TECHNOLOGY
2
1
Vehicle fires occur when least expected and can cause major damage to equipment, resulting in
production losses and, more importantly, potentially resulting in human fatalities.
can be used in conjunction with the cannon,
enabling two firefighters to combat a fire
simultaneously, increasing the effectiveness
of the system dramatically. A total of 600ℓ
of water and a continuous foam discharge
duration of up to three minutes means its
capacity is comparable to that of two to
three commercial 8 500ℓ fire engines. The
system weighs less than a tonne and can
be fitted to a single or club/supercab pickup
or trailer.
“The main advantage of the system
is that no diesel engine, pumps, or any
external water supply is required,” I-CAT
Fire Division head, Andro Gibhard, explains.
The foam unit also doesn’t require any
start-up time, which means it is primed and
ready for immediate deployment. Once
used, the Blaze Buster can be reinstated on
site rapidly by simply refilling the cylinders
with the necessary quantity of water, using
the measuring equipment that is included,
and adding a 1% foam additive, also
included. It is then repressurised within
minutes with nitrogen.
“Our T-Rotor Water Mist patented fire
suppression system is a new concept in
South Africa, but I think the industry is ready
for something new,” says Van der Merwe.
“The response has been really positive,
particularly in the mining and industrial
sectors. We have had people come from
as far away as Mozambique and Zambia to
attend our live demonstrations and see our
fire suppression systems in action. Sasol
Secunda, for example, recently adopted both
our fire extinguishers and the Roto-Fire-Pac
backpack extinguishing system.” ■
1 and 2: The final demonstration on the day entailed setting alight the on-site structure, and then
extinguishing the fire using I-CAT’s vehicle-mounted Blaze Buster system.
The fire suppression and cooling capabilities of the TRT–VPS–FM vehicle protection system were
demonstrated using a constructed vehicle engine bay.
MARCH 2018
23