Airport Crash Tenders have always been on the forefront of firefighting technology, Many advanced technologies gain acceptance in ARFF applications long before they are used in other emergency service disciplines. As an example Infra-red or thermal imaging was used in Crash Trucks long before it became commonplace in other fire fighting applications. It is occasionally said that we want to be on the leading edge, not the bleeding edge.  This implies that some technologies are not quite ready for implementation into fire suppression activities.  However, even if a technology is not ready to be placed in an RFQ, we should be aware of these developing technologies., writes Michael A. Laskaris Director of Research and Development, Fire Suppression Division Hale Products Inc.

Nine new control centres for the entire English Fire Service are due to open in the next two years – Industrial Fire Journal experienced first hand the extensive fire protection systems in place.

Spain’s 28km-long Guadarrama Tunnel (the fourth longest rail tunnel in the world) and the 8.5km San Pedro Tunnel together form part of the recently-opened Madrid-Valladolid high speed rail link.

Chiltern International Fire’s Head of Fire Resistance Mark Cummings and Principal Test Engineer Ross Newman highlight some of the market trends affecting fire testing.

Jo Bird has long been recognised as a leading manufacturer of GRP storage cabinets for firefighting and lifesaving equipment in some of the most inhospitable climates in the world. The company’s latest order involves 24 insulated and heated cabinets that will house hydrants at the monumental Kashagan oil project in Kazakhstan. IFJ visited Jo Bird to find out more

Who do responders turn to when they need immediate hazmat advice?

Eurotunnel, the operator of the world’s longest undersea tunnel and one of its busiest rail routes, has chosen Sepura’s new STP8000 hand-held TETRA radio for its communications in emergency operations.

EADS Defence & Security in collaboration with Beijing Satellite Science & Technology Co will provide the first TETRA project in China’s oil and gas fields.

John Campbell of Stena Drillmax writes about the unprecedented ongoing assessment of the emergency response capabilities in all semi-submersible drilling units and drill ships of Stena Drilling Ltd.

Emergencies dealing with tank fires are a stressful time for everyone involved, including the owner of the facility and surrounding communities. Although this is an infrequent occurrence for most fire chiefs, just one event is enough to leave a lasting impression, writes Gordon Lohmeyer, Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) Private Sector Program Director.

George Quick, Assistant Director for Programs and Operations of the University of Nevada, Reno Fire Science Academy, emphasises the importance of storage tank fire training for non-industrial departments who deal with high risks in their immediate vicinity.  

With an increasing demand for E5 petrol and B5 diesel it is important to be aware of the differences when it comes to an emergency. The Energy Institute’s Guidance for the storage and handling of fuel grade ethanol at petroleum distribution installations contains a highly useful firefighting section – IFJ reproduces some of the highlights here.

Head of L’Oreal Corporate Fire Security Eric Issartel and MD of Ai Group Pierre Christophorov talk to IFJ about the challenges of aerosol spray fires, and how high expansion foam offers an effective alternative to traditional extinguishing systems.

In recent years, the Angus Emergency Foam Service has mobilised its emergency foam services for incidents in the UK, Japan, Turkey and Spain, and most recently in Libya. Indeed, since its inception in the late 1970s, it has responded to customer requests for large quantities of firefighting foam and equipment by road or air within 24 hours. Depending on the scale and location of the emergency, Angus Fire says that up to 40,000 litres of foam concentrate can be deployed within two hours, with additional stocks following rapidly. 

Chemguard has recently introduced Ecoguard 3% and 6% fluorine-free synthetic firefighting foam concentrate – the first and only UL Listed fluorine-free foam for multiple applications, Ecoguard is an effective and eco-friendly training foam.

Industrial fire brigades need to be trained in the use of Class B foam for hydrocarbon-type fires as well as alcohol-resistant variants, writes Dr Roger Klein.

Simulator training for the use of high reach extendable turrets is soon to be available for Rosenbauer vehicles.

Airport operations are extraordinarily complex and every aspect of operations, safety and security needs to be seamlessly integrated.  Assets have to be accurately logged and monitored, legislative compliance must be assured, and responsibilities need to be clear-cut.  Colin Simpson, Chairman of the International Aviation Fire Protection Association, outlines a new initiative that the IAFPA is pioneering with the airside team at one of the largest airports in the world.

