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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
FIRE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS ASSOCIATION PRESENTS LEADERSHIP AWARD AT 2012 ANNUAL FORUM
Friday, February 17, 2012
Covenant basement evacuated temporarily for hazmat
By James Clark
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) -
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) -
Lubbock firefighters were called to Covenant Medical Center for a hazmat situation just before 4:50 AM Friday. Shortly after the first firefighters arrived, the hazmat team was then called.
There was one report of an injury, a security guard who had trouble breathing.
Michael Lewis, Lubbock Fire Department Division Chief, said, "They've had one person taken to the E.R. for some inhalation, and have him checked out. We're not positive it's related to this but it could be."
KCBD NewsChannel 11 was able to confirm a discharge of halon in the computer room of the Covenant basement and the basement was evacuated for a time. Halon is a fire suppression substance. Officials at the scene were not sure why the halon was discharged, which was followed by an automated fire alarm.
People were allowed back into the basement by about 5:45.
Copyright 2012 KCBD NewsChannel 11
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
National Association of Fire Equipment Dealers (NAFED) - LAS VEGAS
| We are pleased to offer you the convenience of ordering services online for the upcoming NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTORS. Simply click on the link below: http://www.freemanco.com/store/show/showInformation.jsp?showID=282676&sc=345950&referer=e We look forward to doing business with you. Please do not reply to this message directly. If you require assistance preparing for NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FIRE EQUIPMENT DISTRIBUTORS, please call Freeman Exhibitor Services at 702-579-1700 or email us at FreemanLasVegasES@freemanco.com. The company information associated with REMTEC INTL is: Customer Number: 345950 Company Address: 1100 HASKINS RD BOWLING GREEN, OH 43402-9363 If this information is incorrect, or for other customer service assistance, please call the Freeman Customer Support Center at 888-508-5054 or send an email to CustomerSupport@freemanco.com. |
Monday, February 13, 2012
Frequently Asked Questions About Halon
Q: What is Halon?
A: Halon is a fire suppressant agent found in both Fire Suppression Systems (Halon 1301) and Fire Extinguishers (Halon 1211). This is the most effective extinguishing agent available. Halon leaves no residue so causes no damage to your property.
Q: Is Halon Banned?
A: Halon is not banned. It is no longer manufactured though. The phase out is being discussed but no dates are set. For more information about the phase out you can read the Clean Air Act on the US EPA's website.
Q: Who uses Halon?
A: From protecting computer and communication rooms throughout the electronics industry, to numerous military applications on ships, aircraft and tanks, to ensuring safety on all commercial aircraft, Halon is an integral and unparalleled fire-extinguishing agent. Halon 1211 fire extinguishers play a vital role in protecting peoples' lives as well as property including homes, autos and boats.
Q: What is the HRC voluntary Code of Practice?
A: An ethical code of practice for reclaimers of halon. This Code of Practice has been developed to provide an assurance to the public that HRC Enrolled Sellers engaged in the business of halon recycling and recovery operate in a manner that promotes safe and environmentally responsible
halon reclamation.
Q: What are laboratory certifications?
A: Each cylinder or bulk tank supplied should have a laboratory certification. This means it has been tested to one of the industry-accepted standards (i.e. ISO-7201 or ASTM-D5632, Type 1 or Type 2). Every cylinder or bulk tank supplied by RemTec has laboratory certification. Always ask for complete laboratory certifications.
Q: Where can I buy recycled halon?
A: Recycled halon should only be purchased through a certified reclaimer like RemTec. RemTec assists sellers wishing to dispose of halon in a responsible manner, and helps buyers with "critical needs" locate supplies of Halon 1211 and 1301 for recharging their existing systems. RemTec operates a comprehensive Halocarbon Bank Management Program that meets all requirements of the EPA's 1990 Clean Air Act.
Q: What are "recycled halons?"
A: They are used halons cleaned by means of filtration, distillation, separation or other mechanical processes. As a result, our finished product meets the standards as set forth in ISO 7201 or ASTM D5632, Type 1 or Type 2.
Q: What is a certified reclaimer?
A: RemTec is a certified reclaimer. We are listed by the EPA after rigorous testing and adherence to all EPA standards. We also operate in accordance with NFPA 10 and 12A Standards and all work is performed according to the Montreal Protocol Treaty and Clean Air Act as amended in 1990. Always ask for complete laboratory certifications.
Q: I would like to remove halon from my systems. What should I do next?
A: Call our professionals. RemTec makes it easy for you to sell us your unwanted halon. We accept Halon 1211 and 1301 along with many CFC's, HCFC's and HFC's into our Halocarbon
Management Program.
Q: What is a Halocarbon Management Program?
