribbed or stabilized. But more on this issuelater. Because of the above-described operational hazards,these bags are only used as a last resource by most firebrigades. Therefore they are not popular with most firefighters.

4 NEW TECHNOLOGY 10 BAR CONNECTABLE TYPESThese newly developed bags were initiated as a pneumatic lift-ing system that could incorporate the advantages of both lowand high pressure lifting bags in one system. How has thisbeen accomplished? First of all, the manufacturer wanted tohave a stable flat surface. Secondly, the shape should becircular so that there is no loss of surface area. Thirdly, thebags should be connectable, to each other in order to create acolumn, and to other items of equipment.

These requirements were achieved by making the bagsspherical in shape with integral metal plates on top andbottom, fitted with threaded connectors.

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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Picture courtesy of Zumro b.v.

Enquiries: www.zumro.nl.com

we innovate with you!

are you innovative?

Conventional Bags

UNSTABLE

NT ResQ Bags

STABLE

Zumro B.V., Meer en Duin 82/P.O. Box 215,2160 AE Lisse, the Netherlands

Tel. : +31 (0)252 - 419002. Fax : +31 (0)252 - 411794

The NT ResQ-Bag™, and all other products in the Res Q program, are supplied to you throughout our carefully selected dealer organizations, assuring you of expert service and assistance. Res Q is a trade mark of Zumro B.V., a Dutch corporation with over 25 years of experience in the development,

refinement and application of emergency products.

www.zumro.nle-mail: [email protected]

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:17 pm Page 50

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And so a whole new concept of lift-ing bags was created.

As you can see the New Technologybags can lift heavy loads with a smallarea, by connecting a point load plate.The point load plate is a solid steel platethat can be connected to the integralmetal plate of the bag.

They can achieve almost any liftingheight by connecting several lifting bagstogether, forming a stable column.

As they have a given minimum areaon top (a metal plate) they always havea remaining minimum force, which alsogives them a stable footprint to providestability (no chance for rotation). Theycan be used as recovery bags by onlyinflating the top one to 1⁄2 bar and lift-ing with the remaining bags.

For any specific situation, you need amuch smaller number of bags, and there is no need for oversized bags, asthe NT bags are connectable. They areavailable in three sizes: 23, 58 and 132 tons.

CRIBBING AND STABILIZATION

As every rescuer knows, every lifted loadshould be cribbed and stabilized. This isa basic safety rule.

What is available on the market? Informer days rescuers used wood forcribbing. But this is bulky, heavy andtroublesome. Now most rescuers workwith recycled plastic cribbing material(polyethylene). This is lighter; it doesnot absorb water or chemicals and hasno splinters. The function remains thesame. Most important with cribbingmaterials is the ability to stabilize the

load through almost every centimeter ofvertical movement.

For stabilization with higher orgreater distance, you need stabilizationjacks. These can be anchored into theground or at the bottom and the top.When fastening to any object in ordervehicles, pieces of concrete, trains etccan be stabilized. The stabilization jacksare made of three telescopic sections,which can slide inside each other andcan be fixed every 5 cm. This enablesthe rescuer to work steadily and easilyto free victims.

SPECIALIZED CUTTING GEAR FOR EXTRICATION

In confined spaces rescues you oftenneed a small cutter to free the victim.This type of cutter should be capable of

imitating your wrist by means of articu-lation. Then it can be used in places abigger cutter cannot reach. Such anarticulated cutter should also have thecapability to cut without impact,because you need to cut at close dis-tance of the victim. Impact-free meansthat when you cut a piece of materialthe free pieces will not shoot away withgreat force.

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

51

During the past 10 years, Dennishas gained extensive internationalexperiences in the field of rescueequipment due to the many courseshe gives to firefighters. He thereforebecame a specialist in the utilizationof this special type of equipmentand their appropriate techniques.

Picture courtesy of Zumro b.v.

Enquiries: www.holmatro.com

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:17 pm Page 51

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again EST has revolu-

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APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:18 pm Page 52

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This predicament leads to a largenumber of ‘unwanted alarms’. Anunwanted alarm is defined as an

alarm generated by an incident that hasproduced enough smoke or heat or sim-ilar to activate the fire detector but doesnot pose a threat to occupants. Somecommon examples include burningtoast, cigarette smoke, and showersteam. Unwanted alarms consume FireBrigade resources, result in down timeand lost revenue for the building occu-pants, create occupant indifference toreal alarms, cause unnecessary stress,and tarnish the reputation of the FireDetection industry.

Unwanted alarms can be caused by:Incorrect detector selection – thesensing element of the detector selecteddoes not match the risk. For example, asmoke detector will be activated by thenormal activities within a kitchen.Detector location – the correct typeof detector is selected, however, it maybe installed too close to a potentialsource of unwanted alarms. For exam-ple, a smoke detector in an apartmentshould not be located near the cookingfacilities.

Detector sensitivity – the sensitivitysetting of the detector is not set at alevel that compensates for the ambientconditions. For example, a heat detectorin the roof space of a building should

have a lower sensitivity than that of aheat detector on the ceiling of the samebuilding.Untimely system maintenance –smoke detectors can become contami-nated over time with dust and dirt. Atsome point the contamination willcause an unwanted alarm, this can be avoided by regular maintenanceroutines. System reaction time – the activa-tion time of an automatic system isgenerally between 3-10 seconds fromthe time the detector’s sensitivity is

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

53

Picture courtesy of Ampac Technologies PTY. Ltd.