Thermal imaging cameras are increasingly finding their way into airport firefighting brigades where their applications are numerous, as Biggin Hill found out.

George Privalov and James A Lynch of axonX introduce video image fire and smoke detection (VID) technology as it applies to industrial applications; present three case studies of companies who have successfully implemented the technology; and highlight the advantages and limitations of the system in each installation.

If the definition of a highrise is 12 floors or more, then statistics show that there are currently over 120,000 highrise buildings around the world today. Firefighters and fire safety engineers alike are crying out for a risk-free way to handle evacuations from these types of buildings. Help is on the way, because Paul Monks of Dutch-based RVES is developing LifeSlide, a revolutionary new product that will put evacuees safely back on the ground in a matter of minutes.

Escape stairs and routes – coupled with the correct response of those in the buildings – save lives, as the World Trade Centre attack showed. Over 12,000 people were evacuated from the towers before they collapsed. Pat Cox highlights some of the lessons learned.

Major industrial accidents have a huge impact on legislation. Ann-Marie Knegt met Thierry Tixier and Xavier Quayzin of APSYS, a risk assesment company that specialises in the high-risk industry.

David Owen, Business Development Manager for fire protection specialist Firemain Engineering, outlines a specific scenario and a best-practice approach for dealing with special hazard risk assessments.

There is very little information on heat and flame protective PPE available to users other than from manufacturers and suppliers who naturally promote their products for sale. As a result, such information is restricted to the direction of the products that are being promoted, and the knowledge (or lack of it) of the sales person trying to promote it. Alec Feldman of Fulcrum Consultants, the executive arm of JOIFF, writes about some JOIFF initiatives taken recently to counter this potentially dangerous status quo.

At the cutting-edge of industrial fire training a systematic approach and some world-class facilities are required. With 35,000 students per year going through Falck Risc’s gates in Rotterdam, it must be doing something.

Alan N Beard, Civil Engineering Section, School of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh), outlines some of the worrying factors surrounding the use of computer models for fire safety design.

Hollywood certainly hasn’t helped promote the use of sprinklers among many building owners and developers. Images of the “hero” escaping some villainous pursuer by setting off the sprinkler system throughout a building after applying a cigarette lighter to a sprinkler head are not only misleading, but help perpetuate the myths that these systems are unreliable and damaging to business. Pat Cox gets tough on some prevailing misconceptions.

Would you like to know what the fire conditions are behind that closed door? Who wouldn’t want better situational awareness? Jonathan Gilbert, Business Development Manager at Tyco Safety Products, introduces IFJ to a new range of intelligent addressable panels.

For First Hydro Company (a joint venture between International Power plc & Mitsui & Co), operators of Dinorwig Power Station in North Wales, there was an additional factor to take into account when they needed to upgrade the existing conventional fire detection system to meet current safety requirements. Known to thousands of visitors as Electric Mountain, Dinorwig Power Station is situated deep underground, inside Elidir Mountain close to Snowdonia National Park.

Manufactured by Dutch company Fischcon, the units also required the rolling out of 1,500 metre long eight-inch hoses – all of the eight from a trailer unit. No small task for the men and women of the Unified Industrial/Harbour Fire Department (Gezamelijke Brandweer/ UFD) Rotterdam.

After it became known that Halon was to be decommissioned in Europe on 31/12/2003, a large refinery (let’s call it “Refinery1”) in the south of the Netherlands was required to find a replacement fire protection and detection system for its 30 floating roof tanks.

Recognising the need to have validated data on the risks associated with fires in large, open top floating roof storage tanks, 16 oil companies joined together to form a project group to thoroughly investigate these facilities. The project was known as LASTFIRE.

For the fire protection and fire prevention industries, the last decade has certainly witnessed some major events and change that will impact on these business sectors for the next decade to come. Here are just a few of the events that have introduced change in ABC MacIntosh since 1999 and all of the following have caused our business to pause and assess the implications for future development.

Fire fighting operations almost always represent a balance between extinguishing fire, saving of human life or property, or otherwise resolving the incident – for example dealing with a hazardous materials spill – and the impact of these operations on the environment.

