CAFS and watermist unit for rapid response
Published: 01 January, 2008
Advanced Firefighting Technology (AFT) recently launched the MPM, a motor propelled modular firefighting system that can operate with water mist or foam. Claus Casimir, Chief Operating Officer for AFT, talks to Ann-Marie Knegt.
Following the successful launch of the APM 150 (air propelled firefighting module), Advanced Firefighting Technology has now introduced the latest version of the MPM (motor propelled modular) which can be fitted on pick-up trucks or existing fire trucks. Royal Dutch Shell has already requisitioned an order for several units to be used in oil and gas exploration and refining plants in the south of Algeria.
Shell was lacking a rapid intervention vehicle, and AFT’s regional distributor suggested using Shell’s existing vehicles and mounting an MPM unit with a 600 litre water tank on the back.
So how does the MPM system work? The basic principle, explains Claus Casimir, is a special nozzle, gun and system configuration that is able to produce water mist, thereby increasing the extinguishing capacity of normal water by 10 to 15 times through the reduction of droplet size to around 100 to 150 microns.
AFT uses atomisation technology with compressed air, which propels the liquid whilst mixing it with water. The atomisation results in 50 times greater cooling compared to conventional water spray.
A compact petrol driven engine drives a main pump as well as an auxiliary pump. The MPM is a self-contained unit, which starts operation at the push of a button. Primarily the customer can choose the tank size from 200 to 1,000l and the option of adding a foam concentrate to the water mist system through a separate line gives the unit a third dimension, as Claus points out, “We have found an intelligent way to manufacture a self-contained unit that can run either with water or with foam giving the user a versatile unit suitable for 95 per cent of all potential fire risks. I say this because 95 per cent of all fires are either Class A or Class B. Water mist is suitable for Class A and you fight Class B with foam.”
AFT has integrated a major water tank and a proportioning system into the second pump, enabling the user to vary the percentage of the foam concentrate from zero (water only) to ten per cent. This is made possible with two pumps on one driveline, meaning that the MPM uses two different pumps for two different lines (water) and (foam), but both pumps can be controlled separately.
The gun and the nozzle are however the most technologically advanced parts of the system, says Claus, while the pump combination is “just a clever application” of technology. “We are using a Briggs & Stratton engine, for example, which is commonly used for a multitude of applications. The user has a large advantage in the fact that there are dealerships all over the world, meaning they are easy to maintain and to get spare parts.”
An MPM unit with eg 1,000l water tank has a firefighting capacity of 10,000 – 15,000l because of the surface coverage of water mist. Claus believes that no manufacturer will deliver a vehicle with a 10,000l capacity for under 500,000 euros, whilst the MPM is a fraction of that price.
To move 10,000 litres of water at an adequate speed it would require a truck with 600 to 700 HP. The MPM is designed for first attack and rapid intervention, and can be fitted on any kind of medium to large sized pick-up truck. For the Kuwait army the company even deployed the MPM on a GMC-Hummer. An Isuzu D-Max, a Toyota Landcruiser, a Landrover or a GMC Sierra as well as any other pickup truck with a payload between 600 and 1,500 kg are ideal vehicles for the MPM for instance. However, concludes Claus, “you don’t need anything heavy or specific, you can even choose to mount the MPM on one of your existing vehicles.”
