| Last October 2006, a new law was ratified | | | | quell the fire. The gas type variant of the device |
| replacing over 70 safety laws - The Regulatory | | | | makes use of a mechanism that deprives a |
| Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) or simply | | | | relatively small area of oxygen - thus cutting off |
| known as the Fire Safety Order. One of the law's | | | | the flame of its fuel and stopping any further |
| aim was to decrease the timely occurences of | | | | spread of the flames. The powder type is used |
| fires in the United Kingdom - over 40,000 cases a | | | | when the vicinity being covered is much larger |
| year! Now, a number of tools, equipments and | | | | and "choking the fire" simply won't work. The |
| measures have been taken to make sure that | | | | powder dispersed is a combination of chemicals |
| the law is followed. Commercial establishments | | | | that effectively quells flames of types A, B, and |
| have to be able to prove through strict conditions, | | | | C. Thus, the fire could be happening while people |
| that they have adequate fire safety facilities. | | | | are away from the place where the fire occured |
| Some examples of these fire-dosing solutions are | | | | and the device would activate and be extremely |
| different types of fire extinguishers, fire blankets, | | | | helpful nonetheless. |
| fire hose reels, fireproofing via intumescent | | | | The main advantage of the automatic fire |
| material and easy access to knowledge and | | | | extinguisher is exactly that - it is a form of |
| information via the local fire station. A prime | | | | safety even if there is no one in the direct vicinity |
| example that will be discussed here is the | | | | who takes immediate action. If applied with |
| automatic fire extinguisher. | | | | several other fire safety measures such as |
| The device itself, is more of preventive in nature | | | | fireproofing via intumescent material and the use |
| rather than something that actually battles with | | | | of a fire alarm that will send the alert to the local |
| raging flames. The term automatic connotes that | | | | fire station, the spread of fire and severe |
| the device works on its own much like sprinklers | | | | damaged could avoided. |
| and smoke detectors. It works in addition to the | | | | When it comes to safety and valuing our lives and |
| ever-reliable fire alarm but works a bit differently. | | | | our most prized possessions, one can never be |
| What it does, is it has a built-in sensor that | | | | too careful. Manufacturers continue to create a |
| responds to the temperature in a certain vicinity. | | | | variety of devices for our safety and security |
| When the temperatures reach alarming levels, a | | | | and when you put them together, it adds that |
| heat-sensitive bulb breaks and the automatic fire | | | | much needed protection from the frequent fires |
| extinguisher releases either gas or powder that | | | | that happen in our country. Ideally, households and |
| helps quell and prevent further spread of the fire. | | | | commercial establishments should be implementing |
| Just like manual fire extinguishers then, the | | | | and installing such device in hopes of making the |
| automatic extinguisher uses chemical reactions to | | | | United Kingdom a more fire free country to live in. |