The biannual show now is expected to attract over 25,000 visitors and 800 exhibitors from all risk management sectors you can imagine, meaning that there should be something for everyone.

With a bit of luck President Bush won’t be showing his face in Dubai as part of a well-intentioned Middle East Peace Tour, as happened last year. The last-minute declaration of a national holiday resulted in extensive road closures – and only the most intrepid made it on that day.

Mobile public address systems allow emergency response personnel to give occupants of a building/train or industrial complex, additional live information about the nature of an evacuation. The system must be loud enough and powerful enough to reach all those people who need information – and who might not be linked to an existing warning system, text, email – or where an existing system is inoperable.

Jeff Berman, 55, came up with the idea for an Audible Guidance Beacon after gaining a Master of Science degree in Electronic Product Design. His Master’s practical project involved building a system that enabled blind people to practise the sport of archery – the “VectorSight” enables blind archers to aim at a target with the help of eight specific sound signals.

The term “passive fire protection” is used to describe a number of materials and systems of construction intended to delay the passage of fire from one part of a building to another. It is also true to say that it tends to be a “fit and forget” issue – largely because the occupiers and users of the building don’t fully appreciate its importance to the overall fire protection of the structure, its contents and its occupants.

Last year the Rotterdam-based company VSTEP successfully launched a new training tool called RescueSim IIM (Industrial Incident Management). This is a virtual scenario based training tool, which enables industrial response teams to exercise in a virtual environment, saving cost and reducing hazards.

Former Dutch fire officer and emergency management instructor Marco van Wijngaarden is president of ETC Simulation, a branch of ETC that developed the well-known  ADMS (Advanced Disaster Management Simulator).

Much has been written and reported about the effects of fire water run-off from large scale fire incidents. The problem isn’t new and there have been several landmark fires over the years to remind us that without careful planning disaster can strike – Allied Colloids, Bradford 1992, Sandoz, Basel 1986 and Buncefield, 2005 are seen as the worst case benchmarks for such incidents. Of course, Buncefield didn’t just force a reappraisal of groundwater contamination, it also highlighted the need to reappraise the risk assessments underpinning the approach to firefighting in storage depots. This article will focus on how foam proportioning itself can become part of the review process so that foam discharge is kept to the minimum whilst maximizing firefighting capability and cost effectiveness.

The chemists at Hamburg-based company Dr Sthamer have been developing speciality foams for specific risks for a long time, explains Jan Knappert (International Sales Director), which is why the organisation has developed a clear idea of the type of information required to develop a specification that fully meets the requirements specified.

HOTA offers two state of-the-art emergency response suites where incident managers can exercise disaster scenarios in the most realistic manner possible, explains General Manager of HOTA, Linda Ellis. “We can replicate any type of disaster an offshore installation might face, ranging from minor gas release, explosion and fire to full evacuation of the platform.

Brian Jones, UK manager for Norwegian fire detection company Autronica has noticed that the trend within the offshore industry has moved from infrared point gas detectors towards open path detectors.

In ships and marine technology fire extinguishing systems for protection of galley deep-fat cooking equipment are becoming particularly popular. Over the past 10 years the use of more efficient cooking appliances and the increased use of vegetable cooking oils has increased the level of risk. Heating cooking oil to its auto-ignition temperature (around 365 °C) can lead to a very intense fire  that is very difficult to extinguish and which can involve the inside of the hood and exhaust duct – usually covered with grease and dust – resulting in an uncontrolled fire in the galley area.

High-pressure water mist systems are now widely accepted as an excellent alternative to the controversial CO2 or other gas-based systems for fire fighting in engine rooms, including total flooding and local application systems.

Water mist is an old technology, and physics shows the obvious characteristic where small droplets evaporate faster than large droplets. However, the attempts to use water mist for fire fighting purposes in the 1930s and the 1950s were not as successful as one might think.

As environmental concerns gain momentum in the industry, their domino effect is witnessed across industry sectors and markets. The fire suppression industry is not immune from these concerns, writes Konkana Khaund, Research Analyst, Environment and Building Technologies Practice, for Frost and Sullivan North America.

