ATEIS Middle East, manufacturer of Fire Detection Systems, Pro Audio Public Address, Voice Evacuation, Speakers…
Issue 12

GWP 101: Global warming and the impact of hfc-based clean fire suppression agents
In this article we examine the concept of global warming potential (GWP) and its implications…

A strong foundation or building on sand?
You can’t build a great building on a weak foundation – a strong foundation is…

Firexpo West Africa – The exhibition and conference shaping the Nigerian fire and safety industry
Co-located with Securex West Africa, the exhibition as a whole is recognised as the region’s…

Confined space rescue and the decisions that can save lives
It was supposed to be quick. An internal routine inspection. In and out. Minutes inside…

IFE GCC UAE Branch Update September 2018
s the summer months come to a close in the Middle East and we look…

Safety Design in Buildings
Gulf Fire recently took the opportunity to speak with Andy Dean following his presentation to…

Visit from Jordan Civil Defence
On behalf of Major General Expert Rashid Thani Al Matrooshi, Director General of Dubai Civil…

Bristol Uniforms – Safety in the hood
The first duty of firefighting PPE has always been to protect the crew from the…

Restaurant fire suppression: Achieving complete reliability
Commercial kitchens are highly susceptible fire risk areas, and incidents in such environments can incur…

Mavili Electronic – Maxlogic intelligent addressable system Mimic Panel
Maxlogic Mimic Panel is a repeater panel with a 7” TFT screen that allows graphical…

Realistic multi-agency training and exercising
Realistic training is an often-used phrase in the emergency services. Most would define this as training…

Fire detection: Codes and standards
The last years all manufacturers of Fire Safety and Security Systems follow strict regulations in…

LNG in your Port
I have written about Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in the past. Earlier, I discussed the…

SAPPHIRE PLUS Launch
Following the SAPPHIRE PLUS launch earlier this year, Gulf Fire catches up with Alan Elder from Johnson Controls and Bart Goeman at 3M, to learn more about this new product and discuss the impact on the fire protection market and related industries.
What changes have you noticed in the fire industry over the period of your careers?
Alan: When I started in industry, the assets we were protecting were mainly industrial types, whereas over time we’ve transitioned to the protection of electronics and higher value assets – data centres, art galleries, etc. In the early years of my career, one of the more popular agents was CO2. Halon 1301 was introduced early in my career, a very good fire-fighting agent and at that time considered to be the first real clean agent. There were other chemical agents prior to that, but they had issues, mainly related to toxicity. As environmental issues became better understood, Halon was eventually phased out and replaced by the next generation of clean agent – HFCs and HCFCs. They then came under scrutiny themselves as the environmental landscape shifted towards climate change, not just ozone depletion. This is where Novec 1230 fluid from 3M came in, as a ‘third generation’ clean agent.

How could two states come to contrary conclusions over PFAS?
2017 saw South Australia propose a limited ban on PFOS and PFOA based firefighting foams.…
Grenfell inquiry points to significant fire safety failings
Readers will probably recall that in the previous edition of Gulf Fire, I reported aspects…