Picture courtesy of Ampac Technologies PTY. Ltd.

FireDetection& Alarms

by Greg McCulloch

THE FIRE DETECTION INDUSTRY has a fundamental problem; wedon’t actually produce a detector that can directly detect a fire. Thebest we do is detect the symptoms of fire – heat, smoke, radiationand gas. There are many sources, other than fire, that can activate adetector. Generally a human assessment is required to determine ifthe source of activation is a fire. A standard automatic system willnotify the Fire Brigade before an assessment can take place.

FireDetection& Alarms

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reached. Where appropriate, additionaldelays can be incorporated into the sys-tem design to allow an investigation totake place before the Fire Brigade isautomatically notified.

To reduce the number of unwantedalarms the Fire Detection industry hasevolved the technology used in both thedetectors and the control panels. Cur-rently there are four types of Fire Detec-tion systems. The first is referred to asConventional. These systems have beenavailable for many years and althoughthe appearance of the system compo-nents has changed dramatically, the sys-tem operation has not. Typically abuilding is divided into fire zones. Eachzone is protected by ‘Conventional’detectors, typically smoke or thermaltypes. Conventional detectors have twostates, normal and alarm. The detectormakes the fire/no fire decision based ona factory set sensitivity. The Fire AlarmControl Panel (FACP) has one appro-priately labelled indicator per zone.When a detector goes into the alarmstate the FACP indicator illuminates.When the Fire Brigade observe the FACPthey can determine which zone the fireis in, but not which detector caused thealarm. This can mean a lengthy searchwithin the zone to determine the exactlocation of the fire (or source of alarm).Conventional systems have providedadequate protection for a long time.Even now these systems can be themost appropriate choice when factorslike building services interfaces, lifesafety, risk, budget and end client require-ments are taken into consideration.

Addressable systems differ from Con-ventional systems in the following ways:

1 Each detector base has a uniqueaddress, a conventional detectorhead is inserted into the addressablebase.

2 The FACP has a LCD display so thatplain English messages can identifydetector location, instead of an LEDindicator identifying a zone location.

3 Detectors are cabled in a loopinstead of terminating with an endof line device.

4 Keypads are used for panel controlinstead of discrete switches.

In an Addressable system the detectorstill makes the fire/no firedecision based on a factoryset sensitivity. However, it ispossible to implement delays(where appropriate) on adetector-by-detector basis.Addressable systems also offerbenefits such as improvedfault finding information and the ability to integratewith other building servicesthrough the use oh HighLevel Interfaces.

Analogue systems use simi-lar FACP technology to thatof Addressable systems. Thedifference between the twosystems is enhanced detectortechnology. Each Analoguedetector monitors the sur-rounding environment andsends a continuous stream ofdata to the FACP. The FACPmakes the fire/no fire decisionbased on a sensitivity settingselected by the installer. Addi-tional benefits offered by

Analogue systems include; the indica-tion of contaminated detector cham-bers, drift compensation for alarmsettings and the facility for a pre-alarmwarning. A pre-alarm will occur whenthe smoke/heat/gas level increasestowards the full alarm set point, anintermediate set point can be used togive a “pre-alarm” signal at the FACP.This allows an investigation of the fire(or alarm source) to take place beforethe Fire Brigade is called and evacuationprocedures take place. This is most ben-eficial at high security sites and sitesthat have a high concentration of people.

The final system type is termed Dis-tributed Processing. The detectors inthese systems utilise technology that ismore advanced than that of Analoguedetectors. Each detector has a powerfulmicroprocessor that contains imprints(in the form of algorithms) of knownfires. Generally each detector also has acombination of sensing elements,smoke/heat/gas. The information fromeach sensor is feed to the microproces-sor for analysis. The fire/no fire decisionis based on comparing the pattern ofthe current data with the predeterminedfire patterns. The biggest advantage ofDistributed Processing systems is thatunwanted alarms can be reduced at thesource.

FIRE ALARMSOnce a fire has been detected it isimportant that all occupants within thebuilding receive adequate notificationso that an orderly, safe evacuation can

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54

Picture courtesy of Ampac Technologies PTY. Ltd.

Picture courtesy of Ampac Technologies PTY. Ltd.

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:18 pm Page 54

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take place. For many years bells wereused as the primary method for thisnotification. While bells served theirpurpose and no doubt savedmany lives they do havesome deficiencies;

Other services usebells, e.g. lift alarms,security systems, schoolclass changes etc. Thiscan cause confusion inthe event of an emer-gency or lead to thealarm being ignored.

A single sound isused, there is no oppor-tunity to investigate thealarm, and occupantsmust evacuate on activa-tion of the bell. Also, thereisn’t an efficient method ofdistinguishing between a routine testand a real emergency.

Bells consume a large amount of cur-rent compared to the alternatives, thismeans the control panels require largepower supplies and batteries, makingthem more expensive.

The use of single tone, electronicsounders combated the need for largepower supplies and batteries, they arealso available with selectable tones toensure that a distinctive tone for theenvironment is provided.

