Halon Special Permit (HSP) Update. A total of 35 companies have a current Halon Special Permit.

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1 GasBag newsletter for those working with ODS & SGG extinguishing agents News: Fire Protection Industry (ODS & SGG) Board The board noted at its July 2011 meeting that the number of new licence, authorisation, permit applications and re-issues continues to increase. Extinguishing Agent Handling Licence (EAHL) Update State/Territory Number of Licence holders VIC 241 NSW 418 QLD 269 WA 187 SA 100 TAS 35 NT 24 ACT 12 TOTAL 1286 Halon Special Permit (HSP) Update A total of 35 companies have a current Halon Special Permit. Damien Hall new observer on Fire Protection Industry Board In recent times the responsibilities and workload within the Ozone and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Section of the Department has grown considerably and, as a result, Damien Hall will primarily be focussing on domestic matters including the fire licence scheme administered by the Fire Protection industry Board. Damien has worked with the Department for six years, much of this time as the Director of the Hazardous Waste section. During this period Damien worked with a variety of industry stakeholders. Damien was also an Australian representative on the legal and compliance committee for the Basel Convention addressing cleaner production, hazardous waste minimisation and controls on the movement of wastes. Damien has a legal background with specialisations in environmental and international law. Winter edition In this issue News from the Board Board Member Profile Licences Permits and Authorisations Updates Transitioning to a Qualified Person s Licence Know the Regulations and Your Responsibilities Industry News Extinguishing Agent Trading Authorisation (EATA) Update A total of 118 companies have a current authorisation. Damien Hall

2 Members of the board Chris Orr Brooks (Chair) Scott Williams FPA Australia Damien Hall DSEWPaC (Observer) Greg Rippon DSEWPaC (Observer) Barry Lee OAM Lee Fire Management Roger Thomas Tyco Fire and Security Brett Staines Chubb Fire and Security Ray Walton Kidde Aerospace and Defence Pty Ltd Vic Percival Lateral Fire Design Carlos Santin FPA Australia (Executive Officer) Fire Protection Industry (ODS & SGG) Board Board Member Profile: Roger Thomas Tyco Fire Protection Services, Asia-Pacific Roger is the Director of Engineering for Tyco Fire Protection Services, Asia-Pacific responsible for engineering practices within the region and the introduction of new fire protection systems and technologies. Roger commenced with Wormald Brothers in Sydney as an engineering trainee studying mechanical engineering and has worked in the company for about 40 years in fire protection system design and installation as well as in operations management. Following graduation and completion of the Roger Thomas cadet trainee system, Roger travelled with the company working in Africa, England, Canada and Western Australia before finally returning to Sydney 12 years later. Roger has been heavily involved in the design and installation of special hazard systems such as water spray, foam and gaseous agent systems and with the phase-out of halon systems. In the early 1990s Roger was extensively involved in the development and implementation of replacement technologies including gaseous fire extinguishing systems and water mist systems. Between Roger was the technical adviser on the United Nations International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Fire Protection Sub-Committee for the introduction of halon replacement technologies of gaseous and water mist systems into international marine fire safety standards. Roger is a member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and, since 1986, has been actively involved in a number of Australian Standard technical committees, including FP/04 Sprinklers, FP/11 Gaseous Systems, FP/22 Mobile Equipment and has been a chairman of FP/01 Fire System & Equipment Maintenance. Roger is also a member of ISO Gaseous Media System committee TC21/SC8. In 2009, Roger was the recipient of the William M. Carey Award from the Fire Protection Research Foundation of the NFPA for his engineering paper Water Conservation and Sustainable Use in Fire Suppression Systems, presented at the 2009 SUPDET technical working conference in Florida. Both Roger and Wormald are committed to the implementation of the fire industry competencies and have made a significant contribution to the development of the training resources required to support the ODS & SGG qualified licensing. pg 2

