IGTC-Chubb Fire Qatar introduces state-of-the-art fire-fighting system

International Gulf Trading Company (IGTC)-Chubb Fire Qatar, the country's supplier of fire safety equipment and security solutions, announced the arrival of a brand-new fire retardant technology: 3M Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid to Qatar.

Fire retardant technology has been developing for as long as there have been fires to prevent and extinguish.

Water and sand, of course, have been standbys for millennia, and are still appropriate for many fires today, but for several decades now the emphasis has been on systems that, in the unfortunate event of a fire, actually attack the blaze - to extinguish it as quickly as possible and minimise damage.

The development and implementation of 'aggressive' fire-fighting systems is more important now than it has ever been with offices, installations and warehouses potentially holding not only high-value goods, but also crucial information and electronic equipment. Currently, the most popular top-end fire-fighting systems use Halon gas as a flame retardant. Halon is effective, but, increasingly, environmental and safety issues surround its use. Halon's day is drawing to a close and there's now a new kid on the block.

The US-based multinational 3M has developed an innovative system that is right on the cutting edge of fire prevention technology - Novec 1230 - and IGTC-Chubb Fire Qatar is the first company in Qatar to offer the product to the local market.

3M's Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid is a 'next generation' clean agent which is a direct replacement for Halon in retardant systems that currently use the gas. It is suitable for a range of offshore and land-based operations to protect occupied spaces and critical equipment. Novec 1230 - specifically designed to alleviate concerns for human safety, performance and the environment - has numerous advantages over Halon-based systems that make it the state-of-the-art.

Unlike Halon, Novec 1230 does not damage the Ozone Layer, nor does its use contribute to global warming. It is not restricted by the Kyoto Protocol and has no 'phase-out' requirement.

The technology has a higher safety margin versus other extinguishing agents - and a faster extinguishing time. It has also been approved by Qatar Civil Defence for use in the country. It saves space and weight over Halon, and has no restrictions on shipping by air, sea or land, and is supplied with 3M's 20-year 'Blue Sky' lifetime warranty.

IGTC-Chubb Fire Qatar's General Manager, Rami Batrawi, said of the new product, "Environmental concerns are high on everyone's agenda and that's not going to change. While Halon fire-fighting systems are definitely capable, the gas is not good for the environment. What 3M has done is pioneered a new product - Novec 1230 - that can be used instead of Halon in existing systems as a straight replacement."

"Novec 1230 is superior to Halon in a whole host of ways. It is a product that is highly sympathetic to the environment. There is no price to pay in terms of diminished fire-fighting ability for Novec 1230's environmental cleanliness, indeed, it extinguishes faster than Halon," he noted.

"All rounds, Novec 1230 is significantly more advanced than Halon and we're delighted to be able to bring such a cutting-edge product to Qatar. Our company has a history of bringing the best products to the Qatari market and, with the superb innovation of our partners at 3M, we have done it yet again," Batrawi concluded.