Foam fire suppression agent has a long history with many methods of application. There are various types of agent compounds, all work by using a wetting agent or surfactant to create a blanket of bubbles that can separate the fuel and oxygen, as well as cool the source of heat. Foam systems can be integrated into fixed sprinkler systems, fixed spray nozzles, fire hose streams, or introduced into a space by special foam-making equipment designed just for the purpose of making large quantities of foam. We offer four types of foam systems:

• 1. Low Expansion 2. Medium Expansion 3. High Expansion 4. F-500

Designed around naturally occurring atmospheric gases, these systems are designed to suppress a fire by reducing the oxygen in the protected space to a level that will not support combustion but still allows occupants to breathe. These gas blends cannot be compressed into a liquid format, they are required to be stored in high pressure spun steel cylinders. As such, they require several cylinders of the agent to displace the required volume of natural atmosphere in a protected space. We offer three different Inert Suppression Systems:

• Argonite from Kidde is a blend of Argon and Nitrogen.

• Proinert from Fike is a blend of Argon and Nitrogen.

• Inergen from Ansul is a blend of Argon, Nitrogen and a small amount of Carbon Dioxide.

Watermist systems are one of the newer methods of fire suppression utilizing water. What differentiates these from standard fire sprinkler systems is the water droplet size and volume of water needed for fire suppression. By breaking the water into smaller droplets, the water has a greater ability to absorb heat quickly. As the water turns to steam instantly upon hitting a flame, there is also the residual effect of some oxygen displacement from the fuel and the general wetting effects on objects that have not become involved in the fire situation. Being able to suppress a fire with very little water, the systems are ideal for critical spaces, flammable liquid spaces, equipment spaces, and even light hazard spaces such as hotels and offices where limiting damage from large volumes of water can offset the added costs associated with the watermist.

These systems can be broken into two major categories:

• Single Flow which consists of a single piping network feeding special nozzles with a high-pressure stream of water that is pressurized by either pumps or high-pressure nitrogen.

• Twin Flow which utilizes a separate pipe network for the water at a low pressure and high-pressure inert gas. These networks are combined at the nozzle to atomize the water into a stream of fine droplets and inert gas, typically nitrogen.

Both types of systems can be supplied water either by a potable continuous source or via pressure tanks holding a finite water supply. Systems are manufactured by many fire equipment providers.