Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA

The Engineered Solutions division of Dräger, an international leader in the fields of medical and safety technology, has opened its Flame Engulfment Testing Cabin to provide an in-house facility for testing self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). It is designed to test well beyond existing standards and guarantee the very highest levels of safety.   Flame Engulfment Testing Cabin Based at Dräger’s Centre of Excellence manufacturing facility in Blyth, the Flame Engulfment Testing Cabin will provide the company with extensive research, design, and development capabilities, and eliminate any of the time and resource challenges associated with third-party testing. The Flame Engulfment Cabin makes it possible to thoroughly test and trial all of the components and materials used to make Dräger’s SCBA product portfolio to ensure they can withstand extreme heat, flames, or impact – e.g. after being dropped from a great height.   design maturity and approvals testing Customers are reassured that Dräger's SCBA exceeds safety standards and will protect firefighters in a wide range The facility provides Dräger with best-in-class design maturity and approvals testing, with customers reassured that Dräger's SCBA exceeds safety standards and will protect firefighters in a wide range of challenging environments.   This opening further bolsters Dräger’s Engineered Solutions offering. PPE and RPE It demonstrates the division’s capabilities in designing bespoke solutions that support the manufacture of personal protective, and respiratory protective equipment (PPE and RPE), protecting fire and rescue teams as well as emergency responders working in industry, utilities, oil, gas, and chemical sectors. It adds to the Engineered Solutions divisional portfolio that includes scenario-based training systems and simulations, including Dräger’s CFS 7000 gas-powered passenger vehicle simulator, wood, gas and liquid gas (LPG) fired Fire Training Systems, and the wildfire training facility, Wildland-Fire Sandbox WFS 1000, to name just a few.   design sophistication and quality  Philipp Hecker, Head of Portfolio and Solutions at Dräger, says the Flame Engulfment Cabin raises the bar for testing SCBA, "This facility is a testament to Dräger’s success in achieving technological sophistication and quality in design." Philipp Hecker adds, "Not only can we now test and develop products ourselves, but we can also help the industry improve too."  firefighters' health and safety Tom Pearson, Marketing Manager Engineered Solutions and Government Agencies at Draeger Safety UK adds that opening the testing facilities supports Dräger’s continued prioritization of the health and safety of firefighters through technological development and innovation, "The Flame Engulfment Cabin enables us to further prioritize developing products and safety solutions that advance the health, safety, and wellbeing of all that use them." Tom Pearson continues, "Dräger’s philosophy has always been to create Technology for Life, and this opening helps us realize our ambitions."

