Why Buy Clean Agent Fire Extinguishers?

Here at AKE Safety Equipment, we believe that better fire safety starts with better fire education. So, let’s lay a little bit of foundation.

We often make reference to the fire triangle when discussing fire safety, because if you know how a fire burns, you are better equipped to know how to make it stop.

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How does a fire burn?

The first thing to note about fire is that it requires three elements: oxygen, fuel, and heat. If the chemical reaction linking these elements is interrupted, the fire will be extinguished. That’s the key. That’s what we are aiming to do when we want to extinguish a fire: interrupt that chemical reaction as quickly as possible.

Another thing that about fires that people don’t always know is that fire burns in a V shape, with the base of the fire being the base of the V. So, you might say that flames burn up and out. This is important to know because to put out a fire the fastest, you’ll want to aim your fire extinguisher at the base of the fire.

Finally, and for those especially interested in the science of fire, we like to teach about pyrolysis. To break it down in a simple example, when you have a campfire, the logs themselves are not actually burning. The logs are being superheated and are changing their chemical makeup. The logs then begin to give off gas and those gasses being released are what actually is burning. This matters because if we can find a way to interrupt that gas from burning, we can interrupt the fire.

If you’ve ever been barbequing, and your flames got too high, you may have seen someone throw salt on the charcoal to knock the flames down. The salt itself doesn’t have any special fire extinguishing qualities except that it can be used to interrupt that pyrolysis. 

Why Buy Clean Agent Fire Extinguishers?

It’s no secret that our fire extinguishers are more expensive than your average dry chemical fire extinguisher. It’s also no secret that they work more effectively than your average dry chemical fire extinguisher. But why is that?

Let’s go back to the science of fires to answer that question.

We mentioned earlier how fire requires three elements to burn, right? Well, dry chemical fire extinguishers work to put out fires by blocking the fire’s fuel from it’s flames, interrupting that pyrolysis. Think of a powder fire extinguisher as throwing salt on a fire, but throwing a boat load of salt on a fire. Essentially, that is what a powder extinguisher is meant to do.

With clean agent fire extinguishers, like STOP-FYRE®, they are known for being highly effective and quick at putting out fires because they attack all three elements of the fire triangle at the same time.

Why Clean Agent Extinguishers are so Effective?

1. They cool the fire area,
2. Push away the oxygen,
3. Interrupt the chemical reaction,
4. And, so long as their gas is contained, they insulate the fuel source - helping prevent re-ignition

That is why clean agent extinguishers are able to put out obstructed fires and powder fire extinguishers are not. The powder extinguishers must be able to blanket a fire for them to effectively put out a fire, clean agent fire extinguishers don’t have that same restriction. With a clean agent fire extinguisher, such as STOP-FYRE®, you can spray the agent in the vicinity of the fire and the gas expands.

This is why we believe in clean agent extinguishers. Because they work efficiently and effectively so you can put fires out faster and get back to work faster.

Time is a Fire’s Best Friend and Your Worst Enemy

We are passionate about sharing fire safety with the public, but we are especially passionate about sharing fire safety with farmers. Farms have unique fire safety challenges. That’s something Allen, our owner, noticed right away when he was starting the company. 

So, let’s get breakdown a farm’s fire problem.

When we talk about fire safety on the farm, or anywhere for that matter, we don’t want to leave our customers in the dark about the reality of fire’s devastation. Fire isn’t scary because it happens to other people and not to me, right? But, statistically, the average American will have a fire large enough to need a fire extinguisher at least once every 10 years, and for farms, that 10 years falls to a mere 3.5 years. And, those numbers are based on fires that are reported, but we all know how farmers deal with their problems on their own without asking for help. So, we must conclude that there are even more fires than are reported! According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2019, local fire departments across the country responded to 1,291,500 fires. These fires caused roughly 3,700 civilian deaths, 16,600 civilian injuries and $14.8 billion in property damage.

Order STOP-FYRE® today and get your farm protected.

Now with those numbers in mind, let’s dig even deeper into the fire problem. We often tell people that during a fire, the worst enemy that people have is time. We say this because when it comes to fires, time is extremely deceptive. We think we have so much time, but in reality we have only moments. To begin with, fire doubles in size every 10 seconds and can grow out of control in 30-60 seconds. And that’s flames. The smoke of a fire, filled with all those hazardous byproducts, can kill a small child in mere minutes. Time is so fleeting.

And on a farm, there is another factor that makes the reality even more bleak.

Location. On average, it takes 37 minutes to respond to a fire in a rural area versus 7 minutes in an urban area. And in regards to farm buildings, they are particularly susceptible to fast-moving fires because they are well ventilated. So, that makes location even more of an issue.

The Solution to a Farm’s Fire Problem

This is where we come into play. We market STOP-FYRE® to farmers because we get it. We understand the unique problems that farms face when it comes to fire safety. We get that fires are prevalent on farms and that they aren’t a matter or “if”, but of “when” and "how bad". 

We also know that powder extinguishers require clean up after each use which can cost hours upon hours of downtime to a farmer. And, that can be detrimental to the productivity of a farm. And, that’s why STOP-FYRE® is such a perfect fit for farmers. STOP-FYRE® requires no monthly or yearly servicing. It leaves no mess behind. It is lightweight, compact, and extremely durable -- as we created our tough canister with farms in mind. STOP-FYRE® can handle the rough and tumble of a farm. We know because we designed it for just that purpose.

Order STOP-FYRE® today and get your farm protected.

Have questions?

We are passionate about fire safety and would love to answer any questions you have. Give us a call today: 800-586-1639