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Special FSSA Issue
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From the Editor's Desk
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Welcome to the February issue of The Halon Herald!
In this issue, we are proud to welcome some new salespeople to Wesco's team!
Check out all of the information on the FSSA 2012 Annual Forum that will be held at the end of this month in Rancho Mirage, CA. FSSA is celebrating 30 years this year!
We also have information regarding the Clean Air Act revisions, the future of HFCs, and a Tyco acquisition. There is also news about a new climate coalition that has been formed.
As always, please feel free to direct to me any questions, comments or suggestions as they are always welcome!
- Kari
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Wesco Expands Sales Staff |
 | Andy Clark
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Wesco Hires Andy Clark; Ramps Up for GrowthWesco is pleased to announce the hiring of Andy Clark to serve as Western Regional Sales Manager. Andy joins Wesco after spending 16 years in the fire protection business, most recently as Service Sales Manager for American Fire Equipment in Phoenix, Arizona. During those years, Andy supported American's growth while the company expanded from around 30 employees to over 120. Prior to joining American Fire, Andy spent 4 years with Westfire in Phoenix, Arizona. Shannon Esopenko, Wesco's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said this of Mr. Clark. "Andy Clark is a welcome addition to the Wesco team. I've known Andy for over 5 years and cannot think of a more qualified person to manage the growth of our business in the West. Besides being born and raised in the West, Andy understands the needs of the fire equipment distributor as well as anyone in the industry." Andy spends his off time with his wife, Christina, and son, Sincere, enjoying activities such as camping, archery and especially riding ATVs. Andy can be reached 480-477-9221 (direct) or at aclark@ushalonbank.com.  | | Karen Zukarfein |
Karen Zukarfein has been with Wesco since October of 2007 as an Administrative Assistant, working closely with the President, Vice President, and Treasurer. Handling many aspects of the front office has helped her transition into the position of Southern Regional Sales Manager. This new position is an exciting change for Karen. She is responsible for maintaining our valued current customer accounts and obtaining prospective new accounts in the Southern Region.
Before she took this position, she was a stay-at-home mom of two daughters for many years and then began her career again working in the medical field. After changing jobs a few times to gain more experience, Karen eventually found Wesco. On days off, you can find her on the beach, with a good book and ipod in tow. Family time is important, especially planning trips to see her daughter in the Air Force, currently stationed in San Antonio, TX. Karen can be reached at 732-590-2219 (direct) or at karenz@ushalonbank.com.
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Mini Max Expands in Eastern US
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Mesa, Arizona, USA - Minimax USA, an innovative leader in fire protection and special hazard fire suppression, welcomed Mr. Todd Stevens to their sales team as the new Eastern United States Sales Manager. Todd, who started with Mini Max on January 2, is responsible for leading the company's sales effort throughout the Eastern United States.
To read the full article on this report, click here.
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Tyco Purchases LPG Tecnicas En Extincion
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As of January 3rd, 2012, Tyco International, through its Fire Protection Products business, has completed the acquisition of LPG Tecnicas en Extincion de Incendios, S.L, Inc. As a result of the acquisition, Tyco will broaden its product and services portfolio. Click here to read the full letter detailing this.
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BTP One Step Closer to replacing Halon 1211 in Commercial Aviation |
The development of BTP (2-bromo-3,3,3-trifluoropropene) as a replacement for halon 1211 in the commercial aviation market continues to make progress. Due to the interest in BTP from the aviation market for use in handheld fire extinguishers onboard aircraft, this compound is currently undergoing the laundry list of toxicological and environmental impact tests necessary to gain approvals in the United States and Europe. Testing is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. If found acceptable, commercialization of BTP would occur by the end of 2013.
The most recent set of tests determined that BTP is one of the more environmentally friendly fire protection agents with a low atmospheric lifetime and a low ODP.
While bromine is typically associated with the significant ozone depletion potentials of halons, recent 3-D atmospheric modeling of BTP has shown that bromine could be acceptable if it had a short atmospheric lifetime - a matter of days. BTP falls into a newer classification of compounds known as Very Short Lived Substances (VSLS). Other VSLS compounds include CF3I and n-propyl bromide. Due to the reactive nature of VSLS compounds in the atmosphere, the compound's lifetime and ozone depletion potential depends on where in the world the compound is emitted. The report for BTP provides results for two sets of latitudes, one set covers the major industrialized areas of the globe (30° to 60°N) and one covers everything except the polar regions (60°S to 60°N). For the major industrialized areas of the globe, the results are: atmospheric lifetime of 7 days, ozone depletion potential of 0.0028 (where CFC-11=1 and Halon 1211=7.9), and a global warming potential of 0.0050 (100-yr CO2 horizon, where CO2=1 and Halon 1211 = 1,890). The report concludes that little BTP reaches the stratosphere and that BTP should have minimal impact on ozone or climate.
