The system will protect the passenger compartments from fire
India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a fire detection and suppression system (FDSS) for passenger buses. The system was demonstrated on water mist-based FDSS for the passenger compartment and aerosol-based FDSS for engine fire in the presence of Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh and Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari.
DRDO’s Centre for Fire Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) has developed the technology, which can detect the fire in the passenger compartment in less than 30 seconds and then suppresses it in 60 seconds thereby reducing the risk to life and property to a significant extent. The FDSS for passenger compartment comprises a water tank of 80-litre capacity, a 6.8 kg nitrogen cylinder pressurized to 200 bar installed at an appropriate location in the bus and a network of tubing with 16 number of atomizers inside the passenger compartment. The FDSS for an engine comprises of an aerosol generator with which the fire suppression could be achieved within 5 sec of the system activation, a government Press release indicates
According to the Press release, CFEES has unique competency in the areas of fire risk assessment, fire suppression using different extinguishing mediums, modelling and simulation. They have developed a system for Battle tanks, ships and submarines. CFEES has developed the active fire protection system as a defence spin-off technology for providing a solution to the fire incidents in passenger buses. The fire threat is present in all the vehicles. The concern now gets emanated from special vehicles, particularly the school buses and the sleeper coaches for long-distance travel. As on date, only the engine fire is regulated for fire safety.
