Special Hazards Protection without Halons
GSI's Tom Wysocki, in cooperation with Taylor-Wagner Inc., Hughes Associates and
Leber/Rubes, Inc. developed and presented a special hazards training course. The course
emphasizes the changes in special hazards fire protection design required today.
Restrictions on the production of fire fighting Halon agreed upon in the Montreal
Protocol have forced a re-assessment of approaches to fire protection for many facilities.
The first presentation was in Caracas Venezuela. It was
sponsored by UNEP and Environment Canada. The student body was composed of leaders in fire
protection from Venezuelan government and industry. The petroleum industry, electric
utilities, and construction sectors were among those participating.
The second course was in Anchorage, Alaska. Sponsored
by British Petroleum and the Halon Alternative Research Consortium, this program focused
on alternatives to Halon 1301 and the special problems associated with fire protection in
the Arctic.
Tom Wysocki (left) meets general Jerzy Wolanin, Rector of the Main Fire School of
Poland
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During spring 1998, the group completed the third presentation
of this course. This presentation was given at the Scientific and Research Center for Fire
Protection (Centrum Naukowo Badawcze Ochrony Przeciwpoza -rowej) near Warsaw Poland. The student body was composed of leading Polish
fire protection professionals. The course was presented using both English and Polish
visual aids simultaneously. Two three day sessions were given.
The presentations were enhanced by demonstrations of Halocarbon and Inert gas fire
extinguishing agents on live fires in the CNBOP test facility.
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The time in Poland was especially significant for GSI's Tom
Wysocki. Tom's ancestors are from Poland and he has relatives in Warsaw and
Bialystok. Tom took the opportunity to visit many relatives. His cousin
graduated from and later taught at the Main Fire School of Poland (Warsaw). One of
the highlights of this trip was a visit to and personal tour of this world class
institution. (See picture above.)
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