To read the full article, click here.
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US State Department/EPA Hold Stakeholders Meeting On Future of HFCs | |
On Monday, February 6, 2012, the State Department and EPA hosted a stakeholder meeting to begin discussions for 2012 on the issue of HFCs in the Montreal Protocol. Participants included Gina McCarthy, Drusilla Hufford, and Cindy Newberg of EPA, Dan Reifsynder and John Thompson of State, and A.R. Ravishankara of NOAA. There were about 40 attendees representing industry and environmental NGOs.
It appears that the United States, Canada and Mexico will again propose an amendment by the May deadline to add HFCs to the Montreal Protocol and slowly phase down their production. The amendment is likely to be similar to the 2011 proposed amendment and there was discussion of possibly trying to add additional co-sponsors including the European Union. Any proposed amendments would be discussed at the Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) meeting scheduled for July in Bangkok and at the Meeting of Parties (MOP) scheduled for November in Geneva.
At the 2011 OEWG and MOP, the formation of a formal contact group to begin discussion of the HFC amendments was again blocked by a small group of countries including India, China, and Brazil. There was some progress made as a TEAP study on low-GWP alternatives to ODS was approved and 17 additional countries signed on to the HFC Declaration, bringing the total number to 108.
One focus of discussion at the stakeholder meeting was how to change the dynamic of the past 3 years and expand efforts outside of the Montreal Protocol process in order to build momentum for the HFC amendments within the process. It was suggested that the recent Durban climate agreement, which includes commitments for all countries and delays implementation of the next climate treaty until 2020, could soften the opposition of countries that believe that HFCs should be handled in a climate treaty and not the Montreal Protocol. There were offers from industry and environmental NGOs to increase communication with their counterparts in China and India on the HFC issue.
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Clean Air Act Revisions Impact Fire Protection |
The recently signed 2012 Department of Defense authorization bill contains an amendment to the Clean Air Act (CAA) that allows newly-manufactured HCFCs to continue to be used for fire protection beyond 2015. The provision revises Section 605 of the CAA to add a fourth exception to the 2015 HCFC use phase out for SNAP approved fire suppression agents. It does not impact the 2020 phase out of HCFC production (recycled HCFCs can still be used beyond 2020).
An excerpt from the DOD authorization bill is attached and the new Section 605 language is shown below.
SEC. 605. PHASE-OUT OF PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF CLASS II SUBSTANCES.
(a) RESTRICTION OF USE OF CLASS II SUBSTANCES. - Effective January 1, 2015, it shall be unlawful for any person to introduce into interstate commerce or use any class II substance unless such substance
(1) has been used, recovered, and recycled;
(2) is used and entirely consumed (except for trace quantities) in the production of other chemicals;
(3) is used as a refrigerant in appliances manufactured prior to January 1, 2020; or
(4) is listed as acceptable for use as a fire suppression agent for nonresidential applications in accordance with section 612(c).
Click here to read the entire bill.
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US State Department Announces New Climate Coalition |
2/16/12
At a meeting this morning at the State Department, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the formation of an international coalition to address emissions of three greenhouse gases - black carbon, methane, and HFCs. The "Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants" will focus on reducing these gases through new actions and by bolstering existing emission reduction efforts. The coalition will help countries develop national action plans, provide technical support, build capacity among developing countries, mobilize public and private funds for action, raise awareness globally, foster regional and international cooperation, and improve scientific understanding of the impacts and mitigation of these gases.
Secretary Clinton noted that the US is already engaged in a number of programs to address these gases including the Global Methane Initiative, Montreal Protocol, Arctic Council, and Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson noted that efforts to address HFCs have been undertaken by EPA under the SNAP program.
The coalition will be hosted by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and currently includes six countries: United States, Canada, Mexico, Bangladesh, Ghana, and Sweden. So far the US has pledged $12 million and Canada has pledged $3 million to support the effort.
It is not clear right now what new efforts will be undertaken to address HFCs. Including HFCs in the coalition may be a way to reach a broader audience and gain more visibility for the Montreal Protocol HFC amendments.
A fact sheet on the coalition can be found here.
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Did You Know? | |
According to a recent study by Wesco, at least 36% of halon 1301 and 227ea decommissioned from service have elevated moisture content beyond allowable by ASTM and NFPA standards.
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Most Popular Stories from December 2011 |
These are the stories in our last issue that got the most clicks. If you haven't already, check them out! |
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If you have any questions, comments, would like to be featured in a future Halon Herald, or would like to be added to our mailing list for this newsletter, please contact Kari Buser at kbuser@ushalonbank.com. WESCO HMB
1.800.433.1751
www.ushalonbank.com
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