Corporate manslaughter
Tim Hill, regulatory associate from Eversheds Crisis Management Service, talked about the implications of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 which came into force in the UK in April 2008.

A JOIFF-organised conference covered a diverse range of topics, ranging from the safety of biofuel storage to the fitness levels of firefighters. Dan Worth reported from Harlow, Essex.

There are many factors which should be taken into consideration when determining the most suitable location for sensors, and site location is one of them. Indoor and outdoor site monitoring present different problems due to mechanical ventilation, building structure or the wind direction/speed.

There are many factors which should be taken into consideration when determining the most suitable location for sensors, and site location is one of them. Indoor and outdoor site monitoring present different problems due to mechanical ventilation, building structure or the wind direction/speed.

Much has been written and reported about the effects of fire water run-off from large scale fire incidents. The problem isn’t new and there have been several landmark fires over the years to remind us that without careful planning disaster can strike – Allied Colloids, Bradford 1992, Sandoz, Basel 1986 and Buncefield, 2005 are seen as the worst case benchmarks for such incidents. Of course, Buncefield didn’t just force a reappraisal of groundwater contamination, it also highlighted the need to reappraise the risk assessments underpinning the approach to firefighting in storage depots. This article will focus on how foam proportioning itself can become part of the review process so that foam discharge is kept to the minimum whilst maximising firefighting capability and cost effectiveness.

According to David Owen of Firemain Engineering, a fire engineering company based in St Helens UK, the Hi Ex Foam system is used for special applications such as aircraft hangars and warehouses. The company recently designed, supplied and commissioned the low expansion foam systems for Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A380 hangar at Heathrow. Its High Expansion systems were also installed by Argus Fire at RAF Fairford.

Dallas Forth Worth is one of the largest airports in the US. It therefore requires a first line of attack that is able to respond within three minutes. Ann-Marie Knegt interviewed Jessie Gentry, Division Commander Fire Operations, about the new firefighting giants that were recently acquired by the airport.

Dr. Howard Levitin, MD, FACEP is the president and founder of US company DQE, a hazmat decon supplier that began eighteen years ago as a research project into emergency preparedness. Levitin became interested in the role of hospitals in a hazardous materials incident after being confronted with two contaminated patients while working the night shift in the emergency department. While researching the methodology for handling contaminated patients in the ED he met a firefighter who was working to improve the design, quality, and dependability of portable decontamination equipment. They joined forces and the result is DQE.

While water mist continues to find new industrial applications it still faces a safety culture reluctant to change.
Dan Worth reports.

Specifying fire resistant glazing systems can be an opaque process, Ann-Marie Knegt learned. A long list of requirements have to be fulfilled before achieving safety and fire

Held in the hub of the oil industry, Houston Texas,  the third annual Industrial Fire Safety and Security Expo (5-8 February) is quickly turning into the main US industrial emergency response event, writes Ann-Marie Knegt.

Sicur ‘08 took place in the impressive Feria de Madrid in Spain,  26-29 February.
IFJ couldn’t resist visiting the Spanish capital to check out the latest developments in a show that is beginning to feel truly international.

The Middle East’s largest security and safety event attracted over 800 exhibitors from 53 countries. Visitors had to battle both torrential rain and city-wide road closures to attend, writes Jose Sanchez.

The history of Ulm and Iveco Magirus has been interwoven since Conrad Dietrich Magirus, Fire Commander of the City – and one of the founding fathers of the German fire service – invented the turntable ladder in 1872. 
Ann Marie visited Iveco to find out the latest developments.

Computer-based models are in widespread use today as part of fire safety design. However, there is considerable concern about whether or not the use of such models may be leading to unacceptable options being adopted, writes Dr Alan Beard.

JOIFF – the organisation for emergency services management – is offering up to £1,500 to the successful applicant of a new bursary award. And what’s more, the bursary is open to all.

Barry Browning, ex Fire Chief at Fawley Refinery,  reports on a training exercise that used critical equipment he helped to source and install.

