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The Air Up There: Jersey Bars, Fire Suppression and Doing the Right Thing!
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 | | John Demeter |
The next time you find yourself bellied-up to one of New Jersey's 7000 bars (that's a little more than one per square mile) think twice before ordering your Grey Goose martini or even that shot of Jack Daniels. You might not be getting what you paid for. In January and February, investigators from the State's Attorney General's office covertly went to 63 establishments that were suspected of scamming liquor customers by substituting cheap booze for top brands while charging premium prices. The investigators ordered their drinks "neat" (no ice, no water, and no additives) and took a total of 150 samples. Of these, thirty (20%) proved not to be the brand ordered. In total, twenty-nine bars and restaurants were accused of cheating customers. At one bar, a mixture that included rubbing alcohol and caramel coloring was sold as scotch (a felony in our book!). In another, premium liquor bottles were diluted with water - and apparently not even clean water at that. In other words, contaminated. So what does this have to do with fire protection? Not much, other than providing a handy metaphor for an emerging issue in the Clean Agent Fire Suppression business. As we reported several months ago, a recent private sampling and testing of FM200 being returned for recycling every cylinder failed to meet the quality standard established in NFPA 2001. Halon 1301 was also included in this study with similar results. The study did not determine how the suppression agent was contaminated in the first place - was it factory filled or had the system been recharged? If it was recharged, was the recharge done by the factory or a distributor? We also don't know the implications of this level of contamination on the suppression system. Would elevated moisture levels have a long term deleterious impact on the system? What happens when FM200 or Halon (or Novec 1230) is exposed to elevated levels of water? Would valve stems, o-rings or other components break down or corrode? What happens to the interior of the cylinder? What happens when these fire suppression agents are cross contaminated with other agents (1301 with 1211 or FM200) and the amount of agent is less than 100%? What we do know is that moisture, particulates and, in some cases, other clean agents or refrigerants showed up in the sample rendering the system non-compliant with industry standards. In some cases the moisture content was in excess of 270 ppm (10ppm is the maximum allowed) and did not comply with NFPA 2001. 100% of the samples failed! (New Jersey bars have a better record!) We also know that there has never been a reported failure of a clean agent system failing to do its job and extinguish a fire. We know that clean agents play a critical role in high-value, special hazard fire protection in applications such as data centers, telecommunication, high-tech manufacturing, aviation and military. Also, the use of recycled agents for recharge is growing. This trend will continue to grow given the fire protection industry's enviable record of product stewardship. So here is the question: under what set of circumstances should anyone recharge a clean agent system without an independent verification that the agent meets industry standards? We're hard pressed to think of any.
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Assure your customer an FM200*, FE25*, Novec 1230** Recharge that complies with industry standards!
Recycled, sampled and independently tested Clean Agents always in stock
Wesco
More experience on more clean agent systems than anyone in the industry!
*FM200 and FE25 are a registered trademark of DuPont
**Novec 1230 is a registered trademark of 3M
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Firetrace Introduces New Total Flood System | 
Firetrace International used International Firex in the UK to showcase its new E4 total-flooding system, the 4th evolution of clean agent systems that the company confidently predicts will redefine the global total-flooding gaseous fire suppression market.
In addition to incorporating a number of innovative engineering developments, the new E4 system offers system installers greater flexibility, speedier installation, significantly lower overall installed cost and a measurable competitive edge. End-user benefits come in the form of a much lower financial outlay when compared with other systems on the market, and greatly improved design freedom. Significantly, by merely replacing the cylinders and nozzles, E4 provides a swift, least-cost transition from an existing Halon system to 3M™ Novec™ 1230 Fire Protection Fluid clean agent technology.
Read the full article here.
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HARC Releases HFC Emissions Report
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April 29, 2013
HALON ALTERNATIVES RESEARCH CORPORATION
The final report of the HFC Emissions Estimating Program (HEEP) data collection for the years 2002-2011 has been published. HEEP is an important program for the fire protection industry and has been highlighted by the US Environmental Protection Agency in its ozone protection progress reports. With the continued focus on climate change, it is important to have accurate emissions data and to show leadership on the issue by the fire protection industry.
The reporting of 2011 data represents a 10-year milestone for the HEEP program.
We have begun collecting data for 2012 and will report on progress at the June 10 HARC meeting.
Read the full report here.
