Innovative nozzle protects firefighters against flashover
Firefighters face not only the immediate fire, but also the risk of flashover — this is when fumes seeping out of walls and furniture get so hot they spontaneously ignite; innovative nozzle from an Austrian company addresses this risk
Fighting raging fires is not as simple as aiming a garden hose at the fire. The danger is not only the fire already burning — there is also the phenomenon of flashover: This is when fumes seeping out of walls and furniture get so hot they spontaneously ignite. One way firefighters guard against flashover is by using nozzles like the $600 SelectFlow from Leonding, Austria-based Rosenbauer. A nonslip adjustment lever on the front engages a set of twenty serrated stainless steel teeth, which spin as the water exits the nozzle. This atomizes the stream into 300-micron droplets, creating a blast of fine mist to cool any nearby gases. Once the firefighter wielding the hose is protected, it is time to unleash the big gun — the SelectFlow’s powerful water bore can shoot up to 100 gallons per minute as much as 140 feet away.
