Learn about how a renewable energy company added Firetrace’s fire detection and suppression systems to wind turbines outputting 500MW of energy at four locations after a successful pilot program.
We recently sat down with an operations executive in the wind industry that experienced a fire in the nacelle of a wind turbine and the Firetrace system installed quickly suppressed fire. Learn more about his experience.
A multinational tool manufacturing company in Texas recently sat down with Firetrace to discuss their experience with different types of fire suppression they have had experience with, and why it is so crucial to assess your options before installing.
John Koerner is an entrepreneur that started his machining business on a loan, using his motorcycle as collateral. As the business grew, he invested in a Citizen screw machine. Because he was machining titanium with oil based coolant, he also invested in fire suppression. We caught up with John about entrepreneurship, risk taking, and his first ever experience with a machine shop fire.
Rudolph, LLC is a precision machine shop specializing in small and micro components, mainly for the medical industry. While machining a titanium part, a spark from a hot chip came into contact with the oil mist and started a fire. Their Firetrace automatic fire suppression system immediately activated to release the clean agent, which suppressed the fire before they realized a fire had started.
Guidemark Precision manufactures precision parts for aerospace and medical applications. To meet demand, they run lightly attended machining (24/7) of metals at high speeds using oil-based coolants. When a tool break led to a machine fire, their Firetrace automatic fire suppression system suppressed the flames within seconds, saving the machine and protecting the business and employees.
United Standard Industries is a precision job shop focused on complex machining processes with 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 & 11-axis machining capability. When they had their first fire, there was $190K of damage between machine damage, facility damage, and business interruption. Since installing Firetrace, they have had several fires, but none that caused significant damage. The shop has saved hundreds of thousands of dollars.
An Indiana manufacturer of brass ball valves for industry, home, and heavy equipment applications is no stranger to fire risks present in their coring manufacturing process. The coring process produces excess metal parts that fall into a catch basin. In many cases, the bar ends are still hot, which can ignite the other chips in the catch basin and start a fire.
Engineered Machining Solutions manufactures aerospace parts and other components that require high speed, precision manufacturing methods using oil-based coolants to machine metal alloys. They purchased a new Tsugami BO385C Swiss Type Lathe to meet increased demand and had a Firetrace system installed because of the risk involved in cutting metal with oil.
Absolute Turning and Machine manufactures aerospace parts and other components that require high speed, precision manufacturing methods using oil-based coolants to machine metal alloys. After experiencing fire incidents in previous companies, the team decided to have fire suppression systems installed in their Citizen machines when they were purchased.
High Tech Quality Manufacturing manufactures medical parts and components using high speed, precision manufacturing methods with oil-based coolants to machine titanium. Due to the fire risk involved with oil-based coolants and titanium, the company had an automatic fire suppression installed on their six Citizen and four Tsugami machines.
An electricity company distributes 97 percent of all electricity in their country and have seen their customer base grow significantly as the company builds more power plants and substations. Over the last ten years, the electric company has had several fires at substations. To protect against fires and minimize power outages, they installed Firetrace fire suppression systems at their substations.
[15 Minutes] During our discussion with Jatin Sharma, the Managing Partner of NARDAC, he gives insights on the current and future state of wind turbine insurance.
[60 Minutes] During this episode, Angela Krcmar shares her experience with wind turbine fires, which are both underreported and often lumped into the classification of “building fires.”
Watch the 60-second animation that explains how our pre-engineered indirect release and direct release fire suppression systems work to protect vulnerable locations within wind turbines.
This footage shows a Citizen Machine catching fire while running titanium screws. The fire is suppressed in under 5 seconds. The customer, EOS Cases, replaced some plastic air lines, and they were up and running within days.
This 40 second animation explains how our pre-engineered indirect release and direct release fire suppression systems work. The systems are simple, robust, and provide reliable fire protection for a range of special hazards.
Learn why precision machining businesses and manufacturers of CNC and EDM machines trust Firetrace to protect their equipment. Our customers share their experiences at PMTS 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Watch as Firetrace engineer Brian Cashion sets multiple small fires inside the engine of a towbarless aircraft tug. The Firetrace system quickly detects and suppresses the fire.
The June 2018 fire on a towbarless tug in Frankfurt, Germany has increased awareness of fire hazards in airport ground support equipment. Learn more about how to address this risk.
Overview of the benefits and key applications of our fire detection and suppression systems.
Also available for download:
Overview of fire hazards in CNC Machines and how to protect against them.
Also available for download:
Overview of fire hazards in buses and motorcoaches and how to protect against them.
Also available for download:
Overview of fire hazards in wind turbines and how to protect against them. Also available for download:
Overview of fire hazards in server racks and server rooms and how to protect against them.
Overview of fire hazards in mining equipment and how to protect against them.
Also available for down:
Special guests, Brian Cashion (Firetrace International), Jackie Huynh (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), Drew Lebowitz (PowerSwitch), Daniel Sherlock-Burke (Gore Street Capital), and Lakshmi Srinivasan (EPRI), offer their insights on what are the leading causes of failures in Energy Storage systems? And with the regulatory environment for energy storage systems evolving so rapidly, are there any recommendations for the industry’s regulatory bodies?
