Anti Fire Ball Extinguisher finally arrives in Kenya

 

A generator explodes into flames, setting alight gas cylinders which also explode, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. This was the scene at the Nakumatt Downtown retail outlet in Nairobi one afternoon in January, last year. It was like a scene from a Hollywood movie.

But had the new fire-fighting equipment, the Elide Extinguishing Fireball, been installed in the generator room, where gas cylinders were stored, perhaps many lives could have been saved, says Mr Brian Kisali, the city council chief fire officer.

The Elide Extinguishing fire ball, the football-shaped gadget that weighs 1.3kg, and is six inches in diameter, acts like an automatic guard against fire. It was introduced in the country last year. In case of a fire, it is simply thrown into it and auto-activates within 3-10 seconds, and effectively sprays fire-extinguishing chemicals.

When a fire occurs when there is nobody around, the gadget, placed strategically in potential fire zones within the building, self-activates when it comes into contact with it and gives a loud alarm. “There could have been some difference if such equipment had been installed at fire-risk areas like the generator room,” says Mr Kisali, adding that the gadget also has a cooling effect that could have helped to forestall the explosion of the generator and the cylinders.

For decades now, Kenya’s attempts to find a solution to its legendary lack of disaster preparedness has been disappointing. Fire outbreaks, collapsing buildings, oil tanker crashes and other emergencies have resulted in loss of lives as the people charged with the responsibility of ensuring a swift and effective response to such occurrences merely fumble and mumble.

The usual culprit in case of an inadequate response is absence of a legal framework, and business people’s prayer is that a fire does not hit their premises.

With an easy-to-install, wall-mounted bracket, experts recommend that it be installed in hazardous areas such as confined spaces, basements, warehouses, kitchens and factories. 

Ordinarily, fires are fought using water with help from fire brigades, but it is no secret that Kenya’s fire-fighting department is too ill-equipped to handle many of the cases that come up. Without proper protective gear, firemen are often exposed to the very infernos they intend to put out.

Moreover, fire officers are known to arrive at the scene after most of the property has been destroyed, or are faced with the daunting task of working without enough equipment and water. Although the new product uses the same powder — the mono-ammonium phosphate — as a conventional fire extinguisher, it can be grabbed off its mounting bracket and rolled, or thrown into a fire. This means the user does not have to get near the blaze.

Manufactured by Siam Safety Premier Ltd of Thailand, the extinguisher has widely been used for the past eight years in developed countries. In Africa, Kenya becomes the third country to adopt it after South Africa and Egypt. South Africa introduced it in April, four months before it entered the African market.

With a lifespan of five years, no inspection and maintenance are necessary, thus radically reducing input costs.

Adopted from: http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Antifire-wonder-ball-arrives-in-Kenya-/-/1056/873790/-/ubtudt/-/index.html