Hazard Control Technologies, Inc

Since 1997, Hazard Control Technologies, Inc. has grown from a single fire suppression product manufacturer, to a multifaceted company providing fire suppression and environmental impact protection chemicals, fire suppression delivery systems, training and consulting services.  Our products and services, which are supported by our own engineering, consulting and technical resources, are used by fire departments, tank cleaning contractors, power plants, bioremediation companies and numerous industries.

With over 100 years of combined fire protection experience, our people have the expertise needed to work with you to develop an effective fire suppression solution that meets your needs and budget.  Our fire protection agents include F-500 Encapsulator Agent for fire suppression and hydrocarbon spill control and our full line of Pinnacle Class A and Class B foams.  Specialized firefighting equipment includes our Piercing Rod, fixed pressure Concentrate Control Supply Systems and various portable fire suppression devices.  Finally, emergency response services are available including onsite consulting and training, customized to meet your exacting demands and specifications.

HCT is an ISO 9001 registered company, ensuring consistent quality and guaranteeing that every product you receive from HCT has undergone a rigorous testing and quality control process.  Rest assured that the products and services you receive from HCT will consistently be of the highest quality.

HCT Serves the following Industries and Applications:

Municipal Fire Departments
Tank Cleaning And Degassing Contractors
Power Industry
Petrochemical and Refining
Pulp and Paper
Rubber Tire Industry
Bioremediation/Soil Washing/Hazmat
Naval and Merchant Marine
Automotive Industries
Military
Governments-Federal and International

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Electric and Hybrid High-Voltage Battery Car Fires

The United States has more than 2.5 million hybrid cars and 27,000 electric cars on the road today, and the number is growing rapidly. Every major car manufacturer is introducing new models. For battery manufacturers, automakers and firefighters, the newest challenge is high-voltage battery fires. The nickel-metal hydride batteries previously used were challenge enough, but the lighter, more powerful lithium-ion batteries have gained attention around the world from laptops catching fire to the problems with the new Boeing Dreamliner. Lithium is a high-temperature, combustible metal and the high-voltages make these batteries a Class C and Class D hazard.

Concern over these batteries led Bosch Industries, a battery manufacture in Germany, to search for a solution. In 2009, Bosch concluded testing of water, foam, powders and F-500 Encapsulator Agent on lithium-ion battery fires. F-500 EA was chosen as their product of choice. Bosch shared their findings with VDA (Verband der Automobilindustrie), an international organization promoting the German auto industry. They also shared their test results with Baden-Wurttemburg State Fire School, who published an application guide for extinguishing lithium-ion battery car fires, recommending F-500 EA. Brandschutz Fire Fighter magazine in Germany published several articles noting the value of F-500 EA for fighting cars fires.

Dekra Automotive GmbH, tests and evaluates automobile components and has activities in 50 countries. Dekra performed their own testing on lithium-ion batteries. In April, 2013, Dekra, Daimler AG (Daimler trucks, Mercedes-Benz cars) and Deutsche ACCUmotive GmbH (lithium-ion battery manufacturer) presented their findings at the SAE International 2013 World Congress and Exposition in Detroit, MI. They concluded two agents performed well in testing, one was F-500 EA, the other a gel. Since the gel cannot penetrate a vehicle’s structure, they also noted F-500 EA would be the preferred agent for an actual car fire.

The future is here and with it comes new challenges. In this case, firefighting lithium-ion car fires. Germany has led the way in testing and solutions. F-500 Encapsulator Agent is the product of choice.

Combustible Metals

As with any large industry, Hazard Control Technologies has made inroads with niche applications. With the automotive industry, F-500 EA is used to extinguish fires in machining and casting components, especially modern aluminum, magnesium and titanium components, such as steering columns, door frames, dashboards, seat frames, transmission and clutch housings and many more. In an effort to reduce weight to save fuel, the auto industry is relying more and more on these lightweight metals. These metals present a challenge since they are combustible Class D metals. Once ignited, conventional extinguishing methods fail. Water explodes when applied to burning titanium and magnesium, but F-500 EA creates a protective skin around water drops, preventing them from exploding. The cooling properties of F-500 EA rapidly cool these metals from thousands of degrees in minutes. These combustible metals not only present a problem in machining, but also to firefighters confronting a fully involved vehicle on the highway. Water can cause a violent flashover, but F-500 EA is safe to apply and probably the fastest way to extinguish a vehicle fire.

Tires

Tire fires can be found in multiple industries, such as recycling and rubber production, but they are also a part of the automotive industry. From warehousing tires to the firefighters that approach a burning car, tire fires are a challenge. Although they are generally classified as a Class A fire, burning tires begin to exude the petroleum that is a large percentage of their composition. This makes tires more of a Class B fire. Tires are also a three-dimensional fire. Water is not very effective on Class B fires and foam will have trouble suffocating the fire. Nothing works on Tire fires like F-500 EA.

ENVIRONMENTAL INDUSTRY

The environmental industry covers a very broad range of industries, but for our purposes, we are referring to companies involved in spill control, soil washing, bioremediation and odor control.  We assist these companies with an encapsulator agent called “EncapsuLock.”  In all cases, the remarkable ability of EncapsuLock to encapsulate is key to the success of these applications.  In spill control, soil washing and bioremediation, EncapsuLock is generally encapsulating hydrocarbons from gasoline to heating oil.  For odor control, EncapsuLock has been successful controlling odors from organic waste to petroleum odors.

Spill Control

Encapsulator agent testing has been extensive in spill control, soil washing and bioremediation.  One test on soil samples contaminated with #2 fuel oil over 14 days found a 33% reduction in TPH (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon).  Increasing HPC values (Heterotrophic Plate Counts), proved biodegradation had occurred.  Another independent field test in Canada with Drillsol showed a 76% reduction in ppm in four months.  Independent lab testing performed one week after an actual 300-gallon benzene spill showed no traces of benzene down to 36” with our encapsulator agent, yet with a popular, competitive product, 200-250 ppm were detected from 18-36” and after a rain, benzene would rise to the surface.  In another large spill with cyclohexane and diesel fuel, tested soil samples showed the half treated with our encapsulator agent were “remediated” after only four days.  The other half, treated with a competitive product was still being treated two weeks later.

Odor Control

To better understand our encapsulator agent capabilities in the area of odor control, HCT commissioned a study at the University of Parma in Parma, Italy.  Household organic waste was tested using an Artificial Olfactory System and a Photo Ionization Detector.  Fifty-four samples were tested for each device.  After the sixth day, samples treated with our encapsulator agent had 20% the ppm compared to the non-treated samples.  The testing concluded that our encapsulator agent did significantly reduce odors for about a week with sunlight having no effect.  They further found the 3% solution is best applied as a mist to more efficiently encapsulate.