LOW PRESSURE FIRE FIGHTING

COMPACT firefighting is the way forward for both rural and city fire and rescue services.

The compact Firexpress system is tailor-making it to meet the special needs of different fire and rescue services countrywide.

This ranges from 4X4s in rural areas through to motorbikes which can provide a rapid response in busy city centres where traffic congestion is a way of life.

The bike will get to fires before the engines and the rider will either be able to start the firefighting before colleagues arrive, completely deal with it if the blaze is small or confirm to control that it’s a false alarm – and 70% of the calls can be malicious in some cities, wasting valuable time and tying up resources.

Northumberland Fire And Rescue Service has eight special Firexpress units as part of its pioneering work to deal with countryside wildfires.

The service has teamed up with several partners including The Forestry Commission and The Moorland Trust to form the pioneering Northumberland Fire Group which looks at ways to prevent and fight wildfires.

Its units each hold 400 litres of water, saving the need for several engines and crews to spend days tackling deep-seated moorland fires.

Firexpress is also now being assessed by the British army.

“The key to effective firefighting is flexibility and that’s what our Firexpress systems are all about. Different fire and rescue services need them for different reasons, hence the varied designs we have drawn up and now built.

“This is the future for firefighting – compact yet specialist units that can tackle a range of everyday firefighting jobs.’’

The Firexpress has lightweight hoses from 50m to 100m long and can be used to douse blazes including car, rubbish, grass, house and even complex fuel fires.

The special fire-fogging technology is designed to use a small amount of water which it then transforms into a fire-drenching water fog or mist. The tiny water droplets turn to steam very quickly which means each droplet expands an amazing 1,700 times to replace or dramatically reduce the oxygen around the fire area.

If there is no oxygen, there is no fire.

This means only 12 litres of water is needed to tackle a car fire, around 10 litres to put out an inferno in a small room and far less than that to suppress and control small rubbish, grass or skip fires.

The Firexpress pump system is powered by Honda diesel or petrol engines, operates at low pressure at just 20/35 bar, but still manages to achieve a high density water fog up to 15 metres away. The angled nozzle can be adjusted to give a straight stream of water or mist - or a combination of both at the pull of a lever.

When the Firexpress is used with low to medium expansion foam – which it accesses at the click of a switch - it can put out complex fuel fires raging over an area of 1,000m².

The nozzle is so tough it can be used to smash windows and even break through car headlights to extinguish engine fires without opening the bonnet!

A special spear attachment can be used to penetrate through roofs, ceiling voids or wall cavities to douse fires.

The water fog means maximum firefighting, minimal water with no risk of spreading burning debris and it is a NATO-approved system which handles a wide range of A and B class fires.

Firexpress is also used on board ships and submarines, on armoured personnel carriers and in large tunnels.