FAQ

FirePro is the trademark of our company – a brand name that is synonymous with environmentally friendly fire suppression technologies. We design and manufacture fire suppression systems that incorporate our proprietary fire extinguishing condensed aerosol forming solid compound (FPC). The FPC solid compound, developed after many years of Research & Development, utilizes environmentally friendly potassium salts.

An aerosol is a two-phase medium consisting of solid or liquid particles suspended in a gas.

The FirePro condensed aerosol is a fire suppression medium, the active agent consisting of fine particles of potassium carbonate (smaller than 10 micrometers) suspended in a mixture of gases. The aerosol plume is generated by initiating the exothermic reaction of the FPC, which is in solid form and has aerosol-forming characteristics.

Condensed aerosol firefighting technology gained increasing recognition as a halon alternative following the Montreal Protocol that called for phase down of production and consumption of ozone depleting substances.

The FPC is the proprietary solid compound which is contained within the FirePro condensed aerosol generators. Once activated, the FPC will undergo a chemical reaction that in a few seconds produces the FirePro, fire suppressing condensed aerosol consisting of potassium compounds K2CO3 suspended in a blend of H2O, N2, CO2 and other gases in small quantities. The FPC together with the rest of the components of a FirePro generator has a certified lifetime of 15 years. It contains no HFCs, HCFCs, CFCs of PFAS substances.

A FirePro generator is a non-pressurized, pre-engineered fire suppression system unit. At its core there is a certain quantity of FPC compound and once activated will create and discharge the condensed aerosol fire suppression medium. The activation process involves an electrical signal transferred from a power supply to the electrical activator of the generator or a heat input to the generator's thermal port by a FirePro bulb thermal actuator. FirePro generators are globally certified, approved and listed and can be paired with almost all available fire detection, control, and monitoring equipment to form complete fire suppression systems.

FirePro fire suppression generators have a long list of Certificates, Listings and Approvals from UL, ULC, BSI, LPCB, VDS, KIWA, ACTIVFIRE, KFI, Global-Mark, BV, ABS, RINA, CRS MCA and other. These confirm compliance with national and international standards such as NFPA 2010, UL 2775, EN 15276, ISO 15779, BRL-K23001, LPS 1656 and IMO MSC/Circ 1270 and MGN280. Furthermore, FirePro systems are approved by numerous local Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) and national marine authorities worldwide.

FirePro is certified for class A (solid – ordinary combustibles), B (flammable liquids), C (flammable gases) & F (cooking oils and fats) fire hazards according to EN2 (EU) and A (solid – ordinary combustibles), B (flammable liquids and gases) & C (Electrical) fire hazards as per NFPA 10 (US).

Unlike other media which extinguish fire by heat absorption or oxygen reduction, FirePro aerosol does so by inhibiting the chemical chain reaction of combustion. The potassium carbonate (K2CO3) particles, that FirePro aerosol contains, interreact with the free radicals of fire (O, H and OH) forming stable bonds and extinguishing the fire in an extremely effective and efficient manner without significantly depleting oxygen.

FirePro fixed condensed aerosol systems are available in two main configurations:

In-Cabinet fire protection
Internal fire protection of small enclosures such as electrical cabinets is a practical and cost-effective way to mitigate fire risks by putting out the fire at the source. FirePro standalone and configured systems are an ideal solution for these applications. They provide a certified and reliable solution for Class A, B and C fires, they are compact, lightweight, easy to install and maintain and have low ownership cost.

Room flooding fire protection
As the name suggests, with this concept, the suppression medium is discharged throughout the protected space to suppress a fire anywhere in the room. A FirePro room flooding system consists of one or more FirePro generators that will provide the necessary amount of aerosol. The generators are connected to a control and monitoring panel which is also linked to two zones of fire detection and notification and alarm appliances. The control panel provides signals to other equipment in the room to perform actions such as door closing and air-handling systems switch off. It also communicates with the BMS and the general fire alarm system of the facility. The FirePro systems are designed, installed, commissioned, and maintained as per the requirements of the applicable standard and the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ).

FirePro is suitable for marine applications in sea-going vessels regulated by IMO/SOLAS, in river boats, coastal vessels such as pleasure yachts, fishing boats, patrol boats as well as offshore structures such as oil rigs. FirePro generators and systems are type approved by international classification societies like BV, ABS, RINA, CRS and hold a certificate on EU Marine Equipment Directive (MED) and UK Merchant Shipping Marine Equipment Regulations (MER). They are also approved by several local marine authorities such as MCA of UK.

