When the Reisser AG bathroom fixture plant caught fire in Böblingen, Germany, it not only became one of the largest fires the city had witnessed since World War II but also marked the first time the fire suppressant F-500 was used in the district.

Three warehouses, totalling 8,000 square metres, were fully engulfed in flames. The damage cost 50 million euro despite 450 emergency personnel, 130 vehicles and two helicopters battling to control the initial explosions and blaze for several days.

One of their major challenges was trying to prevent the fire from spreading to the loading zone, storage and display area, and four-storey office building and causing yet more costly damage, estimated at 250 million euro.

The other significant challenge was sourcing enough water to supporter the fire fighters’ work. At the peak of the blaze, the crews were using 3,170 gallons per minute with much of it being pumped from a lake just over a mile away.

Fire suppressant F-500
Aside from the brave emergency personnel, the silent hero in this incident was the fire suppressant F-500 in the way it eased the challenges faced by the crews.

Aerial fire fighters used water mixed with just 1% of the agent F-500 and this successfully secured and cooled the wall which separated the site of the fire from the unaffected areas of the site despite direct and extreme heat exposure for more than five hours.

In fact, after just three hours, the incident command was certain they could prevent the fire from spreading.

In terms of the volume of water used, F-500 helps reduce the amount needed due to its penetrative and encapsulating qualities. F-500 has rapid cooling properties which prevent potential explosions where cold water meets hot objects including metal. This rapid cooling feature allows the suppressant to penetrate further into the seat of a fire and takes the heat out of a conflagration by thermally conducting heat into the internal portion of the water droplet consuming much more heat energy, without the creation of scalding steam.  Independent testing has proven that an F-500 solution absorbs as much as six to ten times the heat that plain water can through steam conversion.

The German fire service was able to utilise F-500 for this enormous fire because, in the months leading up to the incident there had been extensive tests done with the fire suppressant and water. The knowledge gained from these tests gave the service an intimate understanding of the capabilities of F-500 and how it could be deployed most effectively. This made it an obvious choice for them when disaster struck.

Additionally, because the service had F-500 in stock from the testing period, they were able to deploy it immediately as part of their strategy to tackle the blaze.

How does F-500 work?
Added to water, F-500 is nontoxic, non-corrosive, fully biodegradable activating agent which drives water-controlled molecules into the seat of a fire. It significantly reduces heat and interrupts the free radical chain reaction that can keep a fire burning.

Is F-500 available in the UK?
Yes, but suppliers are limited. F-500 is available from Argos Fire Protection Ltd. Contact them on 0800 378676 for more information or email them here.

When the Reisser AG bathroom fixture plant caught fire in Böblingen, Germany, it not only became one of the largest fires the city had witnessed since World War II but also marked the first time the fire suppressant F-500 was used in the district.

Three warehouses, totalling 8,000 square metres, were fully engulfed in flames. The damage cost 50 million euro despite 450 emergency personnel, 130 vehicles and two helicopters battling to control the initial explosions and blaze for several days.

One of their major challenges was trying to prevent the fire from spreading to the loading zone, storage and display area, and four-storey office building and causing yet more costly damage, estimated at 250 million euro.

The other significant challenge was sourcing enough water to supporter the fire fighters’ work. At the peak of the blaze, the crews were using 3,170 gallons per minute with much of it being pumped from a lake just over a mile away.

Fire suppressant F-500
Aside from the brave emergency personnel, the silent hero in this incident was the fire suppressant F-500 in the way it eased the challenges faced by the crews.

Aerial fire fighters used water mixed with just 1% of the agent F-500 and this successfully secured and cooled the wall which separated the site of the fire from the unaffected areas of the site despite direct and extreme heat exposure for more than five hours.

In fact, after just three hours, the incident command was certain they could prevent the fire from spreading.

In terms of the volume of water used, F-500 helps reduce the amount needed due to its penetrative and encapsulating qualities. F-500 has rapid cooling properties which prevent potential explosions where cold water meets hot objects including metal. This rapid cooling feature allows the suppressant to penetrate further into the seat of a fire and takes the heat out of a conflagration by thermally conducting heat into the internal portion of the water droplet consuming much more heat energy, without the creation of scalding steam.  Independent testing has proven that an F-500 solution absorbs as much as six to ten times the heat that plain water can through steam conversion.

The German fire service was able to utilise F-500 for this enormous fire because, in the months leading up to the incident there had been extensive tests done with the fire suppressant and water. The knowledge gained from these tests gave the service an intimate understanding of the capabilities of F-500 and how it could be deployed most effectively. This made it an obvious choice for them when disaster struck.

Additionally, because the service had F-500 in stock from the testing period, they were able to deploy it immediately as part of their strategy to tackle the blaze.

How does F-500 work?
Added to water, F-500 is nontoxic, non-corrosive, fully biodegradable activating agent which drives water-controlled molecules into the seat of a fire. It significantly reduces heat and interrupts the free radical chain reaction that can keep a fire burning.

Is F-500 available in the UK?
Yes, but suppliers are limited. F-500 is available from Argos Fire Protection Ltd. Contact them on 0800 378676 for more information or email them here.