The next alternative is an electronicsounder that has two different tones.The first ‘Alert’ tone notifies occupantsthat there is a potential problem. A firewarden then has a predetermined timeto carry out an investigation to ascer-tain if the fire is ‘real’ or unwanted. Ifthe alarm source does not pose a threatto occupants then the system can bereset without having caused disruption.If the fire is real then the sounders willgenerate an ‘Evacuate’ tone, this signalsto the occupants that an orderly evacu-ation process must take place. This two-tone strategy reduces the amount ofdown time and also ensures that occu-pant indifference is greatly lowered.

A more sophisticated alarm systemincorporates loud speakers strategicallylocated throughout the risk thesereplace the need for sounders or bells.The speakers are connected to the FireAlarm Control Panel. In the event of afire the speakers will generate an Alertand Evacuate tone, as described for thetwo tone electronic sounder. The addi-tional benefit of the speaker is that amicrophone can be fitted to the controlpanel. This allows the person responsiblefor managing the evacuation toannounce important information to theoccupants, such as, the location of

blocked exits, or that the fire has beencontained. The microphone also allowsthe maintenance company to announce

that a test is aboutto take place.

Further to this,d i g i t i s e dr e c o r d e dmessages canbe inter-mixed withthe twotones, thesem e s s a g e s

provide automatic advise to the occu-pants during the time it takes theperson managing the emergency toarrive at the FACP.

Additional hardware can be added tothe FACP to allow individual control ofthe Alert, Evacuate and Public Addressfor each fire zone. This allows an Evacu-ation sequence to take place – the zoneat risk will be Evacuated first, followedby the adjacent zones, then the nextcloset zones, etc until the entire build-ing is cleared. An Evacuation sequenceis particularly important in high-risebuildings where the capacity of thestairwells does not cater for 100% ofthe occupants. In these cases a fullevacuation without a sequence can leadto more injuries occurring in the stair-well than are caused by the fire.

The final option for alarms systems isto incorporate a dedicated intercom sys-tem for the person managing the evacu-ation (house warden) to communicatewith nominated people within each firezone (zone wardens). This allows thehouse warden to have up to date infor-mation on the cause of alarms, evacua-tion progress, medial requirements etc.Generally when a warden intercom sys-tem is required a dedicated control

panel is provided for both the intercomsystem and the control of the warningtone system.

SYSTEM SELECTIONBefore selecting a Fire Detection andAlarm System for a project it is recom-mended that you give some considerationto:Technology – what level of technol-ogy is required for the particular buildingto meet the basic objective of savinglives and protecting property? Also, whattechnology is required to integrate the

system with other building services?Unwanted Alarms – does

the system design and productselection minimise the risk

of unwanted alarms? ‘Offthe shelf’ designs shouldno longer be acceptable,each building should beindividually assessedand provided with a tai-lored solution.System Operation

– can the control panelbe easily operated by those

managing an emergencysituation? The expertise of

personnel varies from building tobuilding. It is recommended that ademonstration be arranged before thefinal decision is made.Product Life – do the products beingoffered meet the requirements of thelatest local rules and regulations? Arethe products about to be superseded? Itis recommended that a written guaran-tee be obtained from the manufacturerthat the system will be supported for atleast 10 years from date of installation.Product Support – what experiencedoes the manufacturer and the installerhave with similar projects to that beingundertaken? Is there a wide range ofmaintenance companies available tosupport the system once it has beeninstalled? What is the lifetime cost ofthe system, including alterations andrepairs?

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The technology within the FireDetection industry is continuallychanging to provide better projectspecific solutions and in particularto reduce the number of unwantedalarms. I urge all those involvedwithin the industry and on thefringes of the industry to contactlocal manufacturers and suppliersfor information and training on thelatest products.

Picture courtesy of Ampac Technologies PTY. Ltd.

APF p. 31-64 1/11/06 2:19 pm Page 55

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Enquiries: www.alarmcom.com

The new FC500C fire control panel

from Alarmcom: Handicap zero.

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Enquiries: www.scottint.com

SOLAS CHANGES

sabreba.com/marine

SOLAS regulations change in July2002 and will require ship owners to review, and probably increase,the number of Emergency EgressBreathing Devices (EEBD) on board.

Sabre are dedicated to providing easy to use, reliable and cost effective solutions to the breathing equipmentrequirements of the marine industry,backed by a global support network.

Sabre have launched a dedicated websiteto inform the maritime industry of theirproducts, distribution network and thedetails of the SOLAS regulation changes:

Sabre have a global network of distributors and service centres to support their marinecustomers. They market a dedicated range of products,

including EEBD and SelfContained Breathing

Apparatusspecificallydesignedfor the

Marineindustry.

The Sabre ELSA emergency egressbreathing device (EEBD) is easilystowed and instantly effective.

The Sabre SIGMA 2 instant positive pressure marine SCBA is approved to theMarine Equipment Directive.

Sabre Breathing ApparatusScott International LimitedPimbo Road, West PimboSkelmersdaleLancashire WN8 9RA, UKTel: +44 (0)1695 711711 Fax:+44 (0)1695 711772www.scottint.com

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In the vast majority of cases it is notthe flames but smoke that is thekiller. The International Maritime

Organisation has recently addressed thisissue through its amendments to Chap-ter II-2 of SOLAS. The revised ChapterII-2 incorporates, for the first time,requirements for the provision of emer-gency escape breathing devices (EEBDs)on board ships.