Gary McDowall of ABC MacIntosh and Thierry Bluteau of Bio-Ex foams remind readers that fluorosurfactants are still classified as organohalogens and as such remain prohibited under the UK’s Groundwater Regulations. What’s more, they believe that today’s new generation of fluorine-free foams put paid to the argument that reliability and performance can only be achieved through the use of film-forming foam.

Bio fuels have already had a big impact on our everyday lives – even Virgin Atlantic has tested bio fuels in a 747 short haul flight – which means firefighters must be prepared for the added problems of extinguishing bio fuel fires. Luc Jacobs, Product & Environmental Manager, Arctic Fire Fighting Foams, showcases some results of recent foam tests on E95.

Low or fluorine-free content foam can still achieve good results. Chemguard sent us some data from tests carried out on its low fluorine, Ultraguard foam solution.

Stephen Korzeniowski (DuPont) and Tom Cortina (Fire Fighting Foam Coalition) reflect on the fluorine-free vs fluorinated foams debate that was brought to the fore during last year’s Reebok conference.

Arrangements for providing and siting gas detectors for open areas and gas turbine enclosures (1) are generally considered to be reasonably well understood. But there is little information on the provision and siting of gas detection systems for HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) ducts supplying air to accommodation modules, temporary refuges or process areas, writes Kevin O’Donnell, Offshore Safety Division, Health and Safety Executive.

It is a pleasure to visit an industrial facility and find an emergency response team that is utterly convinced that its level of readiness for the unexpected is world class – and after visiting SembCorp Utilities’ 2000-acre facilities in Teesside, northeast UK, it is possible to see where this confidence comes from.

Where Hannibal crossed the Alps, the Swiss went right through them. On the 9th of December 2007, a new milestone in Europe’s high-speed rail network, the Lotzberg Base Tunnel, was opened for traffic.

JOIFF would not wish to see this matter develop into one of needless tit-for-tat letter writing but we feel that due to the significant contribution from industry at the Buncefield incident, particularly from JOIFF Members, we would be failing in our duty to our members in not adding the necessary clarity to this matter which appears to be required.

The purpose of the trip, explained ABC MacIntosh’s Gary McDowall was to demonstrate how environmental foams could be beneficial to the emergency services, and that going down the environmental route would not necessarily cost more.

Over the past decade, there has been a growing concern about the impact of foams on environment, due to scientific evidence of the detrimental effect of fluorinated compounds and their behaviour in the environment.

LNG is a cryogenic liquid stored at -162°C in special single- or double-lined insulated concrete tanks. Its composition varies between 83 and 99.5% methane with traces of ethane, propane and butane. As it vaporises the cold gas condenses moisture in the atmosphere into a white vapour cloud. It is in the vicinity of the edges of this cloud that ignition is most likely to occur, where the LNG reaches its flammability range of 5 to 14% in air. Although asphyxiating, the vapours are not explosive unless confined.

Articles published in recent issues of this journal suggest that there is an environmental ‘tragedy’ or serious public safety issue associated with the use of fluorotelomer-based AFFF agents.

In one of Europe’s most prestigious airport glazing contracts, leading vertical access equipment manufacturer, Hek Manufacturing BV and a glass specialist, Lindner-Schmidlin Facade Ltd, have provided specialist fire - and in some sensitive areas ‘blast-resistant’ - glazing for London Heathrow Airport’s major Terminal 5 structure.

Fire is just one of the possible service interruptions which can affect a data or communications network. However, the consequences - such as material damage or, more importantly, human loss of life - can be extremely dire.

Following an ignition in a fireworks production facility, HSL (Health and Safety Laboratory) undertook work to quantify the size, duration and thermal emissive power of fireballs produced when different quantities of a range of pyrotechnic compositions are ignited. 

In such a hostile and challenging climate as the marine environment, it is imperative that the most appropriate fire detection system is chosen and that it is fit for purpose. 

President of Durasystems Barriers Inc, Craig Pickering, definitely feels his company has the answer with DuraSteel.

This year’s conference will feature more than 150 education sessions within 11 conference tracks. New for 2007 will be a special focus on fire protection engineering sponsored by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE). There is also a robust element of industrial fire safety and security.

Insulfrax Blanket products manufactured by the Unifrax Corporation have been designed to provide passive fire protection, reports IFJ.

