Cheap fire insurance - BlazeCut

[ourmefa]

I posted previously about fire supression methods for our Skoolie, but after doing a lot of research, I have settled on a solution and I wanted to make everyone aware of it here. This is specifically for enclosed spaces.

If you don't have this on your bus in key areas where fire is likely or possible, you should!

BlazeCut Automatic Fire Suppression System 6' TV200FA, Automotive Extinguisher https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D7M3E7O..._-zlMybK510ZW9

$140 is cheap insurance compared to a fire.

Here is the system in action in the back of a VW Bus - https://youtu.be/oNT6ecCddrc

Inside a car - https://youtu.be/ZdFc2160n3w

Inside an electric panel - https://youtu.be/02l6-OJtVuM

It comes in lengths ranging from 3'-12'.

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[popkern]

I work on ships that have somewhat similar, albeit far more complicated, fire suppression systems. I would NOT use this in a living space. Onboard our systems have 30 second alarms before a fire suppression system activates and it must be manually activated. This is because this system will kill anyone in the space. It would work well in the engine compartment or other "exterior" spaces but do not trust it in a living space.

[ourmefa]

I completely hear your concern, but I am not sure this is the same chemical, as it is used also in handheld extinguishers and is specifically speced for places like hospitals. The chemical is HFC-236FA, a replacement for halon, which is not safe for areas where people are present. Here is a detailed information sheet from Dupont about thier version http://www.pyrochem.com/pdfs/flagfir...hite_paper.pdf

I would note though, these will be used exclusively in enclosed spaces as this is what they are designed specifically for protecting. The chances of one deploying and not being heard inside the bus are very unlikely as they sound like a gun when they release.


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[popkern]

True, it isn't the same. Our systems are CO2 or grandfathered in halon systems. Any system releasing that much gas stands to displace all the oxygen making the space temporarily inhabitable. I wouldn't want to breathe it in regardless.

[ourmefa]

Originally Posted by popkern

True, it isn't the same. Our systems are CO2 or grandfathered in halon systems. Any system releasing that much gas stands to displace all the oxygen making the space temporarily inhabitable. I wouldn't want to breathe it in regardless.

I completely agree!! Nothing like that is good for the lungs. I just hope that I never have the need for them to go off! LOL

[cadillackid]

also to anyome building... DONT DELETE ALL YOUR EMREGNCY EGRESS!!!.. it scares me to see some of the builds hewre where the roof hatches are deleted and replaced with A/C units... the skoolie windows including the emergency exits are replaced with non-emergency RV windows... emergency doors either removed or are cordined off into "garage" space... leaving ONLY the front door as a means of exiting the bus... if you are in an FE.. the most likely place for a fire is at the front of your bus...

Many builds have the bedroom at the back of the bus and the kitchen in the middle.. similar to conventional RV's..

but MAKE SURE you can get out... fighting a small fire with suppression is a noble cause and you do have the chance of some success .. but ultimately you need to be able to get out of the bus and FAST!! as a bus will fill with smoke and heat very quickly.. and the only thing that replaces breathabvle oxygen faster than one of these fire suppressors is a fire itself...

those that have ever had to escape a home or building fire know how quickly you can get winded and weak..

-Christopher

[ourmefa]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

also to anyome building... DONT DELETE ALL YOUR EMREGNCY EGRESS!!!.. it scares me to see some of the builds hewre where the roof hatches are deleted and replaced with A/C units... the skoolie windows including the emergency exits are replaced with non-emergency RV windows... emergency doors either removed or are cordined off into "garage" space... leaving ONLY the front door as a means of exiting the bus... if you are in an FE.. the most likely place for a fire is at the front of your bus...

Many builds have the bedroom at the back of the bus and the kitchen in the middle.. similar to conventional RV's..

but MAKE SURE you can get out... fighting a small fire with suppression is a noble cause and you do have the chance of some success .. but ultimately you need to be able to get out of the bus and FAST!! as a bus will fill with smoke and heat very quickly.. and the only thing that replaces breathabvle oxygen faster than one of these fire suppressors is a fire itself...

those that have ever had to escape a home or building fire know how quickly you can get winded and weak..