An EEBD is an air or oxygen deviceused for escape from a smoke filledcompartment. They are not to be usedfor fighting fires or entering oxygendeficient voids or tanks. SOLAS nowrequires that EEBDs of an approved typewith valid certification are to be carriedon board in addition to other breathingapparatus used for different purposes.

This article provides an insight to the new requirements and their inter-pretation, and details how to go about obtaining certification.

Regulations 13.3.4 and 13.4.3 ofSOLAS Chapter II-2 give the require-ments for EEBDs.

SOLAS also requires compliance withthe Fire Safety Systems Code andMSC/Circ. 849 – ‘Guidelines for theperformance, location, use and care ofemergency escape breathing devices’.

The Fire Safety Systems Code (FSSCode) is introduced by ResolutionMSC.98 (73) and is also part of theSOLAS 2000 Amendments.

SOLAS REQUIREMENTS FOR ‘NEW’ AND ‘EXISTING’ SHIPS

A ‘new’ ship is defined as one on whichthe keel was laid or which was at a simi-lar stage of construction, on or after July1, 2002. Ships with keels laid prior tothis date are defined as ‘existing’ ships.

‘New’ ships are to have EEBDsinstalled on delivery whereas ‘existing’

ships are to have the EEBDs installednot later than the first safety equip-ment survey after July 1, 2002.

New buildings, whose keels were laidbefore July 1, 2002 that are beingdelivered after July 1, 2002 are classedas ‘existing’ vessels. EEBDs would stillhave to be on board at delivery.

SOLAS now requires both new andexisting ships to have EEBDs in theaccommodation and machinery spaces.The requirements for accommodationspaces are quite clear, stating that allships are to carry at least two withinthese spaces. However, the number andlocation of EEBDs within machineryspaces is not clearly specified – the reg-ulations simply state that EEBDs are tobe situated, ready for use, at easily vis-ible places that can be reached quicklyand easily at any time in the event offire. Clearly the location of EEBDs is totake into account the layout of themachinery space and the number ofpersons normally working in the space(see interpretations below).

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EmergencyEscapeBreathingDevices

Sabre Elsa. Picture courtesy of Scott International

ALTHOUGH TODAY THERE ARE FEW wooden sailing ships, with canvas,tar and powder rooms, fire remains one of the great hazards for sea-going personnel. Thankfully the risks have diminished as implementationof new legislation has taken effect, but fire still claims about 30% ofcasualties at sea.

EmergencyEscapeBreathingDevices

What are they and what do thenew requirements mean?

by Michael Morton,Senior Surveyor to Lloyd’s Register

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In addition, ‘new’ ships are requiredto keep spare EEBDs on board. Thenumber and location of EEBDs are tobe indicated on the fire control plan.

Specific requirements for passengerships:

In all passenger ships, two EEBDs areto be carried in each main verticalzone. For those carrying more than 36passengers, two additional EmergencyEscape Breathing Devices (i.e. a total offour) are to be carried in each mainvertical zone.

The requirements for passenger shipsdo not apply to:

Stairway enclosures that constituteindividual main vertical zones the mainvertical zones in the fore or aft end ofa ship, which do not contain accom-modation spaces of minor, moderate orgreater fire risk.

What the Fire Safety Systems Codesays:

The FSS Code details the requirementsfor the design of EEBDs, their carriage,storage and donning procedures. It also

states that EEBDs are to be capable ofuse for at least 10minutes.

In summary, anEEBD must consistof a hood or full-face piece, whichprotects the eyes,nose and mouth.Hoods and facepieces are to be con-structed of flameresistant materialsand include a clearwindow for viewing.The face coveringmust be designed toform a complete sealaround the eyes,nose and mouth andto be capable ofbeing secured inposition. A hood or ahead covering is tocompletely cover thehead, neck, and mayalso cover portionsof the shoulders.

Instructions or diagrams clearly illus-trating the use are to be printed oneach EEBD, together with maintenancerequirements, manufacturer’s trademarkand serial number, shelf life withaccompanying manufacture date andname of approving authority. In addi-tion, the ‘wheelmark’ should be affixedwhen the EEBD is supplied to EU-flagged vessel (to signify that it com-plies with the Marine EquipmentDirective).

MSC/Circular.849 – guidelines forthe performance, location, use andcare of emergency escape breathingdevices:

The MSC/Circular duplicates much ofthe FSS Code but it does indicate whereEEBDs should be placed in the engineroom. The circular states that unlesspersonnel are individually carryingEEBDs, consideration should be givenfor placing such devices along theescape routes within the machineryspaces or at the foot of each escape lad-der within the space. Control spaces andworkshops located within the machineryspaces should also be considered as pos-sible locations for the devices.

Training in the use of EEBDs shouldbe considered as part of basic safetytraining. Note that training units,which are to be clearly marked, are notcounted as being part of the number ofunits required on board.

EEBDs may also be used to escapefrom a machinery space due to an acci-dental release of a fixed gas system.They may also be carried by fire-fighters for the sole purpose of providingthe device to personnel in need ofemergency assistance.