FirePro is extensively used for protecting technical areas in railway vehicles. These include the locomotive, inverters, traction converters and other compartments with mechanical and electrical equipment.

Yes, it is. Under the supervision of both accredited laboratories and globally prominent Li-ion battery manufacturers, FirePro conducted around 100 tests since 2016. The tests involved batteries of different chemistry, construction, state of charge and arrangement and various ways of inducing the thermal runaway. The results confirm the efficacy of the FirePro technology and systems and their capability to knock down the flames, significantly reduce temperature, reduce the propagation of thermal runaway and neutralize flammable and explosive gases.

Not necessarily. While FirePro systems are certified, approved and listed, as total flooding, the standards that regulate them (such as NFPA 2010, ISO15779 and EN 15276) do not require an air-tight enclosure nor a room integrity test / door-fan test. A visual inspection to confirm that the ratio of openings to the volume of the enclosure falls within the tested parameters of the manufacturer is adequate. FirePro systems have passed tests conducted by accredited bodies (KIWA) as per internationally accepted protocols (ISO 15779 and EN15276) confirming the performance of the system and hold time in rooms with limited openings. For rooms with higher openings’ area to volume ratio, FirePro has in place a leakage compensation guideline which is backed-up by tests. The guideline involves secondary discharges of aerosol and methods of reducing the openings sizes.

The potential health hazard of FirePro aerosol has been examined by organizations like KEMA, PZH as well as the EPA of USA and found to be within acceptable limits, posing no significant risks to human health at standard design concentrations and short-term exposure. This is verified by test reports as well as the inclusion of FirePro (powdered aerosol E) in the SNAP list of EPA as an agent suitable for use in both occupied and unoccupied areas.

Furthermore, FirePro documentation and guidance recommend that all safety precautions should be implemented to prevent human exposure to the aerosol and the combustion and decomposition products of a fire. These include predischarge alarms and time-delay, abort and isolation switches as well as signage and notification that enable personnel to evacuate the protected space in a timely manner.

Yes, it is. Both the FirePro aerosol as well as the FPC solid compound that lies inside the generators do not contain any CFCs, HCFCs, HFCs or PFAS substances. FirePro has no Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP=0), no Global Warming Potential (GWP=0), and has negligible Atmospheric Lifetime (ALT=Negligible). It is also listed in the SNAP list of EPA of USA as a suitable agent for use in normally occupied and unoccupied areas. FirePro generators carry the Green Label certificate after assessment and audits by GEN (Global Eco-labelling Network) underlining the product’s and the company’s environmental values and integrity. Finally, the manufacturing process is certified not only as per ISO 9001:2015 but also as per ISO 14001:2015 environmental management standard.

The term clean agent refers to purely gaseous suppressants. The FirePro extinguishing medium consists of minute solid particles suspended in a gaseous atmosphere (mainly nitrogen, water vapor and carbon dioxide), thus referred to as ‘aerosol’ and not a pure gas. The particles due to their size, which does not exceed 10 micrometers, and their density, have a very low settlement rate and stay in suspension for an extended period.

Removing the particles shortly after discharge is relatively easy and can be facilitated by venting. The majority of settled particles can also be removed at the initial stages using vacuum cleaners. As the particles are hygroscopic in nature, they tend to absorb moisture as time elapses and stick onto surfaces making cleaning more demanding. Cleaning, however, is feasible with regular water-based cleaners. In any case, thorough cleaning of the space is recommended after a fire to remove the potentially harmful combustion and decomposition products of the fire as well as the pre-existing dirt in the facility which could be blown around by the fire and the suppressant.

No. The FirePro generator is not a pressure vessel. It contains no liquid or gas and therefore is not pressurized and does not require any hydrostatic pressure testing or other expensive periodic maintenance procedures.

FirePro generators have at least 15 years lifetime which is confirmed by accredited bodies and listing authorities such as UL, KIWA, LPCB and VdS.

Yes, FirePro generators are covered by a 3-year warranty to be free from defects in materials or workmanship. They are also covered by a 5-year warranty to be functional.