Page 17 - Fire Services Journal 2018

been developing suits, which resist pressure, radiation, and heat- all elements which could be integrated into new firefighting suits.
“The advanced firefighter’s suit will use a number of state-of-the-art NASA technologies. Among them is active cooling, protecting the firefighter from metabolic heat trapped in the suit. Combined with new fabrics on the outer garment, the liquid cooling inner garment can allow more lengthy exposure to temperatures of up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, compared to a maximum of 300 degrees for current suits. It will be double sealed, exposing no skin areas and providing protection against hazardous materials. The suit also will offer greater impact protection”.
Currently, the technology remains in a prototype stage. However, perhaps soon NASA will be able to equip firefighters better than ever with space-age technology.
PERHAPS SOON NASA WILL BE ABLE TO EQUIP FIREFIGHTERS BETTER THAN EVER WITH SPACE-AGE TECHNOLOGY.
Fire extinguishing grenades
The concept is rather ironic and is surprisingly ancient. Nevertheless, it is an ingenious product which is still being used today.
The earliest known fire grenades were hand-blown, coloured round glass bottles usually be filled with salt water. During a fire, the filled glass bulbs would be thrown into the blaze where the thin glass would easily shatter, releasing its contents and hopefully extinguishing the blaze. In later years, more sophisticated compounds replaced the water, such as carbon tetrachloride, also known as tetrachloromethane.
The glass balls were atop temperature sensitive brackets in areas of high risk. If a fire broke out, the heat would cause the bracket to release the ball, allowing it to smash onto the ground and release its fire extinguishing compounds.
New rapid extinguishing
technologies
Though the glass device is rarely used, the technology has since developed into more advanced extinguishers. A variety of rapid fire extinguishers is available today, including the Fire Extinguishing Ball.
The balls can be described more accurately as fire suppressing 'grenades'. The grenades are thrown into an area already engulfed in flames where they quickly (yet controllably) explode. The explosion does not exert a massive amount of force. Instead, it relies on the fast expansion of the compounds within.
Other emerging rapid extinguishing systems like the Fire Extinguishing Ball are becoming publically available all across the world.
The systems can be quickly deployed with great effect equivalent to its traditional fire extinguisher counterpart, the heat activated systems of the grenades allow the user to deploy the grenade from a safe distance from the smoke and fire.
The technologies are excellent at extinguishing fires indoors and are easily and effectively deployed without causing any more damage than the fire already has, which makes them ideal for minor home fires.
THE TECHNOLOGIES ARE EXCELLENT AT EXTINGUISHING
FIRES INDOORS AND ARE EASILY AND EFFECTIVELY DEPLOYED WITHOUT CAUSING ANY MORE DAMAGE THAN THE FIRE ALREADY HAS, WHICH MAKES THEM IDEAL FOR MINOR HOME FIRES.
FEATURE
FIRE EXTINGUISHING GRENADE
NASA FIRE SHELTER MATERIAL
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