INTERPRETATIONS

A number of national authorities havegiven their own interpretations as tothe number and distribution of EEBDsto be installed on their vessels. Theseinterpretations have to be adhered tofor each flag state. At the time of writ-ing the following countries have giveninterpretations: Bahamas, Belize, Brazil,Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Hong Kong,Isle of Man, Liberia, Malta, MarshallIslands and Panama.

There are two separate philosophiesover the use and hence the positioningof EEBDs, depending upon whetherthey are intended for accommodationor machinery spaces. It is not intendedthat there be EEBDs for every personon board.

Within machinery spaces, the onus ison escaping personnel to don theEEBDs themselves.

As required in the MSC Circular,EEBDs should be positioned at the footof ladders in the engine room and incontrol rooms, workshops, etc. Thereshould be a sufficient number ofEEBDs in the space to cater for thepersonnel who could be present in thatarea.

Lloyds Register has had manyenquiries on this requirement. It is verydifficult to give general guidance onthis issue as virtually every engine roomwill differ in size and arrangement. Thenumber and position of EEBDs in theengine room must be assessed for eachvessel.

There are however some pointswhich are worthy of note in decidingupon the position and number ofEEBDs:

As personnel within the engine roomare expected to don the devices

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Fenzy Bio-S-Cape. Picture courtesy of Fenzy

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Fenzy is a member of Bacou-Dalloz

FENZY ZI Paris Nord II-33, rue des Vanesses - BP 50288 - 95958 Roissy CDG Cedex - France

Phone : +33 (0) 1 49 90 71 00 Fax : +33 (0) 1 49 90 71 49

e-mail : [email protected]

http://www.bacou-dalloz.com

The FENZY BIO-S-CAPE is the safest and the most easy-to-use Emergency EscapeBreathing Device of its generation, that integrates a fully automatic half mask donning and a warning whistle with no air consumption.

With strongly resistant and non-allergic materials, the FENZY BIO-S-CAPE is safe, easy to wear and to use. The automatic inflatable air cushion integrated in the neck offers thebest breathing comfort, which avoids the visor to mist and minimizes the dead space of the hood.

The new FENZY high pressure reducer valve and the gauge are visible all the time thanksto the bag large window.

In order to reply to specific demands from various fields, the FENZY BIO-S-CAPE is available with various air cylinder durations: 2 or 3 litres 200 or 300 bar.

The new FENZY EEBD, the BIO-S-CAPE, complies with the EN 1146 standard, with the new IMO regulation and is approved by the BV Shipping Certification Authority (MMF and DOT).

FENZY BIO-S-CAPE : the safest Emergency Escape Breathing Device

Enquiries: [email protected]

Enquiries: www.bacou-dalloz.com

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themselves, there is little point inpositioning them near exit points. Inaddition anyone near an exit wouldhopefully be able to effect an escape.The bottom of the ladders at the bot-tom of the engine room is a logicalposition for placement, with the num-ber dependent on the number of per-sonnel likely to be working there at anyone time. A situation where only oneEEBD is immediately available for threepersonnel, for example, is not desirable.The base of ladders at each flat levelwould also be a good position forstowage. The designer of the arrange-ment of EEBDs should be consciousthat there is little point in trying to getto an EEBD if it is on the flat below oron the other side of the engine room.

One flag interpretation requires thatthe number of EEBDs to be provided inthe machinery spaces is to be equal tothe number of crew stipulated in theDocument of Safe Manning for theengine department. The maximumnumber however, need not exceedeight devices. Another has stipulated aminimum of four EEBDs, with two inthe control room and one by eachescape ladder.

It is of course important that all per-sonnel are trained, as required bySOLAS, in the use of EEBDs and arefamiliar with their positioning withinthe engine room.

Within accommodation spaces, it is

anticipated that EEBDs will be taken totrapped personnel by the rescue partyin order to effect a safe escape. It islogical therefore to store the accommo-dation space EEBDs with the rescueparty equipment. This also has theadvantage of making EEBDs availableto the fire fighting party attempting arescue of someone overcome by CO2 inthe engine room.

The number of spare EEBDs to beprovided has been a contentious issue,with many flag states giving their owninterpretations. There are ongoing dis-cussions at IMO about this issue andwhilst these are not finalised, the indi-cations at this stage can be summarisedas follows: ● for a cargo ship, at least one spare

EEBD is to be carried on board● for a passenger vessel, two spare

EEBDs are to be carried on boardirrespective of the number of pas-sengers being carried.The EEBDs carried for training pur-

poses are in addition to the comple-ment required on board.

CERTIFICATION

Lloyd’s Register issues certificates oftype approval for EEBDs upon satisfac-tory examination of test reports, forany appropriate national or interna-tional standard. Any accredited testlaboratory can carry out the testing.

Accreditation for carrying out suchtesting is obtained from a nationalauthority.

The standards, that have beenproposed for European certification,which give requirements and details fortesting and marking are:

EN 400 (1993) – Respiratory protective devicesfor self-rescue – Self-contained closed-circuitbreathing apparatus – Compressed oxygen escapeapparatus.

EN 401 (1993) – Respiratory protective devicesfor self-rescue – Self-contained closed-circuitbreathing apparatus – Chemical oxygen (KO2)escape apparatus.

EN 402 (1993) – Respiratory protective devicesfor escape – Self-contained open-circuit com-pressed air breathing apparatus with full face maskor mouthpiece assembly.

