Increases evacuation time and reduces property damage in Fire situations

The portable fire knock-down tool from DSPA is proving to be a valuable asset for first responders faced with the task of evacuating people from a building where a fire has broken out.

This nightmare scenario is, thankfully, a rare occurrence, but nevertheless it is a threat that is constantly present. All fire officers working in a hospital, care home or any organisation that has residents onsite fully understands the need to evacuate people from the buildings as soon as possible.

In many fire situations, a hand held fire extinguisher is sufficient to do the job, however this is not always the case. Especially at night, when staffing levels are at the lowest, an outbreak of fire can be disastrous. With the DSPA-5 portable fire knockdown tool, the trained first responder has the opportunity to deploy the device into the fire compartment safely, without having to enter the room. He or she can trigger the DSPA-5 and throw it into the room. It will activate after 8 to 10 seconds, discharging non-toxic and environmentally friendly aerosol towards the fire, knocking down the flames and attacking the combustion process.

Having deployed the DSPA-5 and closed the door to the fire compartment, the first responder can assist with the fire evacuation plan. The DSPA-5 may not fully extinguish the fire, but it will prevent the spread of the fire and provide additional time for the evacuation and arrival of the emergency services.

Chiltern International carried out their independent test of the DSPA-5 and concluded, ‘This (the DSPA-5) could stall fire growth and aid in reducing property damage’*. Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service has used the DSPA-5 in a fire incident. The Station Manager reported; ‘Once the source of origin of the fire had been located, it was clear that the temperature in the compartment was quite intense. We deployed the DSPA-5 and withdrew from the compartment. After around 5 minutes we re-committed to the compartment with a hosereel to find the temperature had reduced quite considerably and the fire itself was almost extinguished. It took only a small amount of water to completely extinguish the fire overall.’*

Following an outbreak of fire, the damage caused by the water used to extinguish the fire can be extreme. Using a DSPA-5 can substantially reduce the amount of water required and, consequently, reduce the water damage.

 For more information contact John or Becci on 01342 310107, email john.maxfield@dspaltd.com or visit our website www.dspaltd.com

Copies of the Chiltern Report and Staffordshire FRS incident reports are available on request.

This article seems to suggest that Care Home Staff would be expected to use this apparatus  What are your thoughts on that? So much depends on fire size and the volume of the ROO (Room of Origin). I will give them a call and ask the questions.