Fire Safety Testing - Case Studies

Elko County Fire Protection District in Elko County, Nevada recently received delivery of four Toyne Tailored Apparatus. Toyne delivered two Wildland, one Pumper Tanker, and one Rapid Attack apparatus in early February. With one of the largest counties in the nation, Elko County Fire Protection District has had to expand its fleet of fire trucks in order to tackle the growing threat of wildfires in northeastern Nevada. Wildland apparatus Two Toyne Wildland apparatus were built to identical sp...

A major chemical company in the UK had been running a large spray drying process for many years. They thought the explosion risk had been mitigated by installing suppression systems on the main dryer and cyclone and flameless venting on the filter. These had activated over 30 times, for real explosions, and the system had so far done its job. However, the frequency of activations increased and eventually an explosion in the main filter led to damage in the plant, despite the protection system....

Southern Supply Company is a wholesale distributor located in Springfield, Missouri. Southern Supply has a critical data center through which it handles all of its business activity, from shipping and receiving to accounting, for its 12 locations in Missouri and Kansas. Because it is key to the operation of its business, Southern Supply decided to protect its data center with a clean agent fire suppression system, rather than just a traditional sprinkler system. By choosing a clean-ag...

A U.S.-based division of a cosmetic manufacturer employs high-value data center technology to maintain their day-to-day operations. Protecting this high-value asset equipment from fire is essential and had been accomplished with a Halon fire extinguishing system. However, it is now known that Halon is damaging the ozone and adding to the global warming problem. In response, the European Community issued regulation 2037/2000, making the removal of Halon mandatory by 2003. The European-based corp...

In 2003, Jeffrey Energy Center (JEC), the coal-fired plant in Kansas, was recognized by the Powder River Basin (PRB) Coal User’s Group as its PRB Plant of the Year. Industry recognition was achieved through plant safety, plant performance, environmental achievements and overall plant cleanliness. Over the years JEC has undertaken a number of projects and process changes to further improve the plant. Enhancements to the fire detection and suppression systems have been a vital part of the p...

A Louisiana-based paint additive manufacturer experienced a Halon 1301 system discharge in their Rack Room that is vital to the day-to-day operations of the company. Seeking a Halon refill, the company called Fike’s distributor, C & S Safety Systems, in New Iberia, Louisiana who in turn presented ECARO-25®. After learning the many advantages of ECARO-25, this customer agreed to install this exciting product as long as the installation time would be equal to that of recharging the...

The Colruyt supermarket chain has become a successful company by offering the best available and most reasonable ‘discount’ on goods to consumers. To preserve the ‘lowest prices’ and to remain at the forefront with competitive products, Colruyt made substantial investments into computer technology and integrated a high-technology information system which runs non-stop 365 days a year. Needless to say, a highly relied upon asset of this type is essential to the continuous...

San Carlos, CA, located midway between San Francisco and San Jose, has been a magnet for families, due in large part to the small size and high educational value the San Carlos School District offers. In an effort to maintain this standard, the district has undertaken a large facility modernization project, affecting multiple schools. In order to continue the project throughout the school year, the district set up temporary housing for displaced classrooms, creating a unique and immediate need...

The Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise (LITE) in Lafayette, LA is a state-of-the-art 3D immersive visualization resource center featuring one of the world’s first six-sided, digital virtual reality cubes, as well as the world’s largest digital 3-D theater. This leading-edge visualization environment is powered by one of the largest shared memory resources in the world, a 4.1TB of RAM high performance computing system. The LITE facility, a State entity governed by a Board of...

Pierce Manufacturing Inc., an Oshkosh Corporation company, has announced that it has secured an order of 11 custom apparatus for Greenwood County Fire Service in South Carolina. The order is made up of custom apparatus including five Saber FR pumpers, four Pierce dry-side tankers, an Ascendant 107’ aerial ladder, and a Pierce 100’ heavy-duty rear mount aerial tower. This monumental apparatus order for Greenwood County Fire Service has been placed in partnership with South Carolina&rs...