Special guests, Kartik Gandhi (Firetrace), Landis Knorr (GCube Insurance), Russ Taylor (MDP Insurance), and Michael Kleinberg (DNV) offer their insights into the liabilities that exist in the context of energy storage and solar inverter failures and the impact of regulatory changes on energy storage investment strategies.
During the webinar, the panel tackles the three main questions that come up when dealing with mitigation risk as it related to fires in the workplace. Our panel of experts addressed how insurance companies view risk mitigation in machine shops, what role fire suppression plays in acceptability and rates, as well as how fires impact rates and the bottom line of machine shops.
Our two-part webinar series brings together a panel of industry experts including, JP Conkwright, Professor of Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology at Eastern Kentucky University; Angela Krcmar, Firetrace's Global Sales Manager - Wind; Sally Wright, Principal Wind Turbine at DNV GL, to discuss the causes and impacts of wind turbine fires.
[45 Minutes] During the roundtable you'll hear from the panel as they examine what puts a machine shop at a higher risk of fire. They also address how fires start, fire protection options, ideal fire suppressant agents, and the process for installation
[45 Minutes] Eric Aune, Area Manager at Blaser Swisslube Inc., reviews different types of coolants and which coolants are best suited for what material and examines the pros and cons of the different types of oil-based coolants and best practices for your coolant management program to safeguard your machines, tools, and coolant.
[55 minutes] This webinar explains why fires start in CNC and EDM machines, factors that increase fire risk, and what your options are when it comes to fire protection.
[65 Minutes] Hear from Adam Demuth from Demuth Tool & Design and Danny Rudolph from Rudolph LLC on how they took the leap to start their own machine shops.
[55 Minutes] Listen to the panel discussion with Eric Fogg, Machine Metrics, Conor Puckett, Bio-Chem Fluidics, and Mike Campo, Firetrace on how utilizing data can drive shop efficiency, safety, and overall output.
Firetrace International fire suppression systems are certified by the following standards:
Firetrace International fire suppression systems are certified by the following standards:
Firetrace International fire suppression systems are certified by the following standards:
Firetrace International fire suppression systems are certified by the following standards:
Firetrace International fire suppression systems are certified by the following standards:
Wind turbine installations in the US are expected to increase significantly in the coming years, in part due to incentives offered by the Inflation Reduction Act. With investment in wind power set to rise substantially, more and more asset developers and owners understand the need to take every opportunity to provide their assets with maximum protection, which includes protecting against fire risk. Yet some are passing up the opportunity to cut costs by installing fire suppression at the outset of wind turbines' operating life and are instead opting for the more expensive option of retrofitting such systems.
The co-location of renewable energy assets is rapidly increasing in the US, emerging as the fastest-growing type of renewable energy project and these projects face heightened financial risks from potential fire incidents.
Fears about fire risk threaten to jeopardize plans for the wider deployment of much-needed energy storage. What can be done to alleviate concern among local communities?
Offshore wind developers and operators can take steps to proactively manage fire risk on their assets to protect the huge levels of public investment coming into the sector to support ambitious US offshore capacity targets.
Due to a data shortage, the solar industry is potentially underestimating the risk of fire at solar farms. In this report, we explore the data that is available and discuss potential dangers.
According to NFPA, on average 37,000 fires occur at industrial and manufacturing facilities each year. This results in over $1 billion in direct property damage, hundreds of injuries, and in a few cases death. In this report, we review three different levels of fire protection for electrical cabinets.
For wind farm owners seeking to safeguard their assets from fire risk, undertaking an in-depth fire risk assessment (FRA) is vital. Our latest report, ‘How to Evaluate Fire Risk at Wind Farms,’ highlights the importance of FRA’s and advises the best methods for conducting them.
A container yard is a busy place and equipment fires can happen too frequently and are difficult to predict. One study found that nearly 70% of costs at container yards related to fire were attributed to yard equipment. This report examines fire risks in container handling equipment, what areas to protect, and how to manage fire risks.
As wind turbines get bigger and more expensive, and the existing fleet is aging, fire risk is becoming a greater concern for the industry. This report looks at turbine size, turbine age, and three other emerging and evolving trends that threaten the sector and how to manage these risks.
This report compiles data from insurance companies, academic research, and the media over the last 20 years breaks down the frequency of wind turbine fires, why turbines catch fire, and typical costs associated with a fire.
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there are over 35,000 fires on industrial or manufacturing properties alone each year, averaging about $1.2 billion in property damages annually. While there is no way to predict and prevent fire, implementing a quality fire suppression system can go a long way in minimizing damages. In this report, we’ll cover what listings and approvals are and why you should choose a system with these kinds of third-party certifications in place.
Firetrace explores the lack of comprehensive data related to wind farm fire events and the serious problem this poses to the industry. It also looks at the changing financial risk, with the average cost of a wind turbine fire rocketing from approximately $1 million 10 years ago to $7-8 million today.
[59 Minutes] With COVID-19 brining a lot of economic uncertainty, hear from machine shop efficiency expert Cullen Morrison insights on getting product out the door more quickly while using fewer resources, bringing in new work that fits in well with existing contracts, and how to optimize product mix for efficiency and profitability.
