Answering the need
| For many years ago, people have recognized Halon 1301 as one of the most effective fire suppression agents for a diverse array of applications. It quickly extinguished all major classes of fires. It was especially effective in high-value asset protection situations where it caused no residual damage to delicate equipment. In addition, Halon 1301 systems were utilized for both occupied and unoccupied spaces and were easily installed by professionally trained fire protection systems dealers. |
But Halon 1301 was thought to have significant environmental consequences due to its potential contribution to depleting the stratospheric ozone layer.
With the phaseout of Halon 1301 production, effective in nearly all countries at the end of 1993, the quest for a replacement resulted in the introduction of a number of clean fire suppression agents to the marketplace. FM-200® stands alone as the leading choice for high-value asset fire protection with tens of thousands of successful installations worldwide.
The margin of safety
For the protection of people, sensitive and valuable facilities, other irreplaceable assets, and ultimately your business' survival, fire protection isn't a relative thing. It's an absolute. You want all the effectiveness you can get, as fast as you can get it. FM-200® provides you with a significant margin of safety that only time can buy.
Critical assets demand rapid fire suppression
Fires grow at exponential rates until fully involved. Heat and smoke can seriously damage delicate electronics in just a few minutes. Deadly combustion products can reach dangerous levels quickly.
U.L. and FMRC listed FM-200® systems are engineered to achieve minimum design concentations in 10 seconds or less, quickly extinguishing fires. Stopping the fire in the early, critical seconds can save millions of dollars worth of equipment and lost production. Some extinguishants can take up to 60 seconds to reach minimum design concentrations.
Delays in extinguishment can add significantly to damage, repair costs, and down-time. FM-200®'s fast action and proven explosion inerting capabilities can prevent catastrophic consequences.
Why it works so well
FM-200®'s mechanism of extinguishing fires is active. Its primary action is through physically cooling the fire at the molecular level. FM-200® (HFC-227ea) belongs to the same class of compounds used in refrigeration, and, as such, is an efficient heat transfer agent. FM-200® literally removes heat energy from the fire to the extent that the combustion reaction cannot sustain itself.
Additionally, there is a chemical extinguishing action contributed by FM-200®. Trace amounts of free radicals are released in a fire, ultimately inhibiting the chain reaction of combustion.
It prevents more than fire damage
FM-200® not only prevents extensive fire damage, it virtually eliminates collateral damage to delicate equipment and instruments from the extinguishant itself. FM-200® is a clean gaseous agent containing no particulates or oily residues. With some other systems such as water, foam or dry chemicals, the extinguishant itself can be as damaging as the fire.
FM-200® does not signicantly reduce oxygen levels and is safe for occupied spaces where your most important assets reside. After FM-200® is discharged, it can be removed from the protected space by simple ventilation, allowing you to resume normal operations quickly.
Safe for the planet
To be the clean agent of the future, FM-200® had to have rapid and effective performance, be safe for occupied spaces and delicate equipment, and be environmentally friendly. The essential environmental consideration was for the product to have a zero ozone depletion potential.
A clean agent of the future also had to look beyond today to tomorrow's environmental issues. The impact of all human activities is emerging as one of the important environmental issues of the future, and is often measured in terms of global warming potential. Any valid evaluation of global warming must consider the direct and indirect contributions of the extinguishant, system and its operation.
Since fire protection systems only discharge in the event of a fire, the use of clean agents for total flooding fire protection is considered to be essentially non-emissive. In the rare event a system does discharge, the rapid extinguishing performances of FM-200® mitigates the much more detrimental consequences of an uncontrolled fire.
Even when used to extinguish a fire, FM-200®'s short atmospheric lifetime of 31-42 years assures a minimal direct contribution to global warming and rapid removal from the atmosphere. It's relative efficiency compared to Halon 1301 assures a minimal indirect contribution to global warming.
FM-200®'s excellent efficiency minimizes the number of steel storage containers, reducing the often overlooked, but critically important, indirect contribution to global warming. Therefore, the system, as well as the agent, offers environmental benefits.
Safe for sensitive equipment
FM-200®'s relatively high boiling point, combined with proper system design, guards against the danger of thermal shock to electronics that could occur from the direct discharge of other agents such as CO2. FM-200® is also electrically non-conductive and non-corrosive, so it's safe for use on electrically charged equipment.
FM-200® leaves no particulates or oily residue to damage electronic instruments, computers, software, data files, communications equipment or sophisticated medical devices.
FM-200® systems typcially displace about 7 percent of the air in the room, whereas some other extinguishing systems can force almost half of the original air out of the protected space. FM-200®'s lower agent requirements reduce the potential for room and equipment damage due to overpressurization.
The voices of authority
Factory Mutual Research Corporation (FMRC) tested FM-200® in a wide variety of very severe fire tests to ensure product performance under many different conditions. FMRC awarded Component Approval to FM-200® and Approval for FM-200® Systems for use in Factory Mutual insured facilities.
Underwriters Laboratories (U.L.) carefully examined the chemical, toxicological and physical characteristics of the agent, including its extinguishing capability for Class A, B and C rated fires. U.L. granted Component Recognition to FM-200® and the U.L. Listing Mark for equipment used to dispense FM-200®.
Thoroughly tested
With a database of more than 70 toxicity tests, FM-200® has the most extensive health and safety information of any Halon 1301 alternative. FM-200® has been recognized and approved by institutions and agencies around the world.
Whether reviewing extinguishing capability, environmental acceptability or human safety, all authorities who have reviewed FM-200® have approved it.
That's why leading fire protection systems manufacturers have made FM-200® their agent of choice.
Don't hold your breath
Tests prove that FM-200® exposure is safer than exposure to Halon 1301. Additionally, FM-200® is effective at low concentrations, well below the EPA's maximum exposure levels.
The U.S. EPA, in the Federal Register, May 12, 1993, recognized the inherent safety of FM-200® in accepting it for use in occupied space protection at up to 9.0% v/v without mandated egress times, or up to 10.5% v/v with mandated egress times. This means that occupied spaces can be safely evacuated, even in the presence of FM-200® at design concentrations.
Valuing an agent by what it saves
If your repsonsibility is to protect high-value assets, whether computers, communications, medical equipment, aerospace applications or people, then the value of FM-200® is apparent.
Save time
FM-200® systems which are U.L. and FMRC approved are engineered to reach minimum design concentrations in 10 seconds or less. When high-value assets are at risk, every second counts. Lossess can range from being virtually non-existent to catastrophic. In this time, minor damage can increase exponentially, resulting in long-term interruption to services and productivity.
Save space
Where space is at a premium, FM-200® is the right choice. The extinguishing performance of FM-200® requires only a modest increase in agent storage cylinders compared to Halon 1301. FM-200® saves your expensive floor space for productive use. In many cases, a Halon 1301 system can be converted to FM-200® with simple alterations. Detection equipment and controls can often be reused, while storage capacity and distribution piping will require evaluation.
Save your concerns
The cost of an FM-200® system is minor when compared to the loss of property or data to fire. Think of the damage averted. Think of the lack of clean-up required. Think of the business that wasn't interrupted or productivity that wasn't lost, or the injury to personnel that didn't occur.
Please see Manufacturer's FM-200® Properties, Uses, Storage & Handling (PUSH) 
for more details.