3 Transitioning to a Qualified Person s Licence The first fire protection technicians to transition from Experienced Person s licences to Qualified Person s licences are those who hold Extinguishing Agent Handling Licences categories 1 and 4. As these licence categories are re issued, fire protection technicians are provided with a 12 month transition period in which to complete the requirements for a Qualified Person s Licence. For those technicians coming to the end of their 12 month transition period, the board has recently approved the following: 1. A three month extension is provided to fire protection technicians involved in the current rollout. 2. Technicians will need to provide proof that they are undertaking the required unit/s of competency within the three month extension. A condition will be placed on each approved licence stipulating information that must be provided to the board. Technicians should remember: You can apply for a Qualified Person s Licence at any time if you believe you hold all the specified units of competency. When applying for a Qualified Person s Licence you must provide certified copies of Statements of Attainment for the specified units listed for each licence category. If you have undertaken a Certificate II or III in Asset Maintenance (Fire Protection Equipment), you may already hold some of the units of competency specified for a particular Qualified Person s Licence. If you have specific questions regarding your transition to a Qualified Person s Licence, please don t hesitate to contact Carlos by at: carlos.santin@fpaa.com.au or call on (03) / Licence 1: Portable Fire Extinguisher Maintenance Licence Technicians need to be aware that extinguishers containing scheduled substances must be inspected and tested at the frequencies set out in the applicable schedules of AS Any defects identified during inspection that could result in release of a scheduled substance should be immediately reported to the client and that advice recorded. For the transition from a Experienced Person s licence to a Qualified Person s licence, technicians must hold the following units of competency: PRMPFES03C Safely move materials and loads in the workplace PRMPFES06C Prepare for installation and service operations PRMPFES14C Service portable fire extinguishers in the workshop PRMPFES21C Service wheeled fire extinguishers in the workshop PRMPFES43A Prevent ozone depleting substance and synthetic greenhouse gas emissions PRMPFES53A Participate in workplace safety arrangements Quarterly ODS & SGG Usage Reports The Fire Protection Industry (ODS & SGG) Board reminds all Extinguishing Agent Trading Authorisation and Halon Special Permit holders of the requirement to report the amounts of extinguishing agent acquired, recovered and disposed of on a quarterly basis. The board wishes to thank all companies who have sent back their reports. Accidental discharges Accidental discharges of ODS & SGG extinguishing agents are not common. But when they do occur they cost money, can disrupt business, impact the environment and can cause injury or even death. If everything is properly installed, accidental discharges should not happen. But, there are situations that can lead to accidental discharges. Your Input and Feedback The board welcomes your feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions on issues relating to ODS & SGG or content for GasBag please contact the board via ozone@fpaa.com.au. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the transition to a qualified licence pathway please contact Carlos at: carlos.santin@fpaa.com.au or call (03)

4 Know the regulations and your responsibilities Extinguishing Agent Handling Licence An individual who handles or works with any fire protection equipment, where an activity may cause an emission of scheduled ODS or SGG extinguishing agent, must hold an Extinguishing Agent Handling Licence (EAHL). These licences include activities that involve the handling of halon. Activities that may cause an emission include connecting or disconnecting any components of ODS & SGG extinguishing agent storage containers and discharging ODS & SGG during equipment testing or training. Extinguishing Agent Trading Authorisation (EATA) A Trading Authorisation is required if scheduled ODS or SGG extinguishing agents are acquired, stored or disposed. Example 1: If a company or technician is engaged in maintaining a fire protection system, they will only be required to hold an EATA if they purchase a scheduled ODS or SGG extinguishing agent to fill, refill or top up a system. Storing or warehousing spare charged system cylinders for use at a future date constitutes possessing the extinguishing agent and, as such, requires an authorisation. Halon Special Permit If individuals possess any halon other than where permitted, they shall as soon as practicable apply for a Halon Special Permit or dispose of that halon in accordance with Regulation 304(2) by giving it to: the officer in charge of a fire station, or the operator of an approved extinguishing agent destruction facility. Industry site visits: technicians operating without a licence An industry site visit and consultation program focused primarily on industry education and compliance has begun around Australia. Helping the environment Another way to help the environment is to have an electronic copy of GasBag ed to you. To register, simply the Licensing Coordinator at: ozone@fpaa.com.au. Site visits have proved extremely successful and we have received practical feedback from industry. Additional site visits are planned in pg 4

