Operators and owners of heavy vehicles should check for proper fire safety systems on their equipment to avoid mishaps such as loss of lives or assets, says fire protection specialist Wormald.
The company’s Vehicle Fire Suppression Systems National Product Manager Steve Oxley says it is essential for heavy equipment to be fitted with a fire suppression solution that is best suited to the their fire risks due to their sizes, costs and fuel carrying capacity.
“Any vehicle fire suppressions system installed should be complaint to Australian Standards,” he says.
“Fire extinguishers suitable for smaller fires, or fires that may occur outside the risk area should also be provided.”
“Furthermore, heavy vehicle operator must understand the risks involved in their roles and how to ensure their safety should a fire break out in or on the vehicle thy are operating..”
Wormald says it offers a range of Australian Standards compliant vehicle suppression systems which main aim is to provide early detection to allow extra time for the operator to exit the vehicle while at the same time suppressing the fire to minimise fire damage.
The includes the Foam Water Spray consisting of high pressure, small droplet nozzles which discharge a continuous stream of foam water at high risk areas such as engines and transmission compartments; and an ANSUL Dry Chemical Vehicle Fire Suppression System which discharges a multipurpose dry chemical agent known as Foray into the risk area to suppress the fire.
Both systems are installed with automatic detection and actuation systems as well as cabin and ground level manual actuators. Wormald says these manual actuators allow the operator to activate the fire suppression system if required.
Wormald provides a fire risk assessment process to assist in determining the most appropriate system to use for each vehicle application. Ongoing inspection, testing and maintenance is also provided to ensure systems are fully functional and will perform as designed if a fire occurs.