Protective coatings are designed to provide a degree of tolerance of tolerance to the steelwork of industrial structures whilst a fire is brought under control.

Hughes Safety Showers recently launched a versatile decontamination unit in the Middle East. The Hughes MD4 is a standard decontamination unit with the British fire service for use at chemical spillages and major incidents.

The petroleum and petrochemical industries have many hazards that can be briefly categorised.

Jean-Marc Vandekerchove tells IFJ: “Our range of products is designed to provide the professional firefighter with the best, most effective extinguishing agent for all known fire hazards with a minimum impact on the environment and human exposure.”

Lithuania, October 12th, 2006: Like blasts from giant cannons a series of huge explosions shattered the peace of Lithuania’s coastal city, Mazeikiu.

Working in confined spaces can be one of the most dangerous tasks undertaken by industry firefighters. Confined space hazards can include problems with the atmosphere due to poor ventilation, access problems and poor light.

The first section of the A86 West tunnel, the missing link in the Paris ‘super-ringroad’ is to be opened in October 2007. Built, financed and operated by Cofiroute, this 10km tunnel linking Rueil-Malmaison and Versailles will revolutionise traffic flow in the West Paris region.

Valuable  as a forum in industry, it was not until JOIFF started to develop its Training Policy in 1999 and introduced Certificates of Competence to successful trainees that JOIFF grew into the major international organisation it is today. 

Tyco Fire and Integrated Solutions is promoting three major products as environmentally-friendly alternatives for Halon, as Industrial Fire Journal noted when its team visited ExpoProtection in Paris. At the show, Yann Boutin, Communication and IT Infrastructure Director for the company in France, took the time to explain more about these special products.

Relative to other sectors, for example, commercial office developments, the basis for industrial design with respect to fire safety tends to be  far more exacting. Here, severe fires occur in surroundings where continuous operations, and possibly a high level of cleanliness, is absolutely essential.

Since 2000 and 3M’s announcement to phase out its PFOS-based fluorochemicals business, every year has brought its load of bad news over the fate of this peculiar class of compounds. But let’s get back to the past six years.

So what if a fire actually breaks out in a bulkhead or compartment and the fire team leaders decides on a ‘burnout’? How do you know that it is safe to enter?

A definition of a competent person is someone who “having regard to the task that he or she is required to perform, and taking account of the size and/or hazards of the undertaking or establishment in which he or she undertakes work, he or she possesses sufficient training, experience and knowledge appropriate to the nature of the work to be undertaken.”

Safety Managers in high-risk locations have wide-ranging responsibilities,” points out Steve Taylor. “In relation to fire protection, they need to understand not only the principles and technologies associated with fire detection, explosion protection and fire extinguishing, but also the vital role that portable fire extinguishers continue to play in preventing a ‘small’ fire from becoming a major conflagration.

President of Durasystems Barriers Inc, Craig Pickering, definitely feels his company has the answer to fire  blast resistance problems with a material called DuraSteel. He spoke to Aidan Turnbull while exhibiting this key product at the NFPA Show in Orlando, Florida in June:

Brian Cummins is the MD of Proline, a company which has developed its UK manufactured range of FM-approved and UL listed linear detection cables, accessories -including optional interface units - which can be simply integrated with all central fire alarm control panels and building management systems.

In use for well over a century now, sprinklers are required in all new highrise and underground buildings generally 75 feet (23 m) above or below fire department access, where the ability of firefighters to provide adequate hose streams to fires is limited.

Class B foams are used to fight fires involving liquid hydrocarbon fuels and may also need to be alcohol-resistant (AR) for polar solvents, such as methanol or MEK. Aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) containing fluorosurfactants revolutionised this area of fire service operations when they were first introduced in the 1960s.

Whichever way you look at it, the A380 is huge. The structural dimensions surpass those of all previous commercial aircraft. With two levels inside, the wide-bodied aircraft can accommodate an incredible 555 passengers in the standard seating configuration.

Most industrial operations can take any one of several approaches to overcoming air supply problems.  Some contract commercial operations to refill air cylinders owned by the company. Others may buy large storage cylinders then use stored air to do their own recharging.

