When firefighters are required to enter a building to fight a structure fire, the
risk of injury can be substantial. ARA Safety’s FIT-5 enables individual
fighters and fire teams to directly attack a structure fire while substantially
reducing the risk of injury.
Total Estimated Injury and Economic costs incurred due to firefighter in
2005: $7.8 Billion

In addition to reducing injury and costs in both the short and long term, use
of ARA Safety’s FIT-5 can drastically reduce the amount of time spent on
clean-up after a fire, giving your firefighters more time to debrief, exercise,
and engage in training exercises that will improve their job performance.
Need Proof? In Port Jervis New York, on December 27, 2007 one
FIT-5 unit prevented the death of, or serious injury to, 4 firefighters.

LIFE SAFETY INNOVATIONS

ARA Safety is North America's leading supplier of powerful, non-toxic and environmentally friendly fire suppression and life-saving products. ARA Safety is redefining fire protection with innovative tools to help prevent and fight fires.

Our premier fire-fighting product is the FIT-5, an easy to use fire suppressant tool that can knock down heat and flames in approximately 15 seconds - protecting the cause of the fire and buying valuable time to allow fire crews to get in and stop a fire more safely.

Other key products in our fire protection suite include: fire retardant coatings for building materials which protect property from heat and water damage; and extra-bright photoluminescent signage that help occupants quickly find their way out of a building in an emergency.

Non-toxic and safe, our products fight and prevent fires effectively while reducing the impact of fire protection on our environment.

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

FIRE INTERRUPTION TECHNOLOGY

Save lives

The FIT-5 is a dry powder aerosol device that can knock down a fully developed fire in seconds.

Deployed simply by pulling a pin and tossing the canister into a burning room, the FIT-5 rapidly extinguishes flames and reduces the temperature. The FIT powder remains suspended in the air for up to 15 minutes - giving firefighters critical time to fully extinguish the fire in a low flame, low temperature environment.

Since FIT systems are safe and non-toxic for humans and animals, the FIT-5 can be deployed in an occupied room or compartment. Unlike other systems, the FIT-5 does not lower the oxygen level or change the air pressure in a room.

Protect property

On average, water can cause up to 70 per cent of the damage to property during a fire. Deploying the FIT greatly reduces the need to use water. Less water damage means a safer mop up. Easier fire-cause investigation helps prevent future fires.

Help the environment

The longer a fire burns, the more damage it does to our environment with the creation of toxic smoke and runoff. Every fire prevented or extinguished quickly - with little or no water - prevents damage to the air we breathe and chemical runoff entering our groundwater and oceans. The proprietary, aerosol compound used in the FIT does not affect the atmosphere or water supply. Cleaning up the micronized powder after a FIT deployment requires little more than a damp cloth.

ZERO COMBUSTION

Fire Resistant Paints and Coatings

Slowing down the spread of a fire helps keep occupants safe and protects property. When materials treated with Zero Combustion paints and coatings encounter heat and flame, they generate an ash barrier that keeps the fire from taking hold for as long as 30 minutes - often enough time for the original fire source to burn itself out.

Zero Combustion UL compliant intumescent coatings are suitable for application on a wide variety of building materials, including Oriented Strand Board, plywood, steel and dimensional lumber.

Zero Combustion coatings slow fire spread, while helping to keep substrate materials intact longer. All Zero Combustion products are non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and compliant with local fire regulations.

FIT-5 Deployment Applications and Procedures
February, 2008 (Draft for circulation – NOT FINAL)

The following guidelines apply to any class A, B or C fire within an enclosed space. One FIT-5 will knockdown even a fully involved fire in room of a volume up to 1500 cu feet. Larger rooms will require more than one FIT-5 to be deployed simultaneously.

When FIT-5 deployment is appropriate, the device should generally be deployed before water. The deployment of the FIT-5 will lower flame and temperature, reduce the risk of flashover, and make it easier to overhaul the fire.

In cases where access to water is limited, sufficient FIT units should be deployed to lower flame and temperature to the point that the senior officer is confident the fire can be overhauled with the available water.

