The Fire Ball – Australia
The simplest, quickest and safest fire extinguisher
Background
In 1997, a devastating fire broke out in the Royal Jomtien Hotel in Thailand. From this tragedy witnessed by Mr. Phanawatnan Kaimart (the inventor of the Elide Fire Ball) a new type fire extinguisher was invented. After years of research and testing the Elide Fire Ball was born.
The problem with the old types of fire extinguishers
Generally, it is heavy depending on its size and the user needs to get close enough to the fire for the water or chemicals from the fire extinguisher to reach the flames. This is dangerous in itself. Secondly, the responder must be able to effectively use a fire extinguisher. Not as simple as most people would like to think. Ask yourself this question - Does your work colleague sitting next to you, or your husband or wife, or even your child - all know how to use a fire extinguisher let along what type of fire extinguisher needs to be used depending on the fire type.
There are 3 steps of fire ignition;
1) Initial Stage From the ignition to the first 4 minutes of fire spread is of course generally the best time to tackle the fire however ironically its when surprise and panic can set in. Within this time the fire is around 100 degrees Celsius so you need to act fast.
2) Middle Stage After the first 4 – 8 minutes the temperature is over 400 degree Celsius. Normal fire extinguishers could struggle to cope and it is advised that the occupants leave the building for their own safety and alert the fire services if they have not done so already.
3) High Level Stage At after 8 minutes of a continually burning fire, now likely to be over 600 degree Celsius, the fire can spread out in every direction rapidly. Only trained fire fighters or experienced personnel are advised to stay and tackle the fire at this stage as it is deemed too risky. Generally and depending on location, the fire services can get to your work or home within 10 to 15 minutes.
Elide Fire solves the problem by ensuring the following;
-
The weight of the new fire fighting device must be light enough so you can use it by instinct so it can easily and quickly extinguish fire, especially by users who do not have any training.
-
The users of the new fire fighting device can be at a safe distance from the base fire to avoid high temperatures. When the fire size is between 4 to 8 minutes, you should be able to let the fire extinguisher ball work automatically by rolling it or throwing it into the fire at a safe distance.
-
It should make a audible sound when activated to alert occupants.
-
The new type of fire fighting device must be able automatically extinguish a fire immediately without electrical or mechanical means and even with no human intervention.
Features of Elide Fire Ball
The Elide Fire Ball weights 1.3 Kg +-5% and is a round shape, handy to throw into a fire. One unit covers and contains fires within a space of 9.12 m3 – the operational effective radius is 1.296 meters and 2 units can cover and contain fires within a space of 18.24 m3 or around 2.592 radius meter. It is effective in all directions. Its has a shelf life of approximately 5 years. The Elide Fire Ball can extinguish many different classes or types of fire, including wood, gas, oil, petrol, paper and many more. When a fire occurs, the Elide Fire ball will self-activate within 3-10 seconds after flame contact, bursting and spreading a dry chemical powder automatically and making an alarm noise of typically around 130-139 dB(A). The Elide Fire Ball can be installed over high risk areas at approximately 1.5 meter over the item. For C* class fires (electrical), the Elide Fire Ball can be installed directly over electric items which can not be extinguished by water or sprinkler systems. The chemicals contained within the Elide Fire Ball are not harmful to humans or the environment and they are certified by standard laboratories from countries all over the world. The Elide Fire Ball does not contain any harmful chemicals which could affect the environment and is certified under the international standard legislation. When the Elide Fire Ball activates, it does not damage the property because its explosion is not strongly enough. It is also contained in a protective foam container which is non-CFC and not flammable.
Fire Ball Australia are proud to be involved in this new and amazing life saving product making it available to everyone across Australia and around the world. We believe the Elide Fire Ball can make a positive difference against the deadly consequences that can happen in the event of a fire and believe all homes and places of work should have one (or more!).