The Storm Lake Fire Department in Storm Lake, Iowa has expanded its fleet’s ability to respond to the variety of incoming calls it receives, after purchasing two custom-built Toyne apparatus. The department received delivery of a pumper tanker and a rapid attack in mid-November of 2018. These new trucks were a welcome sight to the ever-alert Storm Lake Fire Department, which responded to over 170 calls in 2017. Tanker Characteristics Storm Lake’s new pumper tanker is mounted on a S...

A powerful network of C-TEC’s ZFP addressable fire panels is safeguarding Sunbury Manor School in Middlesex. Programmed with sophisticated cause and effects to suit the school’s special requirements, the 4-loop touch-screen control panels connect to a series of detection devices including 250 of C-TEC’s EN54-23 certified visual alarm devices to provide top quality fire protection at the 1025-pupil capacity school. Emergency Lockdown Policy The system also has a lockdown facil...

The South Holland Fire Department, located south of Chicago, Illinois, employs 24 full-time and 19 paid-on-call firefighters. These employees staff two stations 24 hours a day and respond to nearly 4,500 calls annually. The department protects approximately 22,000 residents with a response area comprised of over 8,000 homes, industrial facilities and commercial businesses. Just a few miles to the west, the Midlothian Fire Department, located in the village of Midlothian, Illinois, maintains two...

The Bonnieville Fire Department in Bonnieville, Kentucky recently added a new Toyne Pumper to its fleet, expanding its firefighting power. The department welcomed its first Toyne fire truck, in late November. Pumper Features Toyne manufactured Bonnieville’s custom pumper on a Freightliner M2 106, four-door chassis. The apparatus uses a Cummins ISL9 350 horsepower engine and is driven by an Allison 3000 EVS transmission. Designed for firefighting versatility, this Toyne Pumper boasts a Ha...

One of the world’s most famous hotel-chains, DoubleTree by Hilton, part of Hilton Worldwide, has selected a high-performance fire system from industry renowned fire systems provider, Advanced at their eight-story, 366-rooms hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. The challenge was to replace an existing system, integrate speakers to all guest rooms and ensure that all audio messages and strobes were fully synchronized across the hotel, in the event of a fire situation, without the need for costly...

For a volunteer fire department in Ried, leaving gloves, shoes, and boots to air dry is now a thing of the past, thanks to the drying panels from Wintersteiger AG, which have been in use since the beginning of November 2020. Regional Fire Inspector and Fire Chief, Josef Leherbauer is delighted with the successful solution. He said, “To save energy, we chose one small and one large dryer that can be used as required. Both are equipped with different nozzles for gloves and boots. As the dry...

The Elsberry Fire Protection District in Elsberry, Missouri has added additional firefighting power to its fleet with the arrival of two new Toyne apparatus. The pumper and pumper tanker will allow the department to expand its firefighting capabilities. The Elsberry Fire Protection District covers 110 square miles in eastern Missouri. Pumper features Toyne built Elsberry’s pumper tanker and pumper on Spartan Metro Star chassis. Containing the power of Cummins ISL9 450 horsepower engines...

Global safety equipment manufacturer MSA Safety announces the deployment of 750 state-of-the-art G1 self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and integrated thermal imaging cameras to the Memphis (Tennessee) Fire Department (MFD). The contract was awarded to MSA in July and the deployment represents a significant shift in the department’s SCBA technology. It also makes Memphis the largest department in the U.S. to equip every firefighter with integrated thermal imaging technology. Respir...

There are many sources of wood as a biomass energy source. Larger pieces can be harvested directly or come as stumps and branches from forest clearing. While smaller chips and sawdust can come from many different industrial processes. Since it is very bulky, wood biomass is normally sourced locally to reduce transportation costs. What is the biggest risk? Biomass in bulk is a dangerous material that can ignite and burn spontaneously, and fine wood dust – which is often generated during t...

Fairview Fire and Rescue in Monroe, North Carolina has increased its fleet’s firefighting power with the purchase of a new Toyne Pumper Tanker. Fairview received the high-capacity apparatus in mid-September. This addition will boost the fire defense of this robust department, which covers a nearly 35-square-mile district in North Carolina. Pumper Characteristics The new pumper tanker, built on a Peterbilt 367, 6x4 drive chassis, is powered by a Cummins ISX 600 horsepower engine and...