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New Aviation Group to Discuss Halon Replacement | 
May 6, 2013For more than twenty years the Halon Alternatives Research Corporation (HARC) has served as a facilitating organization for industry in its pursuit of environmentally acceptable fire protection technologies. One of the most difficult challenges over this period has proved to be the development and implementation of alternatives to halons for commercial aviation. In an effort to accelerate progress in this area, HARC will be sponsoring a special Alternatives to Halon for Aviation Meeting of key stakeholders to discuss current activities by the aerospace industry and to solicit broader engagement on aircraft fire protection alternatives. Therefore, a proposal to form an Industry Consortium (IC) that will identify a non-halon agent for industry-wide use on engines/APUs is to be presented. The intent of the IC is to leverage air framers, fire extinguishing system suppliers, engine/APU/nacelle companies, governmental resources, and other key stakeholder resources to share agent development burdens. The meeting details are: Date: Tuesday, June 11, 2013 Time: 8:45 am - noon Location: Hyatt Regency Chicago To read all of the info, click here.
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Tyco Teams Up With Shell | 
Company will advance safety in selected Shell locations around the globe
SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland
May 6, 2013
PRNewswire via COMTEX
Tyco was awarded an Enterprise Framework Agreement (EFA) from Shell Global Solutions International B.V., to provide fire protection products, engineered systems and lifecycle services for Shell onshore and offshore sites in the Americas, Asia and Australia/New Zealand.
"Tyco is committed to supporting Shell's fire protection needs. We are excited about the opportunity to continue our strong relationship with such a respected company," stated Brian McDonald, Chief Operating Officer, Tyco Installation and Services.
Key components of Tyco's offering include a commitment to ethical business practices, leveraging Tyco's global footprint of centers of excellence and service, harnessing Tyco's broad portfolio of product technology and brands, and incorporating Tyco's Williams Hazard and Response solutions to provide peace of mind and expert consultation.
Click here to read the full article.
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FSSA News
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 FSSA Annunciator
May 2013
FSSA WELCOMES NEW MEMBER
Harrison, TN
FSSA SUBMITS COMMENTS TO NFPA ON PROPOSED STANDARDS
On April 22, 2013, FSSA submitted comments to the NFPA's request for comments ( which may be found here) on the Proposed New Standard for The Application Of Hybrid, Gas, And Fine Water Droplet Systems. The FSSA supports the development of a new NFPA standard covering fire extinguishing systems that use a combination of inert gas and very fine water droplets, known as "hybrid systems', as a number of our member companies are involved in either manufacturing such systems or installing such systems. FSSA members have an opportunity to comment to the Standards Council regarding the need for a new standard to address the hybrid system technology. Comments may be emailed to the Standards Council in care of the Secretary of the Standards Council, stds_admin@nfpa.org. The deadline for sending comments is May 30, 2013. To read the rest of the FSSA news, click here.
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NAFED News
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NAFED Elects New Board Members for 2013-16 Term
Chicago, IL
May 30, 2013
NAFED is proud to announce the election of three new members to its board of directors. Effective following the 2013 annual meeting in Chicago, the following individuals will serve out three-year terms.
- Bill Johnson, Mid State Fire Equipment in Lake Placid, Florida: Region Two Director (representing Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia)
- Bob Sorensen, FireGuard in Omaha, Nebraska: Region Four Director (representing Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin)
- Daniel Laughlin, ProTec Fire Protection in Loganville, Georgia: Director-at-Large
NAFED congratulates and welcomes their new board members.
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EPA SNAP Lists Novec as Halon 1211 Replacement |
An EPA SNAP final rule that now lists C7 Fluoroketone as an acceptable substitute for Halon 1211 as a streaming agent in portable fire extinguishers in nonresidential applications has been issued:
3. Section 5
478 is amended by adding paragraph (c) to read as follows:
§ 52.478 Rules and regulations.
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(c) On March 24, 2011, the District of Columbia submitted a letter to EPA declaring that there are no sources located in the District which belong to the following VOC categories:
(1) Auto and Light-duty Truck Assembly Coatings;
(2) Fiberglass Boat Manufacturing Materials;
(3) Paper, Film and Foil Coatings;
(4) Flatwood Paneling.
[FR Doc. 2013-09937 Filed 4-26-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
The rest of the EPA SNAP final rule can be read here.
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Upcoming Events
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FFEDA Conference
Date(s): June 21, 2013 - June 23, 2013 Location: Wyndham Grande Resort in Orlando, Florida For more info, click here. NFPA 2013 Conference - Chicago
Date(s): June 10, 2013 - June 13, 2013 Location: McCormick Place Convention Center, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60616 For more info, click here.
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Most Popular Stories from April 2013 |
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
OUR BLOG
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