A: RemTec established a comprehensive Halocarbon Management Program in response to our customer's environmental and fire protection needs. We purchase, reclaim and sell recycled halocarbons, meeting or exceeding all industry standards. We only sell to "critical users" and strictly follow all regulations and laws regarding the safe handling and transportation of halogenated agents.
Q: What if I need to dispose of my halon?
A: RemTec can also help you dispose of your halon. Occasionally, owners of ozone depleting chemicals may select destruction as a preferable option, especially if their corporate policies require permanent disposal of all ODS's (Ozone Depleting Substances), Class 1 CFC's and halons. RemTec International, stands ready to accept these unwanted agents for destruction. This program is located in Bowling Green, Ohio and can achieve destruction effiencies up to 99.9999%.
Q: What size containers do you have?
A: We have the following containers available for both halon 1211 and 1301: 50 lb. 100 lb. 200 lb. 300 lb. 500 lb. 1000 lb. 1 ton (2000 lb.)
Q: Can I buy a cylinder of unclean halon?
A: No, because when you buy a system container of halon that has not been recycled and laboratory tested, you cannot be assured of what is in it. RemTec takes great pride in selling only recycled and laboratory certified products. Always demand laboratory certifications for each tank or cylinder containing halon.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Boeing’s New ETOPS Offering Brings Asia Closer to the Rest of the World
by Gregory Polek
Boeing expects the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue approval for Rolls-Royce-powered 777s to fly 330-minute ETOPS missions by the end of the first quarter, followed by authorization for Pratt & Whitney-powered airplanes some time near the end of the year, according to 777 vice president and chief project engineer Bob Whittington. In December the company gained approval for operators of 777-300ERs, 777-200LRs, 777 Freighters and 777-200ERs powered by General Electric GE90 engines to fly up to 330 minutes from an alternate airport, allowing for more direct routes, less fuel burn and a reduction in CO2 emissions–particularly over the vast expanse of the South Pacific and on polar routes from Asia to North America and Western Europe.
The first airline to buy the new, longer ETOPS option–Air New Zealand–completed the first 240 ETOPS flight late last year with a Los Angeles-to-Auckland-bound 777-300ER. Whittington told AIN that the airlines that opt for the longer ETOPS capability must still gain operational approval from their respective regulatory agencies. Still in the midst of that approval process, ANZ must first fly 240-minute ETOPS for about a year before it can start flying routes requiring 330-minute ETOPS.
Meanwhile, Boeing continues to work toward European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval to satisfy the international regulatory agencies that require European certification, allowing Air France, for example, to fly from Paris to Tahiti. Whittington estimated the GE90-powered 777s would gain European paperwork within three to six months.
After Boeing worked with the FAA for some two-and-half years to win authority to offer 330-minute approval, analyzing data on each system to ensure they all met reliability standards, engineers needed to change nothing in the airplane, he said.
“The two major components that have to change to make the airplane good for extended ETOPS, whether it’s 240 or 330 [minutes] are the crew-oxygen and the fire- suppression systems,” explained Whittington. “So [the question is] if you have a fire in the cargo compartment, do you have enough Halon to keep it suppressed for 330 minutes.”
Most of the airlines interested in flying 240-minute ETOPS, for example, fly airplanes already equipped with extended oxygen and Halon options, he added.
“Air New Zealand, for instance, didn’t have to do anything to the airplanes,” said Whittington. “We updated their flight manual and they just had to get regulatory approval and they could go.”
One-engine-out Capability
In fact, Boeing’s ability to extend its ETOPS offering had less to do with any advances in technology than in the demonstration of the 777’s ability to divert on one engine from such distances. “A couple of things have happened,” said Whittington. “One is, we have demonstrated the reliability of the airplane and the engine over the past 15 years, which has given everybody comfort…we have real data that says all the systems are capable of operating at that ETOPS range. And the other thing is that the markets have developed, so where we used to fly just 747s essentially–big airplanes from hub to hub–and as the market fragments and wants to go to smaller point-to-point service, there has been more market demand for smaller airplanes that can fly point to point over such long distances.”
Now regularly using 240-minute ETOPS capability, ANZ flies a 777-300ER between the U.S. mainland and Auckland. For any airline, the capability will reveal its value most on missions between the South Pacific and the U.S. mainland, the South Pacific and Africa or South America, and polar routes between Asia–including such points as Singapore, China and Japan–and both Western Europe and the U.S., said the Boeing executive.
Flying directly over the North Pole using the 180-minute ETOPS standard requires open landing alternatives in Siberia, for example, forcing operators to re-plan the route and add fuel in the event of an airfield closure due to weather. Such diversions cost considerable fuel and time, while even a 240-minute ETOPS capability would avoid most such scenarios.
In fact, relatively few routes require 330-minute capability, said Whittington. Although Boeing’s package allows the airplanes to fly 330-minute ETOPS, most airlines need only 240. “When you start drawing 330-minute circles, there aren’t many places on the globe where you need to go from 240 to 330,” he said.
