Life Jackets

 

Inspection and reconditioning of all types of life jackets.

 

Fire Extinguishers

 

Water and Foam

Water and Foam fire extinguishers extinguish the fire by taking away the heat element of the fire triangle. Foam agents also separate the oxygen element from the other elements.

Water extinguishers are for Class A fires only - they should not be used on Class B or C fires. The discharge stream could spread the flammable liquid in a Class B fire or could create a shock hazard on a Class C fire.

 

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon Dioxide fire extinguishers extinguish fire by taking away the oxygen element of the fire triangle and also be removing the heat with a very cold discharge.

Carbon dioxide can be used on Class B & C fires. They are usually ineffective on Class A fires.

 

Dry Chemical

Dry Chemical fire extinguishers extinguish the fire primarily by interrupting the chemical reaction of the fire triangle.

Today's most widely used type of fire extinguisher is the multipurpose dry chemical that is effective on Class A, B, and C fires. This agent also works by creating a barrier between the oxygen element and the fuelelement on Class A fires.

Ordinary dry chemical is for Class B & C fires only. It is important to use the correct extinguisher for the type of fuel! Using the incorrect agent can allow the fire to re-ignite after apparently being extinguished succesfully.

 

Wet Chemical

Wet Chemical is a new agent that extinguishes the fire by removing the heat of the fire triangle and prevents re-ignition by creating a barrier between the oxygen and fuel elements.

Wet chemical of Class K extinguishers were developed for modern, high efficiency deep fat fryers in commercial cooking operations. Some may also be used on Class A fires in commercial kitchens.

 

Clean Agent

Halogenated or Clean Agent extinguishers include the halon agents as well as the newer and less ozone depleting halocarbon agents. They extinguish the fire by interrupting the chemical reaction and/or removing heat from the fire triangle.

Clean agent extinguishers are effective on Class A, B and C fires. Smaller sized handheld extinguishers are not large enough to obtain a 1A rating and may carry only a Class B and C rating.

 

Dry Powder

Dry Powder extinguishers are similar to dry chemical except that they extinguish the fire by separating the fuel from the oxygen element or by removing the heat element of the fire triangle.

However, dry powder extinguishers are for Class D or combustible metal fires, only. They are ineffective on all other classes of fires.

 

Water Mist

Water Mist extinguishers are a recent development that extinguish the fire by taking away the heat element of the fire triangle. They are an alternative to the clean agent extinguishers where contamination is a concern.

Water mist extinguishers are primarily for Class A fires, although they are safe for use on Class C fires as well.

 

Cartridge Operated Dry Chemical

Cartridge Operated Dry Chemical fire extinguishers extinguish the fire primarily by interrupting the chemical reaction of the fire triangle.

Like the stored pressure dry chemical extinguishers, the multipurpose dry chemical is effective on Class A, B, and C fires. This agent also works by creating a barrier between the oxygen element and the fuel element on Class A fires.

Ordinary dry chemical is for Class B & C fires only. It is important to use the correct extinguisher for the type of fuel! Using the incorrect agent can allow the fire to re-ignite after apparently being extinguished successfully.

Fixed Co2 Systems

 

CO2 flooding system or central bank CO2 system is one of the common fixed fire fighting system installed on most of the ships. It releases carbon dioxide (CO2) in bulk quantity to a protected space (such as engine room, cargo hold, purifier room, pump room, etc.) under fire. Smothering action of CO2 extinguishes the fire thereby preventing spreading of fire to other parts of the ship. It consist of several CO2 cylinders located in a separate room, called CO2 room. These bottles contain CO2 in liquid state. When the fire in a protected space goes out of control or in a situation when the fire is not able to extinguish by local fire fighting media, CO2 flooding system comes into picture. CO2 from the bottles directed via common manifold, main valve and distribution pipe lines to nozzles through which it is released to the protected space for fire extinction. Due to safety reasons, the CO2 flooding system is manually released from a release cabinet located outside the protected space.

 

Carbon dioxide is the fire extinguising medium used in CO2 flooding system. It is an effective fire suppression agent applicable to a wide range of fire hazards. It has a high rate of expansion which allows it to work fast. When applied to a fire, CO2 provides a heavy blanket of gas that reduces the oxygen level to a point where combustion cannot occur. Since carbon dioxide is a gas, there is no clean up associated with a system discharge. CO2, a compound of carbon and oxygen, is a colorless gas which cause coughing to occur when inhaled. At higher concentrations it is acutely toxic. Low and high pressure CO2 is used for the fire protection of machinery spaces, pump rooms, cargo holds, paint stores and galley exhaust ventilation ducts on board ships.