The FIT-5 will be most effective if deployed in the primary burn area. The powder works volumetrically, so the greater the concentration of powder at the hottest point of the fire, the more effective the FIT-5 will be in knocking down the fire. In the event that the fire has progressed to multiple rooms, a FIT-5 should be deployed in each burning room as possible.

The aerosol powder dispersed from a FIT-5 is lighter than air. The powder will generally rise within the structure. If the fire is in the basement, the FIT should be deployed through a window or opening into the basement. Proper deployment of a FIT-5 in a basement fire will dramatically reduce the risk to firefighters.

The FIT-5 reduces heat rapidly. In some cases, this can cause the movement of extremely hot air, as temperatures equalize. Prior to deployment of a FIT-5 for the purpose of victim rescue, a careful risk analysis should be performed. The operator must balance the relative risks of not deploying the FIT versus deploying the FIT.

The aerosol flow from the FIT-5 reaches 400º C during deployment. To avoid potentially serious injury, you should always deploy the FIT-5 at a minimum safe distance of 2 meters (or 6 feet) from any unprotected personnel. The FIT may be deployed in a non-burning room to make it more difficult for the fire to progress into an area with a trapped victim or firefighter.

Because the FIT-5 powder works volumetrically, every effort should be made to limit ventilation and contain the powder following deployment. In particular, if the FIT-5 is deployed through a door, the door should be closed as quickly as possible.

If there is a flow of air towards the fire, deploy the FIT-5 in that airflow in front of the fire. That way, the moving air will draw the FIT powder towards the flames. Once the FIT is deployed, if possible close widows and doors to limit the escape of the powder.

Fire crews arrived on the scene of a fire contained to a single room on the third floor of a multiple family dwelling. While water lines were being run the Chief scaled the fire escape and deployed the FIT-5 into the primary burn area through the window, which he smashed in order to throw the device. The FIT-5 knocked the fire down completely, requiring only a small amount of water to overhaul. When mop-up operations began, a 20 lb propane bottle was found in a closet inside the fireroom. In the opinion of the Port Jervis Fire Chief, Joe Kowal Sr., the FIT-5 prevented the propane bottle from exploding. Such an explosion would probably have destroyed the entire building, killing the firefighters inside and on the roof.

In a test of the FIT-5, a single unit was deployed into a raging single story, three bedroom house fire. At the time of deployment, flames were coming out of the soffits throughout the home. Within 20 seconds of deployment, the flames were drawn back into the home and knocked down completely. For the purpose of the test, the fire was not overhauled. After 13 minutes, the fire re-ignited due to residual heat in the fuel. As the fire grew towards its original intensity, powder was drawn from the attic by the thermal column and knocked the fire down for a further 12 minutes.

During FIT-5 training with the Gulf Shores Fire Department, a donated house was scheduled to be burned down. Prior to igniting the whole house, a pallet fire was started in a downtairs bedroom. Once the fire had become well established, the FIT-5 ws de3ployed. Chief Tim Blakemore and other GSFD firefighters observed the deployment through a window. The fire was knocked down immediately, and the temperature in the fire room was seen to drop dramatically. The flames remained knocked down for several minutes, and when rekindling began, the fire was overhauled with a small amount of water. Meanwhile, the FIT powder could be seen escaping from the fire room and permeating the second storey of the house. Later, as training continued, it was reported that the house refused to burn – the FIT-5 powder had become trapped in the upper stories and retarded attempts to reignite the house. GSFD had to wait for 24 hours until all the powder had dissipated in order to continue burning down the structure.

Volunteer crews arrived on the scene of a house fire in minus 40º weather. All hydrants were frozen. A single FIT-5 was deployed, knocking the fire down. The pumper truck had already emptied in a first attempt to fight the fire. With no water to overhaul the fire, the fire resumed destroying the house. The room in which the FIT-5 was deployed suffered minor damage relative to the rest of the home. Had the department been armed with multiple FIT-5’s, the fire could likely have been completely contained.

US FIRE TECH