5 Industry News Fire Hub website ready to use The new information sharing website, Fire Hub, is ready to be used by fire technicians across the industry. The website, funded by the Department of Business and Innovation, Government of Victoria, is being led by FPA Australia in partnership with the Country Fire Authority (CFA), Fire Equipment Maintenance Division (FEM, Swinburne University of Technology and other members of the fire protection industry. Technicians can now login and contribute content to the web 2.0 site, which currently has the following sections: Fire Flickr This is a storehouse of pictures related to maintenance, installation, service and repair of fire protection equipment. Technicians can upload photos of commonly occurring servicing errors, poorly maintained equipment, as well as rare, new, and even archaic technology and equipment that they come across in their dayto-day working lives. Pictures once uploaded are validated and approved by industry experts and are then made publicly available. Technicians can also rate them using the usefulness rating scale and can also comment on them. Fire Talkin This is a forum to discuss current topics related to changes in fire legislations, regulations, codes and standards. Technicians can either express their thoughts and opinions, or just read what others have to say. Fire FAQs This is the list of Frequently Asked Questions that are answered on a daily basis by FPA Australia s Technical Department. Technicians can rate and comment on FAQs. Every section of the site is accompanied by extensive instructional support to help users use the site effectively. The website uses interactive, innovative, social media technologies including wikis, blogs, forums, podcasts, chats, e-portfolios, social networking and user-generated content for fire technicians to use as a valuable resource. Its purpose is to add value to the fire industry, especially technicians involved in the servicing, installation, maintenance and repair of fire protection equipment, which will help them gain contemporary information technology skills, along with being a professional benefit. To browse the site as a guest user visit Technicians can gain their login and start contributing to the site by contacting FPA Australia Technical Writer, Bloss Oliver. Skuse at bloss.oliverskuse@fpaa.com.au or by calling Electrotechnology resource project completed March 31 saw the completion of a major learning and development project undertaken by FPA Australia in conjunction with the Commonwealth Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC) and the Construction and Property Services Industry Skills Council (CPSISC). The project involved the creation of a significant suite of electrotechnology learning and assessment resources that support five brand new fire detection, alarm and warning units of competency from the UEE07, Electrotechnology Training Package. These units have been included in Certificate II, III and IV qualifications contained in the training package. The main qualification of interest to the fire protection industry is the UEE31007, Certificate III in Fire Protection Control. This is the first time in Australia that a comprehensive suite of learning and assessment resources have been created to cover the electrical side of fire protection systems and equipment. They include: Installation, positioning and termination. Inspection and testing, verification and compliance. Programming panels. Commissioning. Finding and repairing faults. These units of competency are also required by regulation as training outcomes for the Extinguishing Agent Handling Licence (EAHL) 6: Control Systems Installation, Commissioning and Decommissioning. The distribution process will be finalised shortly for the delivery of these learning and assessment resources to TAFE Institutes and private registered training organisation (RTOs) around Australia as part of the role out of Extinguishing Agent Handling Licenses. An administration fee will be charged to distribute the resources. FPA Australia would like to thank all those involved with this project: The Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC). Construction and Property Services Industry Skills Council (CPSISC). FPI (ODS & SGG) Board. FPA Australia s own technical advisory committees: TAC-2 and TAC-11/22 who freely gave their time, skills, knowledge, technical advice and reviews. Many other members of the fire protection industry who gave their time, skills, knowledge, technical advice and reviews. Technical writers who spent endless hours developing, reviewing, editing and formatting each learning and assessment resource.

6 Mythbusting gaseous extinguishing system discharge nozzle performance By Pat Harrington, Technical Advisory Committee 11 member, FPA Australia Following the publication of AS ISO in 2009, a number of misconceptions have surfaced which have created a great deal of discussion and conflicting opinion as to the use and location of discharge nozzles in gaseous extinguishing systems. These discussions have been further complicated by the emergence of new cooling technologies for data centres involving the use of hot aisle/ cold aisle techniques and the use of ceiling spaces as return air plenums. This issue has been addressed by Standards Australia Committee FP-11 which has subsequently issued a determination on the subject. This article attempts to explain the determination and bust these myths by explaining some of the theory relating to discharge nozzles and outline the testing protocols used by testing and listing authorities. Myth 1 Discharge nozzles can be deleted from underfloor voids provided some of the floor tiles are replaced with open grille flooring. Myth 2 Discharge nozzles do not need to be located in above ceiling voids used as a return air plenum for a protected area. Myth 3 Discharge nozzles need only to be located in either the hot aisle or the cold aisle, but not both, as airflow will provide the necessary agent air mixing. In order to explore these myths, and to understand why these practices are not allowed, it is first necessary to understand exactly what a discharge nozzle is intended to achieve. Essentially, it is to discharge the appropriate quantity of extinguishing agent into an enclosure (or part thereof) to achieve the minimum design concentration in all parts of the protected enclosure within a specified time. It is important to note that the mortality rate following smoke inhalation is between per cent with most deaths occurring before the patient reaches hospital, usually as a result of carbon monoxide and/or cyanide poisoning. 1 Consequently, rapid suppression of the fire and minimisation of the toxic by-products of combustion is critical to human survival and the overall performance and safety of the gaseous fire extinguishing system. Many toxic by-products are produced when common construction materials undergo combustion. These products include asphyxiants, irritants and unusual organic products. Products of decomposition In addition to the products of combustion mentioned above, there is another issue to be considered when the extinguishing system utilises a halocarbon based extinguishing agent. The extinguishing mechanism of these agents is such that they must decompose in order to extinguish the fire. The decomposition product is hydrogen fluoride (HF). System design is such that usually only small amounts of the extinguishing agent decompose as detection systems are designed to detect the fire at a very early stage and ensure the fire is extinguished rapidly, keeping the levels of HF at acceptable levels3. If however, extinguishing concentrations are not achieved within the specified time frame (30 seconds), then more agent will decompose forming unacceptable levels of hydrogen fluoride. Hence the importance of achieving extinguishing concentration in all parts of the protected enclosure in very quickly, minimising the production of hydrogen fluoride. The current testing protocol places fires in small cans, (called tell-tale fires) in the four corners at the top and bottom of the test enclosure and also behind a baffle and all fires must be extinguished within the specified time allowed. The testing protocol specified in AS ISO (Appendix C) has very specific test criteria to determine the limits of a discharge nozzle in terms of maximum area coverage and maximum height. The test enclosure consists of four walls, a floor and a ceiling and the enclosure volume must be a minimum of 100 m3 with a minimum area of 4 m x 4 m. There is no false floor included in the test protocol nor is there any mechanical ventilation. Underfloor voids are considered a separate enclosure and mechanical ventilation is ignored as it is impossible to test for all permutations of airflow that may be encountered in practical installations. The worst case condition is that all power and therefore mechanical ventilation has shut down, so the nozzle must be tested in these conditions. Each fire extinguishing system manufacturer must submit their discharge nozzle for testing to this protocol in order to comply with AS ISO In addition, the results obtained for nozzle discharge characteristics are specific to each individual manufacturer and the specific combination of system components, including agent storage container, discharge valve, type of extinguishing agent, etc. In other words, it is not possible to use a discharge nozzle from manufacturer A with the agent storage container from manufacturer B. Nor can it be assumed that a tested discharge nozzle for extinguishing agent X can be used with agent Y. Now to our myths with specific reference to minimisation of combustion by-products, human safety and testing procedures. pg 6