 

There are several advantages for the CO2 as a fire fighting medium. They are:

• Density is 1.5 times higher than air. So CO2 settles down and displaces air.

• It can be easily liquefied and bottled.

• 20% – 30% CO2 concentration extinguishes fire by smothering

• Non-corrosive

• Non- conductor of electricity

• No residues left after application

• No deterioration with age

 

Similarly there are some disadvantages also, such as:

• CO2 is highly asphyxiating. 9% concentration causes unconsciousness within minutes

• Very little cooling effect. So there is danger of re-ignition.

• When discharged, solid CO2 particles present and generate sufficient static electricity to produce spark.

 

Clean Agents: FM200, Novec 1230

 

FM200 fire suppression is also known as HFC227ea. FM200 is a waterless fire protection system, it is discharged into the risk within 10 seconds and suppresses the fire immediately.

FM200 fire suppression is found as an active compound as a propellant in medical inhalers. This is goes without saying that FM200 gas is extremely safe for occupied spaces with the correct fire suppression design.

There is a common misconception that FM200 gas reduces oxygen this is not true! FM200 is a synthetic/chemical fire suppression gas and extinguishes a fire by removing the free radicals or heat elements from the fire triangle. (Oxygen, Heat and Fuel).

The typical concentration of an FM200 system is normally between 7.9% to 8.5%. This concentration is determined by the risk that is being protected and by the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and the ISO14520 standards for fire suppression systems.

The main advantage of FM200 fire suppression, is the small amount of agent required to suppress a fire. This means fewer cylinders, therefore less wasted space for storage of FM200 cylinders.
FM200 systems reach extinguishing levels in 10 seconds or less, stopping ordinary combustible, electrical, and flammable liquid fires before they cause significant damage. FM200 extinguishes the fire quickly, which means less damage, lower repair costs. Like any other fire suppression system, FM200 systems are designed with an extra margin of safety for people. Refilling FM200 is simple and cost effective, therefore, it also means less downtime and disruption to your business.

FM200 is classed as a clean agent which means that it is safe to use within occupied spaces. The safety of FM200 fire suppression environments is proven in over a decade of real-world experience and validated by extensive scientific studies. FM200 systems take up less storage space than most other fire suppressants.

In addition to the fire protection benefits of using FM200, the environment will benefit as well. FM200 fire suppressant does not deplete stratospheric ozone, and has minimal impact on the environment relative to the impact a catastrophic fire would have. FM200 fire suppression is a solution that is already working in more than 100 thousand applications, in more than 70 nations around the world.

 

Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid is a clean agent fire extinguishant which was developed as a halon replacement and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) alternative. It belongs to a family of chemicals called halocarbons, a group which includes HFCs and fluoroketones. Novec 1230 fluid is a fluoroketone, while chemical clean agents like FM-200™ and ECARO-25® are HFCs (HFC-227ea, HFC-125). Novec 1230 fluid has a global warming potential (GWP) of less than one while these HFCs have a GWP of more than 3000. Novec 1230 fluid has the highest margin of safety for human occupancy among clean agents, including inert gas.

Protect what matters.

 

• When you specify a fire protection system, your choices can determine whether a person, valuable asset or even an entire business survives a fire. When that system uses Novec 1230 fluid, you may confidently offer your client a solution that:

  • Extinguishes a fire in seconds, before it even starts and long before water-based systems discharge.

  • Helps protect irreplaceable paper documents and electronics. Because Novec 1230 fluid is a waterless fire suppression solution, it leaves no residue and is electrically non-conductive.

  • Provides the highest margin of safety for human occupancy of any clean agent solution.

  •  Is not subject to the Halon 1301 phaseout or HFC phasedown under any global regulatory body, including the Montreal Protocol.

  • Comes with a global environmental warranty — the 3M™ Blue Sky℠ Warranty, designed to provide additional peace of mind.

  • Is stored as a liquid and discharged as a gas.

  • Is appropriate for Class A, B and C fire hazards.

Water Mist Systems

 

A water mist system is a fire protection system which uses very fine water sprays (i.e. water mist). The small water droplets allow the water mist to control, suppress or extinguish fires by:

• cooling both the flame and surrounding gases by evaporation
• displacing oxygen by evaporation
• attenuating radiant heat by the small droplets themselves

The effectiveness of a water mist system in fire suppression depends on its spray characteristics, which include the droplet size distribution, flux density and spray dynamics, with respect to the fire scenario, such as the shielding of the fuel, fire size and ventilation conditions.

