Halon

Oh, Lord.

This person: "I blew the Halon fire suppression system in a Stryker APC," I'm assuming that's all military stuff, "when I was in the Army.

I was trying to burn a swarm of bees.

It cost [laughs] taxpayers just shy of a quarter million dollars."

But if we can slip something in there that's more reactive than oxygen, and yet when it combines with the radicals has, like, a much weaker bond that puts out less energy, we can stop the fire.

That is how Halon fire extinguishers work.

Okay.

They introduce these chemicals that contain, like, bromine and stuff like that.

If you've got a diesel genset supporting a data center, WaterMist is far better than gas.

And everybody used to use gas because Halon was easy and safe.

WaterMist is better for that application.

Right.

What is used as a fire extinguishing agent in some older aircraft? Carbon dioxide.

What fire extinguishing agent is used in high-rate discharge bottles installed in jet transport aircraft? Halon 1211 or 1301.

How is a high-rate discharge bottle of fire extinguishing agent discharged? A powder charge is ignited and drives a cutter through the fringeable disk that seals the bottle.

What precaution must be taken when checking the electrical circuit for igniting the powder charge in the valve of a high-rate discharge bottle? The current used to check the circuit integrity must not be high enough to ignite the powder charge.

What color and markings identify the fluid lines that carry the fire extinguishing agent in an aircraft? Brown tape with a series of diamonds on it.

What group of fire extinguishing agents are no longer manufactured because of environmental concerns? Halon, also called Freon or CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, were no longer manufactured after 1995.

Existing stocks may still be used but are subject to strict handling and disposal regulations.

What two methods are used to discharge fire extinguishing agents? Mechanical and electrical.