International Fire Safety Meeting Held in Atlantic City
By Pete Castellano
The FAA Fire Safety R&D program hosted the International Aircraft Systems Fire Protection Working Group meeting in Atlantic City in October 2006. Approximately 60 members of the international aviation community attended the meeting. Attendees included representatives from the Air Traffic Organization’s Operations Planning Research and Development (ATO-P, R&D) Fire Safety Research Program, Transport Canada, the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency, Kidde Aerospace, Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, Airbus Industries, Embraer, Bombardier, the U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems Command, the Halon Alternatives Research Corporation, Air Liquide MEDAL, and other international representatives from industry and academia.
Seven ATO-P R&D fire safety engineers gave presentations on their current research projects. These briefings included activities to: design and install a nitrogen enriched air distribution system for fire protection testing in the overhead area (known as an inaccessible area) of ATO-P's Boeing 747SP and 737 test aircraft; develop an Onboard Inert Gas Generating System (OBIGGS) cargo bay fire protection test program; finalize a draft Advisory Circular for Handheld Extinguishers for use in aircraft to replace Halon 1211 (banned from production in 1994); work on a new test program to test wing tank (fuel tank) flammability using a section of a 727 wing containing a surge tank); and wrap up of the engine nacelle halon replacement test program.
Tom Cortina of the Halon Options Research Corporation provided an international environmental update highlighting concerns regarding green house gas emissions and the difficulty of obtaining Halon 1211. They also provided updates on the Kyoto Protocol, Montreal Protocol, and the Environmental Protection Agency's Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP). An ATO-P R&D fellowship student from Rutgers University provided a summary of his work on the development of a cargo compartment multi-sensor detector. Several working group members also highlighted their recent research projects.
ATO-P R&D's Richard Hill chairs the working group, originally established in 1993 as the International Halon Replacement Working Group. Since its inception, the group has increased its focus to include all fire protection research and development for aircraft, including hidden fire fighting, hazardous materials transport, fuel tank flammability, fuel tank inerting, cargo compartments, engine nacelles, handheld extinguishers, and lavatory trash receptacles. The group meets twice a year.
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