The UK’s largest fitness operator has chosen the P50 to protect its 200-plus gyms and more than a million members. Fast-expanding PureGym is installing our multi-use composite P50, the only extinguisher that needs no external servicing contract and can be maintained in-house by trained staff, in its new gyms, with a program to replace metal extinguishers in all its premises. Eliminating the process of “organizing and chasing” external servicing was the driving force behind the...

Three-and-a-half years on from a destructive fire, which engulfed a plastics manufacturer’s factory with no sprinkler system, in Lancashire, United Kingdom, the lasting effect is undeniable, as the £50 million turn-over business has gone into administration cost cuts, with the loss of 200 jobs. Total Polyfilm site fire The fire at the Total Polyfilm site, located in Bamber Bridge, on May 10, 2016, took 60 firefighters to control and resulted in the total loss of the factory. Nearby...

The fire-stopping expertise of Quelfire combined with the installation skills of RA Fire Protection has created a safe, compliant residential development in Skipton. Belle Vue Mills in Skipton, North Yorkshire, is a refurbishment project that will create 39 high-quality apartments. The main contractor at Belle Vue Mills was Triton Construction, which has its head office in Liversedge, West Yorkshire, and a North West regional office in Warrington. Project challenges There were several challen...

Howard County Fire Protection District welcomed a Toyne Pumper Tanker to its fleet this spring, marking the district’s fourth new Toyne apparatus in the last few years. The pumper tanker will increase the firefighting strength of the department, which covers a wide territory in north-central Missouri. Premier Fire Apparatus Built by Toyne, a fire apparatus manufacturer located in Breda, Iowa, Howard County’s pumper tanker was mounted on a Freightliner M2 106 chassis with a two-door...

A key driver in the successful delivery of the UK’s £42.6 billion HS2 project, the new National College for High Speed Rail, is now protected by industry-renowned fire panels from Advanced. National College for High Speed Rail Located in Doncaster, a town historically known for its prominent role in rail engineering and maintenance, the college occupies 76,000 sq. feet of teaching and workshop space, with specialist training installations, including 150 meters of external track and...

Most processes in pharmaceutical manufacturing are at low pressure. However, mechanical failures such as line blockages or a pump malfunction can cause a sharp rise in pressure. This risk increases if a heating system is involved, or in a few cases, where strong chemicals could be contaminated and react powerfully. How to protect these systems? 1 – Pressure Relief Valves (PRVs) For non-aseptic applications, pressure relief valves are the first choice. These valves have a metal plate tha...

Located on the shore of Italy’s beautiful Lake Como, Castello di Urio is a hotel and conference centre that is steeped in history. When it needed to upgrade its life safety system without affecting the structure of the building, the owners decided to use wireless fire detection technology from Notifier. Agile wireless fire detection system Castello di Urio is now a 150-room hotel and conference centre, and a meeting place for people from all over the world who come to enjoy the surroundi...

POK S.A.S, founded in 1976, is known worldwide for its high-tech, high-quality fire-fighting equipment. But it should not be forgotten that POK also supplies a very wide range of couplings for many different sectors of activity. These couplings adapt to the standards of many countries and are available in different materials and sizes. This complete range allows POK to serve many industries but also defense and in the first place the SEA. Service des Essences des Armées (SEA) What is t...

Sumter, South Carolina is now home to three new Toyne Pumpers after receiving the identical trucks from the premier Iowa-based fire apparatus manufacturer. The pumpers will bolster the firefighting strength of the Sumter Fire Department, which serves approximately 628 square miles in central South Carolina. Pumper Characteristics Toyne built Sumter’s pumpers on Spartan Metro Star chassis with 10-inch raised roofs, powered by Cummins ISL9 380 horsepower engines. The apparatus is driv...

Salt River Project (SRP) has announced the contract execution and the start of construction with The AES Corporation (AES) for SRP’s first standalone battery-based energy storage project. The 10-megawatt, four-hour duration energy storage solution, to be supplied by Fluence, will provide peaking capacity that will inject power into the grid during high peak demand periods for SRP customers. Grid-scale battery storage Energy storage is already providing a wealth of services to central Ari...