SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Firetrace International’s FIRETRACE® systems provide stand-alone automatic fire detection and suppression for bus and coach engine compartments, generators, electrical systems and heaters – the most common locations for the outbreak of a fire in almost 60 percent of the cases. They are currently fitted to more than 5,000 buses and coaches, safeguarding operators from fires that could easily result in considerable financial loss, pose a serious threat to the lives of the vehicle occupants, and jeopardize the company’s ability to continue to provide the level of service expected by customers.
FIRETRACE systems provide reliable, around-the-clock, unsupervised protection that requires neither electricity nor external power and comprise an extinguishing agent cylinder – which is usually mounted in a convenient location in or near the engine compartment – attached to a specially developed leak-resistant polymer tubing via a custom-engineered valve. This proprietary Firetrace Detection Tubing is a linear pneumatic heat and flame detector that was specially developed to deliver the desired temperature-sensitive detection and delivery characteristics in even the harshest of environments.
Immediately a fire is detected, the tubing ruptures and automatically releases the suppression agent, extinguishing the fire precisely where it starts and before it has had time to escalate or spread. Its ABC powder suppressant is effective on every type of fire risk that is likely to be present. In addition to the vehicle’s fuel and the risk of fuel line ruptures, this includes any number of flammable liquids that are present throughout an engine compartment, including hydraulic, brake, automatic transmission and power steering fluids, plus combustible accumulated grease on the engine block, for which frayed or damaged electrical wiring can easily provide the ignition source.
FIRETRACE withstands the rigors of harsh dust-laden environments, contends with extreme ambient temperatures, and stands up to shocks and intense vibration. In fact, genuine FIRETRACE from Firetrace International remains the only UL [Underwriters Laboratories] listed and FM [Factory Mutual] approved tube-operated system in the world that is tested as an automatic fire detection and suppression system.
Unlike traditional techniques, such as fusible link systems, where the dynamics of the airflow in and around an engine compartment when a vehicle is in motion can seriously impair performance and reliability, airflow actually helps FIRETRACE to provide faster and more reliable detection and suppression in moving vehicles. Because the heat and flame that typically rise from the source of a fire may be propelled away from the location of the fusible link when the vehicle is in motion, activation is inevitably delayed. However, with FIRETRACE, the Firetrace Detection Tubing is routed throughout the engine compartment and is positioned both above and behind the potential source of the fire to ensure that the airflow actually helps by directing the heat and flames towards the tubing.
Genuine FIRETRACE is available only via Firetrace International’s global network of authorized distributors. These professionally-minded trading partners are skilled in hazard analysis, experienced in agent and system selection, and trained in installation and support. They also use only genuine FIRETRACE components. Further information is available from Firetrace International’s headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona USA on +1 480 607 1218 or Toll-Free: 1-888-786-0780. The company’s website is at www.firetrace.com.
