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Elkhart, IN, – Elkhart Brass cuts high-rise fire response time by more than half with the HEROPipe™ (Highrise Emergency Response Offensive) System. The world’s first lightweight, safe and simple, floor-below, high-rise master stream system can contain a high-rise fire within the first 30 minutes, saving lives and reducing property loss by 90 percent.
According to a study conducted by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), between 2005 and 2009, fire departments respond to an average of 15,700 structure fires in high-rise buildings annually.
Average annual losses:
53 civilian fire deaths
546 civilian fire injuries
$235 million in direct property damage
“The HeroPipe provides not only firefighters with a low risk high-rise firefighting tool, but offers building owners and operational managers increased safety for their occupants and property,” said Mike Wielgate, CFD firefighter, HeroPipe inventor and Elkhart Brass product director. “The HeroPipe can be provided onsite at high-rise properties to ensure firefighters have an effective tool to protect occupants, property and themselves.”
High-rise fires present incredible challenges for firefighters while threatening the safety of civilians and firefighters alike. Fires located above a high-rise’s 12th floor are out of reach of ladder companies and aerial streams, limiting an exterior attack, and requiring firefighters to battle the fire either directly or from an adjacent building if possible.
Challenges of high-rise fires
Fire out of reach of ladder trucks and aerial streams
Operations limited to interior hallways
More difficult to contain and control the fire
Temperatures well above limits of protective equipment
Fire can double every 10 seconds
Radio communication compromised
Designed specifically for fires that ladder companies cannot reach, the HEROPipe™ System can battle a blaze by accurately delivering a high volume of water at the point of attack from the floor below in a matter of minutes, keeping firefighters safe while reducing property damage. (See attachment)
“The HEROPipe provides a whole new option to get water where it’s needed in a high-rise fire,” said Battalion Chief Michael Fox, Special Operations, Chicago Fire Department.
Tactical Advantages of HEROPipe:
Attack fires from the safety from the floor below
Operational in minutes - set up in as little as 3 minutes with a two-man team
Lightweight for easy mobility and deployment
No tools required
Minimum training required
Set-up on a window sill or on the floor edge on a curtain wall construction
Designed to transport in elevators, or can be carried up stairs
View the attack from below with optional thermal image capabilities
Capable of operating unmanned in WMD or collapse threats
Battery operations up to 1.5 hours
Introduce foam, chemical, or biological neutralizing agents from below
“The HEROPipe™ System provides our first responders with a vital and effective tool toward their effort to protect the lives and property of New York City,” said Deputy Assistant Chief Jack Mooney, Chief of the Fire Academy, Fire Department of New York.
About Elkhart Brass
Established in 1902 and family owned for four generations, Elkhart Brass is the global leader in innovative firefighting and fire protection equipment. Offering a robust, complete product line of nozzles, controls, monitors and valves, Elkhart Brass products can be found in fire departments around the world in addition to building systems, off-shore drilling sites, military, marine and industrial firefighting applications. For more information, visit www.ElkhartBrass.com.