330-min South Pole Routes
Most of the routes that could benefit from 330-minute ETOPS–such as Sydney to Buenos Aires or Auckland to Johannesburg–take airplanes over the South Pole. “A typical 180 [ETOPS flight] across the South Pacific would create a dogleg,” explained Whittington. “If you fly direct, that’s 20 percent less fuel that you need to upload.”
While Air New Zealand will account for one of the few airlines that will make use of the 330-minute capability, the airline already gleans quite an advantage from its 240-minute ETOPS operation. Boeing calculations show that compared with a four-engine airplane, a 777 equipped to fly 240-minute ETOPS would save about 100 minutes in transit time, burn 20 percent less fuel and emit almost 20 percent less carbon dioxide (CO2) on a route between the U.S. mainland and Auckland. The fuel savings alone equates to roughly 50,000 pounds. Compared with a 180-minute ETOPS-equipped 777, on operator would save about 30,000 pounds of fuel, or about 11 or 12 percent, said Whittington.
Boeing twin-engine jets have flown more than seven million ETOPS flights since 1985, and more than 120 Boeing operators fly more than 50,000 ETOPS flights each month.
“Really, the 767 opened the door to ETOPS,” said Whittington. “Again, it was part of Boeing’s philosophy of point-to-point service. It used to be you’d round everybody up at JFK, put them in a 747 and fly them to [London] Heathrow and distribute everybody from there. But then the engines [on the 767] had become so reliable that we were able to convince the regulatory agencies that the 767 could fly, say, from Chicago to Brussels directly.” Years later, airlines replacing four-engine airplanes with 777s over the Pacific began recognizing they could use more than the 180-minute ETOPS capability offered “out of the box,” convincing Boeing some two-and-a-half years ago to launch the 330-minute ETOPS program.
“This is the logical continuation of the Boeing philosophy of point-to-point service,” concluded Larry Loftis, vice president and general manager of the 777 program. “Passengers want to minimize their overall travel time. This is one more step in that direction.”
Boeing expects the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue approval for Rolls-Royce-powered 777s to fly 330-minute ETOPS missions by the end of the first quarter, followed by authorization for Pratt & Whitney-powered airplanes some time near the end of the year, according to 777 vice president and chief project engineer Bob Whittington. In December the company gained approval for operators of 777-300ERs, 777-200LRs, 777 Freighters and 777-200ERs powered by General Electric GE90 engines to fly up to 330 minutes from an alternate airport, allowing for more direct routes, less fuel burn and a reduction in CO2 emissions–particularly over the vast expanse of the South Pacific and on polar routes from Asia to North America and Western Europe.
The first airline to buy the new, longer ETOPS option–Air New Zealand–completed the first 240 ETOPS flight late last year with a Los Angeles-to-Auckland-bound 777-300ER. Whittington told AIN that the airlines that opt for the longer ETOPS capability must still gain operational approval from their respective regulatory agencies. Still in the midst of that approval process, ANZ must first fly 240-minute ETOPS for about a year before it can start flying routes requiring 330-minute ETOPS.
Meanwhile, Boeing continues to work toward European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval to satisfy the international regulatory agencies that require European certification, allowing Air France, for example, to fly from Paris to Tahiti. Whittington estimated the GE90-powered 777s would gain European paperwork within three to six months.
After Boeing worked with the FAA for some two-and-half years to win authority to offer 330-minute approval, analyzing data on each system to ensure they all met reliability standards, engineers needed to change nothing in the airplane, he said.
“The two major components that have to change to make the airplane good for extended ETOPS, whether it’s 240 or 330 [minutes] are the crew-oxygen and the fire- suppression systems,” explained Whittington. “So [the question is] if you have a fire in the cargo compartment, do you have enough Halon to keep it suppressed for 330 minutes.”
Most of the airlines interested in flying 240-minute ETOPS, for example, fly airplanes already equipped with extended oxygen and Halon options, he added.
“Air New Zealand, for instance, didn’t have to do anything to the airplanes,” said Whittington. “We updated their flight manual and they just had to get regulatory approval and they could go.”
One-engine-out Capability
In fact, Boeing’s ability to extend its ETOPS offering had less to do with any advances in technology than in the demonstration of the 777’s ability to divert on one engine from such distances. “A couple of things have happened,” said Whittington. “One is, we have demonstrated the reliability of the airplane and the engine over the past 15 years, which has given everybody comfort…we have real data that says all the systems are capable of operating at that ETOPS range. And the other thing is that the markets have developed, so where we used to fly just 747s essentially–big airplanes from hub to hub–and as the market fragments and wants to go to smaller point-to-point service, there has been more market demand for smaller airplanes that can fly point to point over such long distances.”