EN 1146 (1997) – Respiratory protectivedevices for self-rescue – Self-contained open-circuitcompressed air breathing apparatus incorporating ahood (compressed air escape apparatus with hood).

EN 1061 (1997) – Respiratory protectivedevices for self-rescue – Self-contained closed-circuit breathing apparatus – Chemical oxygen(NaClO3) escape apparatus.

Where the above standards giveoptions as to a mouth-piece assembly,full-face mask or hood, only the full-face mask or hood versions are accept-able as EEBDs.

For further details on certification,contact Lloyd’s Register’s StatutoryMarine Support Group: Tel: +44 (0)20 7423 2049Fax: +44 (0)20 7423 4246E-mail: [email protected]

REFERENCES

IMO Resolution MSC.99 (73) – Adoption ofamendments to the International Conven-tion for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, asamended.IMO Resolution MSC.98 (73) – Adoption ofthe International Code for Fire Safety Systems.IMO MSC/Circular849 – Guidelines for theperformance, location, use and care of emer-gency escape breathing devices (EEBDs).

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Draeger Saver CF. Picture courtesy of Draeger Southeast Asia PTE. Ltd

Michael Morton is a SeniorSurveyor to Lloyd’s Register. Hehas been employed by Lloyd’sRegister in statutory work since1982 and has worked on firesafety related issues since 1990.

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61

Enquiries: www.premierhazard.co.uk

Subscribe now to APF Magazine.Dedicated to Fire-Fighting and

Fire Protection in the Asia Pacific

Visit www.apfmag.com

Subscribe now to IFP Magazine.The global voice for Passive andActive Fire Protection Systems

Visit www.ifpmag.com

S U B S C R I B E N O W ! !

MDM Publishing Ltd., 18a, St James Street, South Petherton, Somerset, TA13 5BW, England. Tel: +44 1460 249 199 Fax: +44 1460 249 292

APF p. 31-64 17/11/06 11:21 am Page 61

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NEW FROM THE AKRON BRASS COMPANYThe FireFox™ from the AkronBrass® Company is a technologic-ally advanced remote controlledsingle waterway monitor with flowsfrom 60 to 1420 lpm.

The multi-purpose all electricmonitor is designed to meet thevarious water, foam, CAFS, and DryChemical needs of todays fire ser-

vice. This versatile monitor can be used for wildland, crash truck tur-ret applications, deicing, fixed site facilities, dust control, arenaprotection and many other unique applications.

The FireFox features a variety of nozzle options including a stan-dard electric fog/straight stream, a unique flat fog/straight stream,and various smooth bore options with stream shaper, along with anadd on dry chemical nozzle. The fog/straight stream nozzles areavailable in adjustable flows with an electric flush as well as fixedflows that can be specified by the customer.

A 2� NPT quick disconnect inlet option, provides easier installa-tion and engine maintenance on cab forward trucks. Standard inletswithout the quick disconnect option are available in both 2� and21⁄2� NPT. The all Pyrolite® monitor weighs just over 14 kilogramsand is less than 300 mm high with a travel range of 320° horizontaland 135° vertical.

The FireFox offers several controller options including surface orpanel mounted Toggle switches and several Joystick options.

Other control options include automatic oscillation, stow featureand a remote 2� valve for total system control.

FROM A (FFF) TO B (IOLOGICAL) FOAMSDevelopment of environmentalfriendly alternative foams for theAFFF has become more urgent dueto pressure of governmental regu-lations and public opinion. Recentwithdrawal of major player 3M onthe market, based on the presenceof perfluorooctanyl sulfonate intheir product, has accelerated theintroduction of alternatives.

What are the demands for eco-friendly foams?

• It must fulfill its primarily task, extinguish a class A and class B fire.• Foam blanket need to be stable over a liquid surface for at least

10-20 minutes • Economical and acceptable price.• May not contain and leave no toxic residues behind after use.

Do these miracle foams exist? Yes they do.

Bioversal International in the Netherlands has developed a whole newrange of Eco-friendly foams. Quality in combination with the award-ed eco-friendly solutions boosted the rapid growth of this product-line. In less than 5 years they are operating in 19 countries. Undertheir clientele you find big European players like Ajax Fire Protection(member of the Minimax group), Gloria Werke, Bavaria, etc.

What makes Bioversal QF product range so special?

Bioversal QF related products have outstanding extinguishing qual-ities and achieved all necessary approvals like EN3, ICAO level B,UL162 etc. Besides the primarily task “extinguishing” the Bioversalproducts differ from authentic products based on their environmen-tal qualities. The products are highly biodegradable >98% in 12-14days (according OECD 301c). None of the products contain the dan-gerous perfluorooactanyl sulfonate. All products are non-toxic, havea water hazard classification 1, which means no effect on bacteria,organisms, mammals and are dermatological tested etc. FurthermoreBioversal foam combats mineral oils, reduces skid risk caused by oil

slick and biodegraded the encapsulated pollution as well. Therefore,safe for both the user and the environment. Awarded with threeenvironmental labels (Dutch Milieukeur) proves that eco-friendlyalternatives are available know.

NEW EMERGENCY SIGNALS COMBINE GOODLOOKS, INSTALLATION FLEXIBILITY ANDUNBEATABLE PERFORMANCE

Edwards Systems Technology (EST) ispleased to announce the addition ofspeakers and speaker-strobes to theiraward-winning Genesis family ofemergency signals. Extending a mere25mm from the wall, these signals arethe most compact UL and CE listedspeaker-strobes available today.

