Illinois Fire & Safety Participates in NFPA Research Project

March 12, 2010

The National Fire Protection Association has initiated a fire hose friction loss coefficient research project and invited Illinois Fire & Safety's President, Mr. Tom Farruggia to participate. Mr. Farruggia has served on the NFPA's Technical Committee on Fire Hose for over 15 years.

The calculation of friction loss in fire hose is a common duty for fire fighters responsible for operating fire apparatus pumps (i.e. fire apparatus driver/operator, as defined by NFPA 1002). Specifically, they have the critical task of delivering water at the proper flow rate and pressure to fire fighters controlling the fire hose nozzle and attempting to extinguish the fire. Pressures and flow rates too low will be insufficient for fire control, while pressures and flow rates too high create dangerous conditions with handling the nozzle, hose potentially bursting, and other hazards.

Current baseline friction loss coefficients used to calculate fire hose pressure loss were derived using 50 year-old hose design technology. Modern fire hose has substantially less friction loss and different performance characteristics than the hose on which these coefficients were originally based. Calculating pressure loss in modern fire hose cannot be done with reasonable accuracy using currently recognized friction loss coefficients. Pressures that are calculated with these current coefficients are typically higher than what occurs in practice, which is some cases, could result in elevated and potentially dangerous nozzle pressures.

The objective of the project is to develop baseline friction loss coefficients for the types of fire hose commonly used by today’s fire service and to identify any additional performance characteristics that should be considered for friction loss calculations.  Easy access to updated friction loss coefficients should increase fire fighter safety.

The results of the research should be available by the fall of 2010.

Long-Time Fire Protection Professional Passes Away

May 14, 2009

The fire protection industry has lost a long-time friend - William "Bill" O'Connor. Bill passed away on May 14, 2009 of complications that set in shortly after a fall.

Mr. O'Connor was well liked and respected in the industry, having begun his career in fire protection working in the Chicago land area for the Charles Teas Company in the 1960's and 1970's. He then founded the Industrial Fire Equipment Company in Chicago Heights, Illinois, which specialized in providing services to heavy industry. Under his leadership, Industrial Fire developed into a very successful business, winning numerous sales awards from the Ansul Company.

Bill's career also included the founding of the NFPA Illiana Industrial Chapter, and membership in both the United Fire Equipment Association (United) and the National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors (Nafed).

Following the sale of his own business, Bill put his expertise to work with us at Illinois Fire & Safety, and was instrumental in our expansion into the off-road vehicle fire systems market.

Bill is survived by Carol, his wife of 45 years, and children Lauri, Shannon, and Patrick. Patrick worked with Illinois Fire & Safety for over a decade.

Bill will always be remembered for his love of golf, Notre Dame, and his Irish heritage. He always shared a smile and a laugh with everyone he encountered. We will miss him!

Compatibility Requirements Redefined for Control Units and Suppression Releasing Devices

January 1, 2009

According to fire system testing standard ANSI/UL864, a suppression system must now conform to the following in order to be compliant:
1. Both the control unit and the releasing device(s) must be UL Listed.
2. Releasing devices must be listed and compatible with the control unit, as indicated in the
control unit UL-listed documentation.

Devices that test “compatible” with each releasing circuit as provided are required to be referenced in the UL-listed installation instructions for the unit that provides the releasing circuit.

In essence, to ensure compliance with ANSI/UL864 Ninth Edition, a fire suppression system should utilize a control panel and releasing devices made by the same manufacturer.

New State Compliance Regulations for Kitchen Hood Fire Systems

October 1, 2008:

The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal has recently amended the "Fire Equipment Distributor and Employee Standards" (41 Ill. Adm. Code 25; 32, Ill. Reg. 9097) to require all existing dry and wet chemical fire extinguishing systems protecting commercial cooking operations that produce grease-laden vapors to comply with the Underwriters Laboratory Standard 300 (U. L. 300). U. L. 300 is the "Standard for Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishing Systems for Protection of Commercial Cooking Equipment" which is referenced in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) documents 17, 17A, and 96.

Many wet chemical fire suppression systems in the field will need to be upgraded and all dry chemical fire suppression systems protecting commercial cooking operations will need to be replaced.

Existing systems installed in commercial cooking facilities must be in compliance by January 1, 2010. Existing systems installed in government entities must be in compliance by January 1, 2011.

For more information regarding U.L.300 compliance, click here.

Illinois Fire & Safety President Appointed to NFPA Committee

October, 2008

Illinois Fire & Safety's President, Mr. Tom Farruggia has been appointed to serve as a principle member of the National Fire Protection Association's Technical Committee on Portable Fire Extinguishers (NFPA 10). This prestigious committee is comprised of industry experts who write and update the national standard for the care, use, and placement of portable fire extinguishers. Federal, state, and local authorities adopt all or part of the standard as code.

Illinois Fire & Safety Invited to Sit on Kidde Fire Systems' Distributor Council

September, 2008

As a key distributor for Kidde Fire Systems' products in the midwest, Illinois Fire & Safety was invited to participate on their Distributor Council. The council, which met it Chicago in September, is comprised of a select group of distributors from the United States and Canada and meets regularly to discuss product and service improvements, new market opportunities, and value-added services for customers with Kidde's products installed.