Now regularly using 240-minute ETOPS capability, ANZ flies a 777-300ER between the U.S. mainland and Auckland. For any airline, the capability will reveal its value most on missions between the South Pacific and the U.S. mainland, the South Pacific and Africa or South America, and polar routes between Asia–including such points as Singapore, China and Japan–and both Western Europe and the U.S., said the Boeing executive.
Flying directly over the North Pole using the 180-minute ETOPS standard requires open landing alternatives in Siberia, for example, forcing operators to re-plan the route and add fuel in the event of an airfield closure due to weather. Such diversions cost considerable fuel and time, while even a 240-minute ETOPS capability would avoid most such scenarios.
In fact, relatively few routes require 330-minute capability, said Whittington. Although Boeing’s package allows the airplanes to fly 330-minute ETOPS, most airlines need only 240. “When you start drawing 330-minute circles, there aren’t many places on the globe where you need to go from 240 to 330,” he said.
330-min South Pole Routes
Most of the routes that could benefit from 330-minute ETOPS–such as Sydney to Buenos Aires or Auckland to Johannesburg–take airplanes over the South Pole. “A typical 180 [ETOPS flight] across the South Pacific would create a dogleg,” explained Whittington. “If you fly direct, that’s 20 percent less fuel that you need to upload.”
While Air New Zealand will account for one of the few airlines that will make use of the 330-minute capability, the airline already gleans quite an advantage from its 240-minute ETOPS operation. Boeing calculations show that compared with a four-engine airplane, a 777 equipped to fly 240-minute ETOPS would save about 100 minutes in transit time, burn 20 percent less fuel and emit almost 20 percent less carbon dioxide (CO2) on a route between the U.S. mainland and Auckland. The fuel savings alone equates to roughly 50,000 pounds. Compared with a 180-minute ETOPS-equipped 777, on operator would save about 30,000 pounds of fuel, or about 11 or 12 percent, said Whittington.
Boeing twin-engine jets have flown more than seven million ETOPS flights since 1985, and more than 120 Boeing operators fly more than 50,000 ETOPS flights each month.
“Really, the 767 opened the door to ETOPS,” said Whittington. “Again, it was part of Boeing’s philosophy of point-to-point service. It used to be you’d round everybody up at JFK, put them in a 747 and fly them to [London] Heathrow and distribute everybody from there. But then the engines [on the 767] had become so reliable that we were able to convince the regulatory agencies that the 767 could fly, say, from Chicago to Brussels directly.” Years later, airlines replacing four-engine airplanes with 777s over the Pacific began recognizing they could use more than the 180-minute ETOPS capability offered “out of the box,” convincing Boeing some two-and-a-half years ago to launch the 330-minute ETOPS program.
“This is the logical continuation of the Boeing philosophy of point-to-point service,” concluded Larry Loftis, vice president and general manager of the 777 program. “Passengers want to minimize their overall travel time. This is one more step in that direction.”
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Florida Fire Equipment Dealers Association - FFEDA Educational Seminar
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012
FAA seeks non-Halon fire extinguisher designs
By: John Croft Washington DC
The US Federal Aviation Administration has launched a market survey in its search for a portable hand-held fire extinguisher that does not use ozone-depleting Halon 1211.
Though production of Halon is generally banned in developed countries around the world, its use in aviation has continued through an exemption due to the industry's "unique operational and fire safety requirements," according to the FAA.
The market survey is seeking "information to redesign or optimise an aircraft hand-held fire extinguisher using an approved streaming replacement agent on the [US Environmental Protection Agency's] significant new alternatives policy list," the FAA said in a 31 January announcement. "The target is being the lightest, smallest volume, and most practical design effective enough to replace a portable Halon 1211 extinguisher used in aircraft applications."
Testing of applicable extinguishers to prove equivalence with Halon is to take place at the agency's William J Hughes Technical Centre at the Atlantic City international airport using fire tests developed by the international fire protection working group.
The FAA plans to interview interested companies at its technical centre from 21-23 February.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has launched a market survey in its search for a portable hand-held fire extinguisher that does not use ozone-depleting Halon 1211.
Though production of Halon is generally banned in developed countries around the world, its use in aviation has continued through an exemption due to the industry's "unique operational and fire safety requirements," according to the FAA.
The market survey is seeking "information to redesign or optimise an aircraft hand-held fire extinguisher using an approved streaming replacement agent on the [US Environmental Protection Agency's] significant new alternatives policy list," the FAA said in a 31 January announcement. "The target is being the lightest, smallest volume, and most practical design effective enough to replace a portable Halon 1211 extinguisher used in aircraft applications."
Testing of applicable extinguishers to prove equivalence with Halon is to take place at the agency's William J Hughes Technical Centre at the Atlantic City international airport using fire tests developed by the international fire protection working group.
The FAA plans to interview interested companies at its technical centre from 21-23 February.
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