More than just a pretty face, Genesisspeakers and strobes also boast valu-able features like crystal-clear, highly

intelligible audio output, and field-configurable light (15 to 110candela) and speaker output (1⁄4 to 2 watt) settings. Light and out-put settings remain visible even after the unit is installed, allowingat-a-glance verification and simple adjustment. This flexibilitymeans contractors have fewer parts to stock, and adjustments canbe made on the fly. It means installers can fine-tune any device inthe field to tweak the best economy from power supplies andamplifiers. And that saves money.

Genesis speaker-strobes can also save lives. Thanks to EST’sexclusive FullLight™ strobe technology, these signals produce theindustry’s most even light distribution, ensuring they will be noticedfrom virtually any viewing angle.

Ultra-slim good looks, cost-saving features, and unbeatable per-formance, EST’s new Genesis speakers and strobes are sure tobecome a fixture of any carefully designed life safety system.

BANGLADESH ON THE MOVESince its independence in 1971 from Pakistan, the small nation ofBangladesh has pursued its struggle to improve the everyday exis-tence and build an infrastructure that provides a gateway for its res-idents, visitors and products through their two International Airportsin Dhaka and Chittagong.

As part of these improvements, the Bangladesh Civil AviationAuthority embarked on a mission to provide enhanced protectionfor its traveling public by beginning to replace an aging fleet ofolder Simon ARFF’s throughout its airport locations in 1997.

As part of that process over the last five years they have receiveda number of new ARFF vehicles to protect their airports. The mostrecent addition to their fleet was a new 6x6 unit from US manufac-turer E-One, in March of 2002. Other orders were also placed foranother two 6x6 Monitor Platform vehicles Platform in May andJuly. These units will be in addition to other 4x4 and 6x6 units pur-chased from E-One through their dealer UNIMECH Limited, locatedin Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh over the last 5 years.

The newest two units on order from E-One will utilize their MonitorPlatform Technology, which is so popular in the Pacific-Rim. The unitswill have 10,030 liters of water, 1325 liters of AFFF foam and 225kkgof dry chemical agent for deployment through the pre-piped hand-lines. The unit will also employ the use of a bumper mounted turretwith remote control joystick located inside the vehicle. The cab of theunit will provide seating for four (4) ARFF fire fighters with roofplatform access through a sliding hatch in the cab of the apparatus.

Both of these new units will utilize E-Ones state of the art inde-pendent suspension, which will enhance stability and maneuverabilityof the units while in emergency response or while maneuveringaround congested Airport apron areas.

ASIA PACIFIC FIREwww.apfmag.com

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Product Update ● Product Update ● Product Update

For further information, please contact: The Akron Brass Company

Tel: +1 330.264.5678 Website: www.akronbrass.com

For more information, please contact:Bioversal International b.v.

Tel: +31 26 353 0990Website: www.bioversal.com

For further information, please contact:Edwards Systems Technology (EST)

Tel: +1 905 270 1711Website: www.estinternational.com

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For a small country, Bangladesh’s aviation officials have workedhard to enhance the standards of protection for their flying publicand will continue to move forward on the modernization of allaspects of their airport protection plans for the 21st Century.

ETERNIT ASIA PANELSThe demand for all types of tunnels israpidly growing, nowhere more so than inthe Asia Pacific region and most especiallywithin Mainland China. The increased useof “Cut and Cover” tunnelling techniquesusing ground cast diaphragm walls andthe refurbishment of existing tunnels has

seen a growing interest in the use of secondary linings. Because everytunnel has its own design criteria, the extensive experience of theEternit organisation gathered over the years; where GLASAL® systemshave been installed in over 192 tunnels worldwide, ensures that Eter-nit are ideally placed to assist consultants and engineers right fromthe early design stages to ensure that the correct lining system is usedto provide optimum performance.

Due to the demand for the use of GLASAL® in tunnel applica-tions within the Asia Pacific region, Eternit Asia Panels, which showdesigners and consultants the wide range of systems, and aestheticpossibilities that could be obtained using the GLASAL® panels,recently published a comprehensive manual. The manual thereforeprovides both technical design concepts and all the pertinent infor-mation required by tunnel designers.

GLASAL® is a quality reinforced cement panel with mineral enam-el surface coatings exclusively from Eternit Asia Panels, a division ofPromat International (Asia Pacific) Ltd.

LUKAS – INNOVATIVE RESCUE TOOLS WITH ACONCEPT

Lukas Hydraulik GmbH & Co. KG ofErlangen, Germany launches the world’sfirst family of telescopic rams with a liftcapacity of 12 t resp. to 24 t.

With their lifting capacity of 24 t resp.12 t LUKAS CENtury Telescopic Ramsoffer maximum performance reserves,much more than required by most mod-

ern car models. The most powerful Telescopic Rams with unsur-passed low weight.

