Fire Fighting Using Firexpress Technology

Basic Fire Fighting Science

To understand the technology Firexpress uses to fight fires, it is necessary to have a basic understand of why fires occurs. Fires are divided into six classes depending on the nature of the material fuelling the fire. Each class of fire requires different extinguishing techniques, and sometimes also different techniques at different stages of the extinguishing process.

The Firexpress Lance

The Firexpress lance has a patented dual nozzle that is able to produce both a cloud of water micro-drops with a spray range of up to 15 metres and a jet of water and foam solution with a spray range of up to 18 metres. This means that it is effective on all fires where water is applicable. The lance has several features that makes life safer and fire fighting easier and faster.

Fire Fighting with Water

Spraying water at a fire is the traditional way of extinguishing a fire. For the extinguishing to happen as fast as possible and give the fire fighter optimal working conditions, the right combination of drop size, pressure and spray range must be achieved. It is especially important to create very small water drops for extinguishing the fire fast.

The Firexpress Micro-drops

The patented dual nozzle of the Firexpress lance produces extremely small water micro-drops that evaporate very fast. This is achieved in an optimal combination with a low nozzle pressure and still achieving a long spray range of up to 15 metres. As the micro-drops vary in size the largest micro-drops will dragged along with the smallest micro-drops so that they also achieve a long spray range.

Entrained Air

Traditional fire fighting equipment creates a lot of entrained air that is sprayed into the fire along with the water. Because the Firexpress micro-drops are very small and due to the low nozzle pressure the force of the air flow filling up the vacuum is minimal. The vacuum created by the largest micro-drops, will partly be occupied by the smallest micro-drops, so that the amount of entrained air is minimal.

Use in Confined Spaces

When fighting a fire in a confined space focus should be on taking control of the interior conditions by minimizing the oxygen available for the fire, avoid creation of hot gasses and cool down flammable materials. The micro-drops sprayed into a room will evaporate very fast and displace the air around the fire, literally starved it of air. The water vapour will cool down the gasses surrounding the fire and reduce the surface temperature of un-ignited flammable materials.

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