JEDDAH, 22 January 2003 — New firefighting technology was put into action yesterday when four deliberate fires, one involving a van, were put out behind the Makkah Governorate building on Madinah Road yesterday.
The new hi-tech water-mist extinguishing system doused the fires in seconds. Prince Abdullah ibn Fahd Al-Saud, deputy governor for security affairs at the Makkah Governorate, witnessed the event organized by A.M. Batterjee Group (AMB) and German-based Advanced Firefighting Technology (AFT).
Two of the fires were piles of gasoline-soaked wooden pallets. A single firefighter using the AFT system put out the blaze in a few seconds.
A much bigger challenge was a container filled with 120 liters of gasoline and diesel. The inferno, belching smoke and flames, was completely extinguished in less than a minute.
Finally, a GMC van was doused with gasoline and set ablaze. The heat was so intense that even at a distance the spectators could feel it. Using only nine liters of fluid, and taking only one and a half minutes, the firefighters nevertheless dealt with the challenge.
The new high-pressure water-based technology allowed the firefighters to douse the fire from around 18 meters. As the system uses so little fluid, it has the bonuses of rapid refill times, low collateral damage to nearby property and extreme portability. It is also environmentally friendly.
Musa Sadoon, AFT regional director for the Middle East & Africa, who conducted the proceedings, told reporters later that conventional systems involving foam, powder, CO2 and water were slow and unreliable.
“CO2 especially is hazardous when people are around. AFT firefighting technology is a new quick response system that is eight times more efficient and effective than any conventional extinguisher in the market,” he said.
The AFT technology is particularly useful in situations when the first few minutes are critical in extinguishing fire.
Fire safety awareness campaigns are aimed at both domestic and industrial groups. Last year in Jeddah alone over SR600 million worth of losses were reported in uncontrollable fires.
The AFT, approved by Saudi Arabian Standard Organization and the Civil Defense, is described as “the only portable water extinguisher to extinguish a level of ‘A55’ solid fires and ‘B233’ fires with only nine liters.” Conventional extinguishers use up to 40 liters.