Kidde Fire Systems is the leading manufacturer of fire detection and suppression products with distribution worldwide. They specialize in waterless fire suppression systems that can be custom designed to protect areas with special fire hazards.

Examples of rooms and equipment that are protected by waterless fire systems are computer rooms, telephone rooms, commercial cooking appliances, paint spray booths, flammable processes, CNC and EDM machines, industrial processes, and many other applications.

Requirements Change for Class B Fire Extinguisher Selection and Placement

August, 2008

NFPA recently published the 2007 edition of pamphlet 10 - Portable Fire Extinguishers. Referred to as NFPA 10, the document is the national standard for the selection, placement,and maintenance of portable extinguishers. OSHA and other organizations have adopted all or part of NFPA 10 into code.

The 2007 edition clearly quantifies the amount of flammables required to be classified as light, ordinary, or extra occupancy hazards. The methodology utilized in prior editions was much more subjective in nature which resulted in inconsistencies in classifications.

Additionally, the 2007 edition requires that fire extinguishers selected for deployment on pressurized flammable liquid or gas fires, three-dimensional fires, and obstacle fires flow agent at a minimum prescribed rate. In general, this new requirement will necessitate the installation of larger fire extinguishers with high-flow capability, that will be better able to successfully extinguish these challenging fires.

For more information on these and other changes to NFPA 10, please contact our customer service department.

NFPA Extends Deadline for Technician Certification

August 12, 2008

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has extended the August 12, 2008 deadline that requires all fire extinguisher service personnel to be certified. The new deadline for compliance is December 31, 2009. The NFPA sited the need to further clarify the intent of the certification as the reason for the extension.

Price For ABC Dry Chemical Skyrockets

June 2008

The price for ABC dry chemical, the most common fire extinguishing chemical found in portable fire extinguishers today, has increased over 150%. There are several reasons for the staggering increase.

The first reason is due to a higher demand worldwide for the primary ingredient in ABC dry chemical - monoammonium phosphate (MAP). MAP is also used in the production of fertilizer and the demand for fertilizer has increased more than 300% since 2007.

The second reason for the astronomical increase in ABC dry chemical prices is that there is a worldwide shortage of sulphur. Sulphur is used in the processing of the phosphate rock that is a base component of ABC dry chemical.

Finally, the surge in energy costs have significant impacted the overall production costs of ABC dry chemical.

What can consumers expect? Consumers will pay up to 30% more for new fire extinguishers containing ABC multi-purpose dry chemical than for those purchased at the start of 2008. Consumers will also pay up to 50% more to refill ABC dry chemical fire extinguishers after use.

State Changes Rules Regulating Fire Equipment Distributors and Technicians

March 5, 2008:

The office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal announced a change in the rules and regulations concerning licensed fire equipment distributors and employees. The new rules took effect March 5, 2008.

Some of the important changes are listed below:

The minimum liability insurance requirement has been increased to $1 million.

Technicians licensed in any of the three categories will need to be certified and maintain ongoing certification through the National Association of Fire Equipment Distributors (Nafed). Technicians hired after March 5, 2008 will need to pass a Nafed test and obtain Nafed certification in the license category of interest (portable fire extinguishers, pre-engineered fire suppression systems and engineered fire suppression systems) as a prerequisite to obtaining a license.

Continuing education hours (8) per year, with documentation, will be required to renew certification.

Certification tags will change colors each year. The rotation will be as follows: 2008 - white; 2009 - yellow; 2010 - green; 2011 - blue; 2012 - white; 2013 - yellow; and so on.

Tamper indication seals will also need to be colored to match the color of the current certification tag.

The following standards of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have been adopted:

NFPA #10 Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers (2007 edition)

NFPA #11 Low-Medium-High Expansion Foam (2005 edition)

NFPA #12 Carbon Dioxide Extinguishing Systems (2005 edition)

NFPA #12A Halon 1301 Fire Extinguishing Systems (2004 edition)

NFPA #17 Dry Chemical Extinguishing Systems (2002 edition)

NFPA #17A Wet Chemical Extinguishing Systems (2002 edition)

NFPA #72 National Fire Alarm Code (2007 edition)

NFPA #96 Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations (2008 edition)

NFPA #750 Water Mist Fire Protection Systems (2006 edition)

NFPA #2001 Clean Agent Fire Extinguishing Systems (2004)

The new rules and regulations are available on the State Fire Marshal's web site at www.state.il.us/osfm/.

Illinois Fire & Safety Company’s President, Mr. Tom Farruggia, serves as an appointed member of the Illinois Fire Equipment Distributor and Employee Advisory Board through the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal.  

NFPA Releases 2007 Fire Statistics

February 2008

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that in 2007, there were an estimated 399,000 reported home structure fires resulting in 2,865 civilian deaths, 12,500 civilian injuries, and $6.8 billion in direct damage in the United States. Home fires caused 84% of civilian deaths and 77% of injuries. Cooking equipment fires accounted for 40% of all reported home structure fires in 2005 and 36% of home civilian injuries.

Source: NFPA's "Home Fires Involving Cooking Equipment" report by John R. Hall, Jr., February 2008. You can learn more at www.nfpa.org.

The NFPA has recently developed an Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide for People with Disabilities in order to assist in the identification of the needs of people with disabilities in relation to evacuation.

Visit the National Fire Protection Association's web site for more information: www.nfpa.org