It was fortunate that no-one died when a similar accident happened to an American Trans Air DC-10 on the ground in Chicago in 1986, but the fact is that this hazmat lesson clearly wasn’t learned.

After an exhaustive market survey and technical evaluation, the Italian National Fire Administration has finally taken delivery of the first of four shipboard fire simulators supplied by Kidde Fire Trainers.  The simulators replicate the major challenges experienced in fighting shipboard fires in a safe and environmentally-sound manner. 

Teex opens new 2,300-foot pipeline for emergency response training.

Question from an
industrial firefighter
Question: I heard that toxic gases and vapours from hazardous materials can get inside a self-contained breathing apparatus facepiece, even if you have a good seal between the mask and your face - is this true?

Foam manufacturers have developed fluorosurfactant-free foams (FSFF) that have no long term detrimental environmental impact. There are numerous areas of application for this type of product, in particular with the European fire and rescue services.

IFJ reviews some of the best industrial training establishments offering a wide variety of courses, programmes and simulator scenarios.

Gene Allen is a Senior Loss Prevention Engineer for major Insurance and Risk Assessment company Allianz. He has a close affiliation with the industrial firefighting industry through his work and his spare-time occupation as a volunteer firefighter.

Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service has been using the VectorCommand system for many years in order to train for various incidents such as a large refinery fire.

Virtual reality can create tension and immersion levels that accurately mimic real life. Many Municipal Fire Services are already deploying synthetic environments for training purposes, but now the industry as a whole is realising the advantages of training in a synthetic environment.

In the USA, New York’s Freedom Tower is set to rise 1,776 feet from ashes of the World Trade Center now that the final designs have been agreed and the ‘ground breaking’ inauguration ceremony is over.

Bjorn Geeves is the CEO of Verfification Institute Ltd. previously IMI-International Measuring Institute, a certified statutory service supplier specialised in on-site inspection and measurements of Low Location Lighting (LLL) systems onboard ship. Before the IS0 15370 for LLL systems went into action, ship operators had to comply with the IMO Res. A.752(18), which is part of the SOLAS regulations.

X-Suppress is a new concept in explosion protection and is the first passive system using water mist at ambient temperature and pressure, says Graeme Hitchen, Business Manager for UK-based Sheffield University Enterprises Limited.

Let’s begin with a brief look at the role of the Angus Fire Emergency Service which swung into action after being notified by Hertfordshire F&RS at 07.05am on Sunday, December 11. Within a few hours the company despatched emergency foam stocks from its facility at Bentham, North Yorkshire, by road tanker under full police escort.

An important element of the Buncefield industrial response was Lindsey Oil Refinery’s EV2 foam tender holding 11,000 litres of foam liquid. It carried two Knowsley dual-geared monitors which provided an output of 3,600 lpm from a foam branchpipe. They played an essential role in actively ‘knocking down’ some of the oil fires and creating strategic gaps for other fire teams to enter the area.

The Europe, Africa and Middle East Manager for Williams Fire & Hazard Control Inc, one of the world’s leading industrial firefighting companies, Kelvin Hardingham told IFJ:

Almost four months ago, the fuels depots at Buncefield near Hemel Hempstead represented the UK’s fifth largest fuel distribution centres, used by BP, BPA and HOSL ( a joint venture between Total and Texaco. On December 11th, 2005, a severe explosion led to the loss of around 7.7 million gallons of oil, motor spirit and aviation fuel.

In a newsletter published in October 2006 from an American special interest group of foam manufacturers, the aquatic toxicity of firefighting foams is discussed.

JOIFF, the Organisation for Emergency Services Management, concerns itself with the protection of life, property and the environment in those sectors in which its members operate.

There should be no doubts that the blasts and fires at the Buncefield oil terminal, just outside Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, on the 11th December 2005 will be discussed and the outcomes debated for many years to come.

With the emergence of a new Class ‘B’ foam technology it is time for the industrial firefighting industry to examine the benefits of this technology,  Solberg Scandinavian AS has been involved with the manufacture of fire-fighting foams since the 1980s.

It was five years ago that 3M announced (May 2000, shortly before InterSchutz 2000) that the company was withdrawing from fluorosurfactant manufacture using perfluorooctanyl sulphonate (PFOS) chemistry.