Recommended applications:• Road traffic, railroad, aircraft, naval accidents• Building rescue and disaster management• Moving obstacles, lifting loads, creating manholes and stabilizing

Highlights:• All telescopic ram models have 12 t Lifting capacity with the sec-

ond piston• Minimum retracted height but enormous lifting height through

telescopic design.• Reach lifting height of two standard rams with one stroke• Less weight: one telescopic ram instead of two standard rams• Less time required: no need to switch from one model to another• Precise operation in any working position with your fingertips• Professional telescopic technology of world’s largest rescue tools´

manufacturer

VIETNAMESE TELECOMS COMPANY OPTS FORMACRON’S FIRE PROTECTIONBritish fire protection specialist, Macron, has supplied Vietnamesetelecommunications company, SLD Telecom, with its Hygood FM-200 fire suppression system to protect the company’s new mobiletelephone operations based in Ho Chi Minh City. Approved distribu-tor, Singapore-based, Getz Bros. & Co, negotiated the order, whichis expected to lead to a further 70 installations for SLD Telecomspread throughout Vietnam.

According to Macron, the ability to complete the Hygood FM-200 installation within a very short timescale was a major factor in the selection of the Hygood FM-200 system, as was theon-site technical support provided by Getz Bros staff based inVietnam.

SLD Telecom also cited technical and performance considerationsas being major factors. Should a fire occur and the FM-200 installa-tion be activated, the discharge of the gaseous suppressant willneither damage the delicate telecommunications equipment norendanger the lives of the staff or firefighters. Hygood-FM-200leaves no oily residue or deposits and it is neither conductive norcorrosive. Also, at its design concentration of just over seven percentby volume, the gas does not deplete the oxygen level to a pointharmful to the room’s occupants.

Getz Bros’ Trinh Tri Thanh says that the system’s cleanliness,safety and environmental credentials also impressed the telecom-munications company. Hygood FM-200 does not deplete the ozone level and so, following a discharge, the installation can bevented to atmosphere without any negative impact on theenvironment. This environmental awareness has won Macroninternational accreditation from organisations such as FM [FactoryMutual], UL [Underwriters Laboratories] and LPC [Loss PreventionCouncil].

This order from SLD in Vietnam is the latest of a growing numberof major Hygood FM-200 installations in the international tele-communications sector. Other recent contracts have included pro-jects in the UK, Turkey, South Africa, the Emirates, Greece andChina.

PLYSU DECON TECHNOLOGY IS BECOMINGSTANDARD IN SE ASIAUnique portable, inflatable freestanding decontamination showertechnology designed and manufactured by Plysu Protection Systems,for use at individual incidents or for mass casualty decontamination,is now widely deployed throughout the region. Users include theJapanese Defence Agency, the Malaysian Civil Defence organisation,the emergency services of South Korea and Taiwan as well as thefire departments of Hong Kong, Singapore and various Japanesecities.

The original Plysu concept was based on the proposition that thefaster casualties can be decontaminated after an incident the bettertheir chances of surviving serious injury. To meet this requirementthe company designed a unit made of heavy-duty plastic materialweighing just 35kg when deflated. Stored in a canvas bag it couldeasily be rushed to the scene of an incident to inflate in just two minutes into a shower cubicle 1900mm x 1900mm wide x2300mm high with all its equipment ready for action. Besides casu-alty decon units are also available for decontamination of protectiveclothing.

The UK based company attributes its success in the region partlyto being able to deliver the exact decon technology that is neededby emergency services there and partly to the fact that it sellsthrough local distributors knowledgeable in this sector. CurrentlyPlysu is looking to appoint distributors in China and is open to dis-cuss the possibilities.

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Product Update ● Product Update ● Product Update

For more information, please contact:Emergency One, Inc.Tel: +1 352 237 1122

Website: www.e-one.com

For more information, please contact:Macron Safety Systems (UK) Ltd.

Tel: +44 (0) 1493 859 822Website: www.macron-safety.com

For further information, please contact:Plysu Protection SystemsTel: +44 (0) 1908 287 123

E-mail: [email protected]

For more information, please contact:Eternit Asia PanelsTel: +60 3 250 2880

Website: www.eternit-ap.com

For Technical Specifications and more information, please contact:

LUKAS Hydraulik GmbH & Co. KG Tel: +49 (0) 91 31 6980

Website: www.lukas.de e-mail: [email protected]

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Akron Brass Company, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13Alarmcom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56Angus Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Bioversal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23Chemetron Fire Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40Chemguard, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20China Fire 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .02Detector Electronics Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Draeger South East Asia PTE Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59Dr. Sthamer Hamburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25E2V Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Edwards International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52Fenzy (Bacou-Dalloz) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59Fire Fighting Enterprises (FFE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17GB Solo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Great Lakes Chemical Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OBCHale Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44Holmatro Rescue Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51IFTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .07Lion Apparel Asia Pacific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IFCLukas Hydraulik GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Macron Safety Systems (UK) Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

MSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

NFPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC

Passive Fire Protection Sdn Bhd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Plysu Protection Systems Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Premier Hazard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Promat International (Asia Pacific) Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Protectowire Company, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Pyrozone Manufacturing PTY Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Scott Health & Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Scott International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56

Securiton AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Sides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .04

Task Force Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Trelleborg Protective Products AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Warrington Fire Research Centre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Waterous, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

W.L. Gore Associates (Pacific) PTE. Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . .06

Zhe Jiang Wananda Fire Fighting Equipment Co. Ltd. . .09

Zumro BV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

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Page 67: APF Issue 03

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Page 68: APF Issue 03

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