HYDERABAD: Fire-fighting operations will soon see a sea change with firemen replacing water/foam with an aerosol system.
With fire mishaps occurring at the Secretariat at regular intervals, the Telangana State Disaster Response and Fire Services has approved the use of aerosol sprinkler system (ASS), which is much advanced than the traditional water sprinkler system.
Though the new technology will be introduced at the Telangana Secretariat in the first phase, it may be extended to regular fire-fighting operations at a later stage.
Fire services officers said that the aerosol system has been recommended for some locations at the Secretariat and other government offices where expensive equipment and sensitive information are stored on servers.
"This system can be used only in buildings, especially in areas where computers and servers are set up. During any fire mishap, the sprinkler bubble will open and release gas (aerosol) to douse the flames without any damage to equipment unlike the water sprinkler system," TSDRFS director P Venkateshwar told TOI.
"When a fire tender is pressed into service or water sprinklers are activated to douse flames at an accident site, the oxygen levels come down due to the smoke, making it difficult for breathing and thereby increasing the chances of casualties. In ASS, the oxygen level will be maintained at 20.8% in the atmosphere, just like normal conditions," he added.
Though the fire service officials do not have any immediate plan to use it, the sources said it could be used for fire-fighting operations in future.
"This system can be adopted by individuals too for their residences. Many pharma and IT companies have started using this technology to avoid property loss during fire accidents," the officer said.
It is learnt that over 5,000 buildings in the city do not have proper fire safety measures. As per the National Building Code (NBC), sprinklers were mandatory for high-rises and now the government has approved the use of aerosol. Even CISF has approved the new technology.
Industry experts said a five-kg aerosol apparatus could be used for extinguishing fire in an area of 100 cubic metres in just a few seconds.
The equipment has to be just arranged at a location (a room) and it would automatically start working on sensing an outbreak of fire. The proposal, which was pending with the united Andhra Pradesh government for the last 18 months, was finally accepted recently.
"It is high time aerosol sprinklers are installed at places like Secretariat. The shelf life of the system is 15 years and this is a pressure-less technology. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Maharashtra are in the final stages of implementing the usage of aerosol,'' fire consultant to the Secretariat C Andrew said.
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