19 February, 2020

Fire-fighting demands quick and effective approach. Advanced technology can champion the cause of fire-fighting with smart functionalities making use of sound waves, video and enabling early detection.

A source by Strike First Corporation of America mentions how two university students at George Mason University harnessed sound to put out fires. Sounds amazing right? The students use a special chemical-free, water-free extinguisher that uses sound waves to separate burning fuel from oxygen. In absence of oxygen, the fire dies out automatically. At the moment, the technology is only suitable for small fires since it does not contain a coolant.

Water is the age-old classic fighter against fire. And if technology can improvise on water based fire-fighting, we can be rest assured that safety will prevail. One such example of fire-technology-meets-water is Water Mist Systems. Water Mist Systems create very fine mist and innumerable of them that converts water to steam faster and thereby smothers fire easily and quickly. Water mist systems can be installed locally (for one area) or can cover an entire room.

Fire situations that require enormous volumes of water can make use of Early Suppression Fast Response Fire Sprinkler Systems (ESFR). ESFR can produce very high volumes of water that suppresses the fire to the point of origin rather than controlling it.

What happens when fire is just beginning to erupt in one corner and no one takes notice? Not even the smoke alarm is able to capture it in such a nascent stage? This is when Video Image Smoke Detection can help. As the name suggests, VISD can detect smoke visually and pinpoint the origin. A computer analyses whether images from cameras show evidence of smoke or flames. Once either is detected, a signal is sent to the alarm system. It can read the brightness, contrast, motion, and color of the smoke to assess the fire. In fact, many large facilities and outdoor areas are making use of VIDS to detect smoke and prevent major fire accidents.