Newsheet 4
On + Off Road Vehicle Fire Protection
Other Fire Protection & Heat Detection Newsheets
PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES, HGV'S, EARTHMOVERS, COMBINE HARVESTERS, FORK LIFT TRUCKS...
All of the above fall within the category of On + Off road vehicles. Which many incorrectly consider to present only a limited fire risk, and where published fire statistics are difficult to obtain. The best means by which Insurers, Fire Surveyors, Engineering Companies and even End Users can review and assess the INVESTMENT potential for the installation of a cost effective special hazard detection and associated extinguishing FIRE PROTECTION system.
The term - INVESTMENT - has been deliberately selected, because we not only have to consider the obvious risk to human life from a fire condition developing on - for example - a BUS or TRAIN regularly operating full of commuters, but also with the protection that such a simple to install and economical to purchase (less than 2% of vehicle cost) and maintain Special hazard fire protection system would offer - to what is after all a major capital expenditure!
To many Companies, the resultant total loss of, or at best - major repair "downtime" of a HGV, COMBINE HARVESTER, EARTHMOVER or even FORK LIFT TRUCK from a fire, could generate a sufficiently large enough interruption to routine business to make it difficult to maintain or return to operating profit levels!
In a single European Country - which is by no means unique in this fire analysis - 9450 (NINE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY) fires were recorded in BUSES in a SINGLE YEAR! The average age of the buses involved were identified as only 4.9 years old!
When looking at all forms of road traffic fires, records indicate that 73% occurred in city, 15% in "charter" traffic and 12% on long distance vehicles. With 64% of fires starting in the engine compartment (fuel leaks and short circuits the two largest causes in this area), 21% in the braking system, 9% under the body and 6% inside the vehicle.
DETECTION of on + off road vehicle FIRES - or in certain cases the PREVENTION of such fires by the early detection of the localized overheat condition that may precede combustion - can be economically, efficiently and simply achieved by a combined detector and cable in one (DIGITAL LINEAR HEAT) system, installed at the EXACT point of risk - regardless of the local conditions (greasy, damp, corrosive, limited access) and connected to a small custom made 12 or 24 volt dc operated control facility (cab mounted) that will provide manual and / or automatic operation of a strategically placed foam or inert non-toxic potassium based aerosol (no piping required) extinguishing system.
Independent testing and / or discussions with major manufacturers - involving MERCEDES, VOLVO, SCANIA and RENAULT - and actual installation references, have repeatedly proven the effectiveness of such a protection system in monitoring, detecting, controlling and extinguishing fires - regardless of whether they originated from the vehicles ENGINE BAY, BATTERY BOX, BRAKING or EXHAUST system.
Manual detection of these fires has proven almost impossible - with the attention of the On road vehicle driver primarily directed towards road signs, other traffic and pedestrian hazards and / or further compounded by, in many cases, the location of the major fire risk areas at the rear of the vehicle.
Off road vehicles present a totally different problem when evaluating the operators capacity to manually detect a fire - typically the difficulty in differentiating between hazardous smoke from an "on board" fire and normal exhaust fumes or dirt / dust from the site on which the vehicle is being used.
On Road ( Bus Design used as an Example but Applicable to HGV Engine Bay also)
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Standard Fire Extinguishing System for BusesLegend:
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Combine Harvester |
Fork Lift |
Linear Heat Detection has a proven track record for the protection of On + Off Road Vehicle Fleets, that can be verified by major International end users. For additional information on the most effective system to suit your particular requirements, please contact us.