SubscribeFIRE services across the UK are now considering a revolutionary new way to tackle fires.
The unique Firexpress is a compact firefighting system that packs into the back of a car – or even on a motorbike - yet can be used to douse blazes including car fires, rubbish fires, grass fires, complex fuel fires and even house fires.
The system is available in the UK through Wakefield-based emergency rescue equipment and decontamination specialists Emergency Technologies.
The company’s Sales Director, Geoff Howard, said: “We are getting a lot of interest from fire services across the country and when they see it in action they are amazed at how efficient and effective it is.
“It is a flexible system that works well both in busy cities or out in isolated rural areas.
“The motorbike can get through crowded city cities far quicker than a large fire engine, while in the countryside the larger system easily fits into the back of a car or on a quad bike.’’
The system is designed to use a small amount of water which it then transforms into a fire-drenching water fog or mist. 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.
Water fog and mist controls and drenches fire by reducing the oxygen around the flames almost immediately. 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 in the fire area.
If there is no oxygen, there is no fire.
The Firexpress system operates at low pressure at just 20/35 bar and does not spread the burning debris, but still manages to achieve a high density water fog up to 15 metres. The angled nozzle can be adjusted to give a straight stream of water or – at the click of a switch - a low expansion foam which can put out fuel fires raging over 1,000m². The system handles a wide range of A and B class fires.
Firexpress can be fitted to all kinds of vehicles from a major fire appliance and 4X4 vehicles through to motorbikes, quad bikes and cars. Traffic police in some parts of the world now have the system fitted in their patrol cars as they are often first on the scene of accidents where crashed cars are burning with people trapped inside. The nozzle is so tough it can be used to smash car windows.
Firexpress is also deployed on oil rigs and widely used on ships ranging from car ferries and luxury cruise liners through to submarines and frigates.