Life Kit for Battery Fires on Aircrafts.

SpectrumFX Making the LIFE Kit Available to Airlines Worldwide to Fight Lithium Battery Fires in the Cabin of Commercial Aircrafts

Lithium battery fires aboard commercial airlines are a new and dangerous threat.

Tulsa, OK, October 02, 2013 --(PR.com)-- In the preceding 10 years, fire safety and fire potential aboard commercial aircrafts has changed and the challenges faced by the aviation industry to put these fires out while airborne have increased 10 fold.

Just a few years ago technology brought aboard commercial passenger airlines did not include: cell phones, lap top computers, DVD players, Readers or iPads. All of these everyday use devices can cause a new risk of fire and explosion in the passenger cabin and in cargo shipments. All of these devices and much more use the battery technology of Lithium and Lithium-ion batteries – these batteries pose a new threat aboard our commercial airlines.

Certified and aboard our commercial airlines to fight most contingencies of fires is an extinguishing product referred to as Halon, a commercially available agent that will extinguish a multitude of fires using last century technology and science. However the FAA also states; “…Halon 1301, the fire suppression agent found in Class C cargo holds, ‘is ineffective in controlling a lithium metal cell fire’ and lithium metal battery explosions can lead to 'rapid fire spread' in cargo compartments.”[1]

The range of Halon products now being used in the airline industry are no longer manufactured. By worldwide treaty Halon is being phased out because of its ozone depleting properties.[2]

A small Aviation Safety Company in Tulsa, OK, SpectrumFX, Inc., is taking new steps to offer groundbreaking safety measures to control this new risk of fire danger. SpectrumFX is now marketing its biodegradable agent in a product called the LIFE Kit. This Kit, to be carried on board, is the first known product that will assist the cabin crew in extinguishing a Laptop or other fire caused by Lithium-ion batteries aboard airlines worldwide.

For more information you may contact SpectrumFX at info@spectrumfx.net or call 918-392-9799 and you can visit their website at www.spectrumfx.net

[1] AVFLASH NEWS October 8, 2010

[2] http://www.epa.gov/ozone/intpol/

Read the full story here: http://www.pr.com/press-release/517853

Airbus Wins Greentec Award for Innovative Fuel Cell Project

Airbus Wins Greentec Award for Innovative Fuel Cell Project

02 SEP 2013

Airbus’ has been awarded with the GreenTec Award 2013 for its research activities to integrate fuel cell technology into commercial aircraft. The “Multifunctional Fuel Cell Integration” analyses the replacement of the auxiliary power unit (APU) and the ram air turbine (RAT) with a fuel cell.

Günter Butschek, Airbus Chief Operating Officer said: “Airbus has always been a driver in making aviation more environmentally friendly and invests around €2bn per year in research and development to improve our aircraft’s performance. We are on track to meet the aviation industry’s short-term environmental targets that include sustainable and carbon neutral growth from 2020. Fuel cells are one of the most promising step change technologies to make our aircraft even more efficient, cleaner and quieter. The recognition of our fuel cell project at the GreenTec Awards underlines the relevance of our activities. I thank our partners and congratulate the whole team on this great achievement.”

Airbus’ fuel cell research activities focus on ‘multifunctional fuel cell’ systems which not only supply the aircraft with electric power, but also make efficient use of the by-products in various aircraft systems. The electrical energy can be used both for conventional aircraft systems but also for main engine starting and emission-free autonomous ground operations at airports. In parallel, the inert nitrogen gas replaces common halon-based fire suppression systems for the cargo hold and may be used for inerting the fuel tanks. Finally, the water can be used for the water supply system of the aircraft. Another benefit is the significant reduction in overall aircraft weight – hence reducing fuel burn and emissions in flight – as well as reducing noise and emissions during ground operations at airports.

The GreenTec Awards are awarded each year for projects on eco-management and environmentally friendly technologies. The jury is composed of experts from various areas like engineering, economy and media and is supported by representatives from the economy, science, politics and media.

     

Source: Airbus.

- See more at: http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/news-events/news-archive/2013/september/airbus-wins-greentec-award-for-innovative-fuel-cell-project#sthash.bs0oXQRP.dpuf

National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors

Certification Renewals

If you have earned a certification from the ICC/NAFED or NAFED certification programs, you know that they must be renewed every three years. Information regarding the renewal process, policies, and application is available from the NAFED website. By logging in to the website, you can verify your certification status and check your renewal date.

It is important that you include accurate information on your renewal application. Only check those areas that you are certified in. Some applications are received where all four areas of certification are checked off for renewal when the individual only holds certification in one or two disciplines. This delays the renewal process because we have to verify if the individual is indeed certified in all of the areas that are checked. This takes time and adds to the expense of renewal processing. If this practice continues, NAFED may have to look at charging a special fee for processing erroneous applications.

To expedite the renewal application process, it is recommended that the application include copies of certificates or descriptions of any education credits from the past three years that are being used for renewal. Failure to include this information could result in an application being held for a verification audit. This would delay the issuance of a renewal and depending on a licensing jurisdiction, could delay the applicant's ability to obtain a new license/permit from the state.

New Board Members Elected

NAFED has elected new board members for the 2013-16 term. Following the 2013 annual meeting in Chicago, NAFED instated three new board members who will serve out three-year terms:

• Region Two Director: Bill Johnson, Mid State Fire Equipment, Lake Placid, Florida
• Region Four Director: Bob Sorensen, FireGuard, Omaha, Nebraska
• Director-at-Large: Daniel Laughlin, ProTec Fire Protection, Loganville, Georgia

Congratulations and welcome to our new board members.

Extinguisher Requirement Proposed Following Limo Fire

Following a fatal limo fire on the San Mateo Bridge in May 2013, State Senator Jerry Hill, representing San Mateo, California, has put forward a bill requiring fire extinguishers on limousines of less than 10 occupant capacity.

The proposed bill, SB-338 Fire extinguishers: limousines, adds the following text to the state vehicle code:
28062. (a) Every limousine shall be equipped with one fully charged fire extinguisher having at least a 4B:C rating.
(b) For the purposes of this section, “limousine” includes any sedan or sport utility vehicle, of either standard or extended length, with a seating capacity of not more than 10 passengers including the driver, used in the transportation of passengers for hire on a prearranged basis within this state.

Fire Equipment Distributors of Texas (FEDOT)