The recent DDA and EN54 directive has once again placed emphasis on the importance of ensuring safety and warning systems are up to standard.  Not only that, but there is also now a need for companies to install more versatile systems that can cater for both the visually and audibly impaired.

Halon 1301 and Halon 1211 were once regarded as the ‘wonder remedy’ when they were introduced in the 1960s. They were ‘clean agents’ which did not leave any corrosive or abrasive residues after use, unlike water, dry chemicals and foams which were associated with secondary non-fire damage.

Current road tunnel safety is seriously limited by the traditional approach to risk assessment and intervention that are not in actual time, non-dynamic and non interactive.

Jan Crucq comments: “Since halon-based systems have been decommissioned, the shipping industry has been looking at suitable alternatives. At the moment there are several replacement systems that have worldwide recognition within the maritime sector.

The peace of a quiet morning on Sunday, December 11th, 2005, was shattered by a series of explosions at Buncefield, an oil depot  located just north of London - initiating the biggest fire of its type seen in Europe since 1945.

It’s fascinating to talk about computers and fire safety engineering - but how do they actually interact? Fire origin, fire development, fire spread and fire decay in enclosed fires depend on several factors such as the room geometry, type and quantity of materials, number and size of openings, type of firefighting operations etc.

Serious petrochemical incidents are a rare occurrence; even those brigades who provide cover for fire and emergencies within the petrochemical industry have a limited opportunity to build up experience of such incidents.

From the fire detection point of view, a high risk environment such as an oil or gas plant provides a number of different challenges.  Such facilities are generally large and spread out, with both internal and external areas requiring fire detection and protection.

Semco Maritime’s Pelle Madspjerg told IFJ: “The risk of fire in wind turbines has always been considered very small but now there have been several cases fire protection has become more relevant through increased demands from authorities, insurance companies and owners, “ he comments.

In July 2002 AQUASYS from Linz, Austria, developed Europe’s first Tunnel Fire Suppression System  based on watermist technology.  A relatively new, efficient firefighting technology involving minimal water use, water mist increases the surface area of water more than 1000 times, giving an enormous cooling effect and producing a highly-efficient oxygen depletion effect.

Virtually every industrial or commercial building contains rooms classified as machinery spaces. These may contain machinery as diverse as generators, pumps, hydraulic power packs, incinerators or transformers, writes Jukka Nieminen.

Mike Willson explains,  “Natural gas is the cleanest burning of all fossil fuels, and global demand for it as an energy source is growing rapidly. The tests were organised to re-evaluate current fire protection equipment and techniques in realistic fire scenarios”.

Industry must still brace itself for the two months remaining of the 2005 Hurricane Season - but it has already been one of the most memorable and costliest years in living memory.

With the deregulation of the airline industry, outsourcing of aircraft maintenance and an aging aircraft fleet, there are very real concerns about international aviation safety, especially in less developed countries.

Explains Arnie Arnold: “Firewater is the key to what can be done and it depends on the supply available. At Coryton the resource is sufficient for the worst case scenario but is continually seeking to improve.

The new PDX Firemist technology is most certainly in the ‘exciting innovation’ category and one could argue that such advances in the field of fire suppression, brought by Pursuit Dynamics plc, will finally establish water-mist as the obvious and natural replacement for the now ‘outlawed’ Halon systems.

Once upon a time, the halon gases used to knock out fires in computer rooms were equally hazardous to any human beings exposed to the extinguishing atmosphere. Almost 20 years on, however, a solution has been developed which offers an environment in which people can work and in which it is impossible for a fire to burn.

Firefighting foams are widely used to control and extinguish fires involving Class B flammable liquids. There are many claims made that specific products are the best. A bewildering choice of foam types, grades, manufacturers and brands available, so how do you know which one is right for your particular application? asks Mike Willson.

The environmental impact of firefighting foams has become of increasing concern to both national regulatory authorities and fire services, as well as to manufacturers of the surfactants used and to companies in the fire engineering industry which formulate foam concentrates, following on from the announcement by 3M in May 2000 that they were phasing out fluorosurfactant production based on perfluorooctanyl sulphonate (PFOS) chemistry.