GENERAL CONCEPTS FOR A COMBINED HALON-HIGH EXPANSION FOAM FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM FOR SHIPBOARD APPLICATION

Examination of the special requirements for fire protection systems and procedures in high-performance ships constructed of light weight aluminum, such as hydrofoils, emphasizes the necessity for extremely rapid detection and response coupled with automatic and remotely controlled operations of the firefighting systems. Small crews, difficulty of access, minimum reaction time, and vulnerability of the equipment virtually eliminate dependence on the more conventional firefighting equipments. An installed HALON flooding system, with a back-up system of installed high expansion foam generators, is recommended for protection of high-performance craft in excess of 100 tons. A brief series of tests with high expansion foam showed it to be very effective in an oil spray fire. Foam, fortified with a 4% addition of HALON in the air bubbles, proved to be quite superior to unfortified foam.