The use of water mist fire suppression, when compared to the use of gaseous agents and traditional sprinkler systems, has revealed advantages such as:

• Immediate activation
• High efficiency in the suppression of a wide variety of fires
• Minimized water damage
• Environmentally sound characteristics
• No toxic problems

Marioff is renowned for pioneering high pressure water mist fire protection technology for use in passenger ferries. Today, HI-FOG^® protects people, property and business continuity in a wide range of applications both on land and at sea.

The NFPA 750 defines three pressure regions for water mist-generating technologies: low, intermediate and high pressure systems. Marioff’s rigorous testing procedures, combined with the company’s unrivalled experience, have shown that high pressure water mist consistently delivers:

• Better penetration into the seat of the fire
• Superior coverage of the protected volume
• An improved cooling effect from better mixing of gases and high evaporation rate
• Lower overall system weight
• Less water consumption

 

Medical Oxygen

 

Many people may think that getting oxygen is easy since it’s in the air we breathe. Our ambient air (i.e., the natural air around us) comprises of only 20% oxygen; the rest is a mixture of nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide and other gases. To get pure oxygen, oxygen plants must employ a specialized technique to separate the oxygen from the air, often by collecting air in its gaseous form and liquefying it at cold temperatures.

Once it’s collected, it must be inspected and packaged into different grades.

There are several ways that industry professionals refer to oxygen grades. The Compression Gas Association (CGA) has identified seven grades of oxygen, A through G, which determine how pure the oxygen is. Oxygen may also be designated as USP, which means that it has been certified by the eponymous organization, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP).

Almost all oxygen produced in plants now meets USP requirements, mainly due to economic reasons of storing oxygen in separate facilities, but it is the purity of the oxygen (i.e., how much of any other gases are still present) and the way the oxygen cylinders are filled that separate oxygen grades. There are four accepted “grades” of oxygen used in various industries: welding, research, aviation and medical.

Welding oxygen is used in certain types of welding techniques, either to aid in the production of heat or as an additive to aid in stability of the process. While in use, other contaminants may enter the oxygen cylinder, such as acetylene, which is used during one type of welding. When a cylinder must be filled with oxygen, the fill station operator will detect whether there is a presence of acetylene. If there is, the cylinder is cleaned and later filled with oxygen. If the cylinder is labeled for medical oxygen, the cylinder must be evacuated before being refilled.

Aviation breathing oxygen (ABO) is strictly regulated, and neither medical nor industrial grade oxygen can be substituted because of these standards. The CGA’s Grade E is commonly also called aviator’s grade, and this oxygen must also go through additional drying steps before it goes into a cylinder.

Research grade oxygen is 99.999% pure (“five nines,” also called grade 5) and is used in both chemical research facilities and specialty welding applications in the aerospace industry.

Medical oxygen is used for oxygen therapy and hospitals, is designated as a drug and therefore must satisfy FDA requirements for compressed medical gas. One of the requirements is that cylinders containing oxygen must always be completed evacuated to minimize the risk of contamination. According to Dr. Larry Taylor from the University of Michigan, the FDA has prosecuted facilities for improperly filling medical grade oxygen cylinders.

Because the FDA classifies medical grade oxygen as a drug, you must have a prescription to purchase it as well as other oxygen-related medical devices, such as oxygen concentrators. It may seem like an unnecessary step since the production and fulfillment of medical grade oxygen is already regulated, but a prescription is an extra step to ensure that the oxygen you are getting is safe to use.

 

Air Breathing Apparatus

 

Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) are used to protect users against oxygen deficiency, dust, gases and vapors at plants, aboard vessels, at fire and in tunnels. Ever since they were first introduced onto the market, SCBA has been widely used in such fields as firefighting, rescue operations, escape training at fire stations, iron works, chemical plants, nuclear facilities, hotels, etc. The apparatus can be used even if in the oxygen deficiency or unknown the contaminants. SCBA has the air breathing apparatus and oxygen breathing apparatus. There are two types of Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus as below.

Air Breathing ApparatusThe SCBA supplies the compressed air from the air cylinder to the wearer through cylinder valve, pressure reducer, pressure demand valve or demand valve.Exhaled air goes to the atmosphere through exhalation valve.Oxygen Breathing ApparatusThe SCBA supplies the compressed oxygen from the oxygen cylinder to the wearer through cylinder valve, pressure reducer, demand valve, etc. Carbon dioxide in exhales air is absorbed by the absorbing canister, and oxygen is re-supplied through breathing bag. This mechanism enables for long time use.

Survival Suit