Fires can destroy expensive properties, equipment, furniture, appliances and other items, in addition to causing burns and injuries. Properties which are damaged by fire often cannot be used for several months till they are renovated, investing additional money. Hence firefighters and property owners would like to purchase the best firefighting equipment available so that they can quickly extinguish the fire as soon as it is detected. Some of the considerations while choosing the firefighting equipment and the different types of firefighting equipment available are discussed.
Features
Some of the features of the firefighting equipment which should be considered are
- mechanism used for fighting the fire
- whether chemicals, water or other materials are used
- installation of the equipment
- cost of the equipment
- maintenance cost even if equipment is not used
- cleanup time after the fire is extinguished.
- coverage, area covered
- warranty offered on the equipment, available of spares
Application
One of the considerations while choosing firefighting equipment is the application for which it is designed. In residential areas people do not use fire often, except in the kitchen, while for some commercial applications like factories and commercial kitchens, temperatures are higher, since fire is used for heating, cooking and other applications. So for residential applications the firefighting equipment is smaller and more affordable, while for commercial applications the systems are bigger, more expensive and also more effective in suppressing the fire after it has been detected.
In commercial kitchens especially in restaurants food is being cooked at high temperatures, making fires more likely. So if there is a fire, the business owner would like to use firefighting equipment which does not use toxic chemicals, which will damage all the cooking equipment and food. If the toxic chemicals are used for extinguishing the fire, the business will have to spend a lot of time and money in cleaning the kitchen to remove all traces of the chemical, discarding the food which is contaminated. So for kitchens water mist firefighting equipment is preferred which uses lower volumes of water, and allows the area to be cleaned up quickly while reducing the environmental damage. Since no toxic chemicals are used, the water mist system also does not harm the people in the area.
Petrol, diesel and other fossil fuels are highly inflammable and a large number of fires are caused due to these fuels. Firefighting equipment only using water is not effective for putting out these fires, so a foam based system combining different chemicals is preferred. The foam covers the fire, cutting off the supply of air, so the fire is extinguished. The solution also contains water which cools the fire. The foam has been tested for quality and reliability.
Thermal Cameras
The intensity of the fire at various locations will differ, so firefighters prefer to focus on hot spots first, to reduce the damage. Thermal imaging cameras will help in locating the hot spots which are worst affected by the fire, so that they can plan their activities, can extinguish the fire in the area first, reducing damage caused.