Dräger, an international pioneer in the fields of medical and safety technology, has won a tender to upgrade mobile gas monitoring equipment to detect potentially lethal hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and further improve the safety and protection of firefighters for five Fire and Rescue Services in the northwest of England and Northern Ireland.   The framework agreement, led by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services (LFRS) and covering Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire, Cumbria, and Northern Ireland, was created to assess and procure Multi-Gas Detectors (MGDs) specifically designed for use in firefighting, where hazardous materials are present. Modern mobile monitoring solution The existing gas monitors were eight years old and nearing end of life. Maintenance costs were rising, and LFRS needed a more modern mobile monitoring solution to detect HCN, which along with its ‘toxic twin’, carbon monoxide (CO), which are the two most deadly gases present in fires and post-fire scenes. When combined, they form a powerful chemical asphyxiant which stops people's breathing and can cause heart attacks. They form a powerful chemical asphyxiant which stops people's breathing and can cause heart attacks  After selecting the best-written applications from numerous suppliers, a physical assessment of the equipment was carried out, comparing like for like. Rodney Steele, Station Manager of Operational Equipment & Breathing Apparatus, LFRS, says they selected Dräger’s X-am® 5800 multi-gas detector because it had one property no other gas monitor submitted had: “All other gas monitors that was submitted will only detect one of the toxic twins but not the other,” says Rodney. “This monitor emits an earlier alarm at lower concentrations if both gases are detected simultaneously.” Firefighters’ medical and safety equipment    The physical assessment was not just about how the equipment performs mechanically but also about how easy it is to use, including its weight: “This was a big part of the decision,” Rodney adds. “Today, firefighters’ medical and safety equipment typically weighs 16 to 18 kilograms, including four layers of clothing, SCBA equipment, hoses, helmets, and a torch. More weight uses more oxygen and shortens the time responders can spend on search and rescue. The X-am® 5800 multi-gas detector is small and lightweight and can be clipped onto clothing, making it comfortable to wear.”   The monitor is also easy for the heavily suited firefighter to use, with large buttons for thickly gloved hands, and a clear display. Its language-free, icon-based user interface makes it simple to use. A green D-light status indicator tells fire crews when the gas monitor is ready for use. Initial point of information   It has a particularly shock-resistant CatEx sensor that is used to detect the Lower Explosion Limit As well as being able to detect the ‘toxic twins’ simultaneously, the X-am® 5800 multi-gas detector will be used by LFRS and the other regional fire services to monitor a total of five gases. For added safety, its oxygen channel has four alarm thresholds: pre and main alarms for rising and falling oxygen concentrations. To help protect damage of the monitor during an incident, it has a particularly shock-resistant CatEx sensor that is used to detect the Lower Explosion Limit.   Use of the X-am® 5800 monitors has been extended to the Hazardous Material Environmental Protection Officers (‘Hazmat Officers’). Hazmat Officers are specially trained fire officers who will be the initial point of information. They perform a vital role when a crew first arrives at an incident, identifying which gases are present and then providing specialist advice to the operational crews on how to manage the risks.   Dräger’s Gas Detection Connect software “Dräger’s monitors come with a pump and an extension, like a metal fishing rod, that is up to a meter and a half long,” Rod explains. The metal rod makes an initial sweep of a room for gas easier and quicker: “You don’t have to climb ladders or onto chairs to check the tops of high cupboards or bend down to check closer to ground level. This makes Hazmat Officers’ roles easier and safer,” he adds.  The data collected at the initial gas assessment also feeds into regional and national support The data collected at the initial gas assessment also feeds into regional and national support, as well as other agencies. The X-am® 5800, using Dräger’s Gas Detection Connect software, can record and transmit live data via Bluetooth to a smartphone or the Dräger ConHub Gateway and from there to the backend of the Gas Detection Connect software, helping firefighters to share information and manage the crew’s equipment. Data can also be transferred directly to the cloud with the X-dock 6300 test station, so the data and its analysis are secure and available at any time, from anywhere. Single point of contact for the gas monitors As well as the equipment, Rodney has been impressed with the people: “They are very customer-focused,” he says. “I'm dealing with a single point of contact for the gas monitors or whatever equipment, training or servicing we need. It is really important for me that I can phone one person for many things rather than phoning multiple people. Dräger makes me feel that I'm the most important customer in the world.”  Liz Millward, Marketing Manager Emergency and Rescue Services, says the tender win is a reflection of Dräger’s commitment to driving innovation: “We work closely with our customers to ensure that equipment is designed to protect firefighters in the most hazardous environments. We’re thrilled to have won this tender and look forward to continuing our excellent working relationship with LFRS.”

Dräger, an international pioneer in the fields of medical and safety technology, has donated five HPS® Safeguard helmets to a group of firefighters who regularly compete in global firefighter fitness competitions, in order to support their efforts, and promote fitness as a means of furthering firefighter health. The helmets are being used in the European and North American FireFit Championships, the German Firefighter Combat Challenge and the British Firefighter Challenge. Dräger supplies PSS® Airboss SCBA to competitions These competitions, which attract anything from 150-300 firefighters, are designed to mimic real-life firefighting scenarios and require firefighters to wear full firefighting kit, and even complete timed courses, while ‘under air’ and attached to self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).  Dräger also supplies its PSS® Airboss SCBA to competitions.  Useful advantage in competition Michael Joseph of the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, approached Dräger’s stand at last year’s Emergency Services Show because he liked the HPS Safeguard’s design. He said: "We are not insured to wear our Service’s fire kit so to compete we need to procure ‘race kit’. The HPS Safeguard has a comfortable design and is very light, which is a useful advantage in competition, as well as real firefighting."  Michael Joseph adds, "I first started competing 14 years ago and considered myself fit, but was amazed at how challenging competitions are. They set a very high standard directly related to our job and are an excellent way to ensure firefighters prioritize fitness. I’m so pleased Dräger has been able to supply helmets that help my colleagues and I continue competing, and with the advantages that light equipment offers."  German FireFit Challenge Elizabeth Millward says the team felt this donation was a great opportunity to support firefighter health Elizabeth Millward, Marketing Manager Emergency and Rescue Services at Dräger says the team felt this donation was a great opportunity to support and promote firefighter health.  She said: "We require our firefighting personnel to stay very fit. These competitions attract good numbers of firefighters looking to get fitter to the benefit of their overall health, and ability to perform their roles." Elizabeth Millward adds, "We congratulate Michael and his colleagues on the German FireFit Challenge already completed this year and wish them all the very best for the competitions ahead."   Helmet’s innovative design Dräger’s HPS Safeguard helmet is extremely fast and easy to put on and use. The padded three-point harness with versatile chin and neck straps, coupled with an adjustment wheel placed on the back of the helmet, allow for a safe and easy fit to any head shape or size, and can accommodate users who observe cultural or religious practices.  The helmet’s innovative design is such that various external devices can be affixed to it with ease and enables hands-free operation of thermal imaging cameras, comms and lamps if required.