Fire Extinguishers

[Cliff_Chambliss]

My daughter works for the Amerex Corporation building various fire extinguishers.  Working with her Some years back I organized a group buy of aviation fire extinguishers for the aero club and another aviation group.  At that time she said Halon was being replaced by Halotron.  Halotron is not as toxic as Halon nor is it cancer causing, and for efficiency it was almost as good as Halon, and it had the "FAA Seal of approval". 

[Eclipse]

A million years ago, while working as an electrician, we were doing demo work at a closed restaurant in a local mall.  The chemical fire suppression systems
that are mounted over the cooking areas in restaurants have their activation cords running through standard EMT pipe, which we were there to remove.

We asked around, everyone said the system has been deactivated. 

It wasn't.  My boss gave a good smack to the pipes and down came the powder.  I was smart enough to be standing back, he was covered
with it.

To this day I can still see the cloud of chemical creeping out over the construction walls into the mall.

[scooter]

So far I have checked 3 or our airplanes. One has Halatron and two have Halon 1211 as agents. These all came from CAP so they must think the Halon 1211 is OK. One of the aircraft is a new T182T.

[Texas Raiders]

I know it's been a while since the last comment on this one, but our squadron just conducted training on aircraft fires and there was discussion on the type of fire extinguisher.  I'm a career firefighter and this peaked my curiosity, which led me to do a bit of research. Here's some more info for everyone to consider. 

The following information comes from the hazards identification sections of MSDS provided by Kidde and DuPont for Halotron-1 and FE-36 (Halon alternate), and dry chemical agents.

Kidde Halotron-1-2. HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION
Main Hazards
Non Flammable Gas
Routes of Entry
Eye contact - Inhalation - Skin contact
Carcinogenic Status
Not considered carcinogenic by NTP, IARC, and OSHA.
Target Organs
Respiratory System - Eye - Cardiovascular System - Central Nervous System - Liver
Health Effects - Eyes
Direct contact with the cold liquid or gas may cause irritation with discomfort, tearing or blurring of
vision.
Health Effects - Skin
Direct contact with the cold gas or liquid can cause cooling of exposed tissues.
Health Effects - Ingestion
Ingestion is not likely to occur during normal handling and use.
Health Effects - Inhalation
Short term exposure to vapor at high concentrations have the following effects: light headedness -
dizziness - difficulty with breathing - drowsiness - nausea - mental confusion – irregular pulse -
palpitations - loss of consciousness and death. Chronic overexposure may adversely affect the liver.
Individuals with pre-existing disease of the central nervous system, cardiovascular system and liver will
be at increased risk

DuPont FE-36-SECTION 2. HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION
Emergency Overview
Misuse or intentional inhalation abuse may lead to death without warning.
Vapours are heavier than air and can cause suffocation by reducing oxygen available for breathing.
Rapid evaporation of the liquid may cause frostbite.
Potential Health Effects
Skin : Contact with liquid or refrigerated gas can cause cold burns and frostbite.
Eyes : Contact with liquid or refrigerated gas can cause cold burns and frostbite.
Inhalation : Misuse or intentional inhalation abuse may cause death without warning
symptoms, due to cardiac effects.
Other symptoms potentially related to misuse or inhalation abuse are:
Anaesthetic effects, Light-headedness, dizziness, confusion,
incoordination, drowsiness, or unconsciousness, irregular heartbeat with a
strange sensation in the chest, heart thumping, apprehension, feeling of
fainting, dizziness or weakness.
Vapours are heavier than air and can cause suffocation by reducing oxygen
available for breathing.
Repeated exposure : Adverse effects from repeated inhalation may include:
Altered response to stimuli
Carcinogenicity
None of the components present in this material at concentrations equal to or greater than 0.1% are listed by
IARC, NTP, or OSHA, as a carcinogen.

Kidde Dry Chemical-  2. HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION
Main Hazards
Non Hazardous Powder
Routes of Entry
- Eye contact - Inhalation - Skin contact
Carcinogenic Status
See Section 11 - Toxicity
Target Organs
- Respiratory System - Skin - Eye
Health Effects - Eyes
Contact for short periods of time may cause irritation.
Health Effects - Skin
Contact may cause mild irritation.
Health Effects - Ingestion
Ingestion is not an expected route of exposure.
Health Effects - Inhalation
May irritate the respiratory tract. May cause transient cough and shortness of breath.

Cessna 182 Emergency Procedures...
ELECTRICAL FIRE IN FLIGHT
Master.................................................OFF
Avionics..............................................OFF
All Other Switches .............................OFF
Vents/Cabin Air/Heat ................ CLOSED
Fire Extinguisher ...................ACTIVATE
If Fire out and electrical needed:
Master .............................................. ON
Circuit Breakers .. CHECK, Do Not Reset
Radio Switches................................OFF
Avionics ........................................... ON
Radio/Electrical........ON, One At A Time
Vents/Cabin Air/Heat...................OPEN

CABIN FIRE
Master.................................................OFF
Vents/Cabin Air/Heat ................ CLOSED
Fire Extinguisher ...................ACTIVATE
Land ASAP

Apparently, CAP hasn't standardized the fire extinguishers throughout the fleet, as there are CAP aircraft that are reported to carry either dry chem, Halon, or Halotron units.   Any of these should do the job.  Remember.......at the end of the day, an aircraft and its parts can be replaced.  A flight crew cannot.  As the Grail Knight from Indian Jones said, "Choose wisely."