7 Myth 1. Discharge nozzles can be deleted from underfloor voids provided some of the floor tiles are replaced with open grille flooring. Clearly it can now be seen that to comply with AS ISO 14520, underfloor voids are to be treated as separate enclosures and the testing protocol assumes this is the case. Individual discharge nozzles must be located in the floor void as well as in the protected room above. There is a case to be made however, that if the solid floor tiles were replaced with open grid flooring, there would presumably be a point where there was enough open flooring to allow the extinguishing agent to penetrate into the underfloor void and extinguish all fires (even in the corners and behind baffles) within the specified 30 second timeframe. The exact level of open flooring and permeability pattern required to achieve this has yet to be determined (due to the myriad of possible configurations) and there is no established test protocol to do so. In the absence of any formal test procedure for this possibility in AS ISO (or any other standard worldwide), each individual system installed in this manner must be tested to ensure that extinguishing concentrations are achieved in all parts of the underfloor void within 30 seconds. This would entail carrying out discharge tests and using either small test fires or some other method of measuring agent concentration in the most remote parts of the underfloor void. Myth 2. Discharge nozzles do not need to be located in above ceiling voids used as a return air plenum for a protected area. Similarly, to comply with AS ISO 14520, above ceiling voids are to be treated as separate enclosures and the testing protocol assumes this is the case. Individual discharge nozzles must be located in the above ceiling void as well as in the protected room below. Also similarly, it may well be the case that a particular mechanical ventilation system does in fact provide adequate distribution in these voids within the specified timeframe. For the same reasons stated above, discharge testing may determine this. However, in the case of worst case conditions, such as power failure (as often occurs in a fire scenario), there would be no mechanical ventilation and a fire originating within this void would not be extinguished. Therefore, nozzles are required to be installed in these void areas to ensure adequate system performance under worst case conditions.

8 Myth 3. Discharge nozzles need only to be located in either the hot aisle or the cold aisle, but not both, as airflow will provide the necessary agent air mixing. The development of hot aisle/cold aisle cooling systems for data rooms is, in reality, nothing more than segregation of the protected enclosure into areas with different temperature zones. If these zones form separate enclosures (via the use of plastic sheeting or any other non porous material), then discharge nozzles need to be installed in each of these zones for all the same reasons as stated previously. Again, discharge testing may prove an alternate nozzle location philosophy adequate, however there is no testing protocol, either in AS ISO or any other standard worldwide to easily achieve this. In summary, discharge nozzles are required in all parts and volumes of a protected enclosure and the current Australian Standard AS ISO is clear on this requirement. Testing is carried out to determine the maximum area, height and volume that a specific discharge nozzle can protect and these limits cannot be exceeded without extensive additional testing. The additional testing that would be required to depart from this requirement and at the same time provide an equivalent level of fire extinguishing system performance and human safety has yet to be established. References: 1,2; Health Protection Agency (UK), Products of Combustion Report, ; Great Lakes Chemical Corporation, Understanding the Thermal Decomposition of FM-200 and the Effect on People and Equipment, Gasbag is a publication of the Fire Protection Industry (ODS & SGG) Board. Statements made in this publication do not necessarily represent the policy or opinions of the Board, FPA Australia or The Australian Government, or their officers or members. The Board does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in anything contained in any edition of Gasbag TM newsletter. pg 8