-Christopher

I completely agree!! It scares the crap out of me when I see people replace emergency exits with things that prevent getting out!

The primary reason we have made the decision to go with a front engine is because of the egress it provides for those in the back of the bus. We will also have a blast CO2 system with a safety button outside of the bus. If there is a fire, everyone gets out and we can hit a button and flood the whole bus with CO2. The cost is minimal. You can get all the parts needed for less than $500. That is cheap fire insurance.

[cadillackid]

im all for mounting a DEFENSIVE attack on the fire.. (at least as a firefighter friend puts it..)..

he says property owners Mounting Defensive attacks on their property has sometimes helped to stop or slow a fire.. but NEVER mount an offensive attack...

in your case it sounds like thats the right way... everyone exits the bus and meets up and then you press the button to deploy the fire suppressant... effectivel;y mounting a DEFENSIVE attack on the fire..

Offensive = you are advancing on the fire sometimes involving being inside the buring structure - Dangerous without the prioper gear

Defensive = you are safely outside of the burning structure and applying a suppressant from a safe vantage point - ie pressing the magic button and not going back inside.. in defensive the main objective is safety of all occupants and safety of others who may be in close proximity.. - ie if your bus is on fire and occupants safe.. you notify all those in RV's around you that a fire has broken out...

im not a firefighter and the explanations ive used were provided to me in laymen terms since I dont know the science and tactics behind what modern fire departments do..

im all for using any safety item that is feasibly available to us...

fire in a house is scary enough... fire in a vehicle is even scarier... comnverted busses are often wood-framed and then filled with spray foam (that is flammable and can melt into a nasty hot goo).. and then covered with nice interior panels.. some are using plastic.. others wood, etc.. these liken our busses to that of trailer homes.. which flash over VERY quickly ..

ok ill get off my rant about fire..
-Christopher

[popkern]

Originally Posted by ourmefa

We will also have a blast CO2 system with a safety button outside of the bus. If there is a fire, everyone gets out and we can hit a button and flood the whole bus with CO2. The cost is minimal. You can get all the parts needed for less than $500. That is cheap fire insurance.

This sounds like a far better plan to me for an interior space than the plan shilled here

[lucasd]

Originally Posted by popkern

This sounds like a far better plan to me for an interior space than the plan shilled here

Well, those are two completely different applications. Those tube things actually look decent for installation in confined spaces like engine compartments. They seem to be triggered by flames burning through the container, so they just go off without the operator having to even know a fire has broken out. You would want something automatic like that in an enclosed equipment space, especially one where you don't have to worry about people being present during operation.

A manually triggered system (CO2, extinguishers, etc.) makes better sense for the interior where the system could potentially injure people or hinder their escape from a fire if it went off inadvertently.

[ourmefa]

Originally Posted by popkern

This sounds like a far better plan to me for an interior space than the plan shilled here

I think I am not communicating something well here. The BlazeCut system assumes some very specific things. The primary one being an enclosed space or at a minimum a mostly enclosed space.

In the event that one of these goes off in the bus, it will either be in a sealed space that vents on the outside of the bus via open space.

This is not for whole bus fire prevention in the sense of a flood system.

Say a fire caused by an appliance or outlet. That is the kind of fire that a flood system would address. "Oh ****, there is a fire, get out and hit the button!".

This is different than cruising down the road, a fuel line starts leaking and something catches fire in the engine engine compartment. Speed would flame the fire so quickly that by the time one pulls over to try and put it out, the engine is in flames. That is what this product is for.


I would likely only install this in these areas:

• The propane, electric fridge, which will vent to the outside and have an enclosure around the mechanics
• The breaker / battery / inverter compartment - also separately vented and sealed from the primary living area. It will also have active cooling via peltier cooling via something similar to this - https://www.amazon.com/Qianson-Therm.../dp/B01J1S15UK
• Engine Compartment
• Propane storage compartment and valve assembly areas
• Possibly in wheel wells for brake / tire fires
• Bus fuse box