Fire Suppression Device Injures Fire Chief

On June 19, 2010, Ara Safety received word that First Assistant Chief Rob Betanzos of the Plattekill Fire Department (Ulster County, New York) was injured while handling an activated fire suppression unit. Apparently, Assistant Chief Betanzos opened the rear hatch of his chief’s vehicle during preparation for an inspection parade in Lake George, NY when a unit fell to the pavement and subsequently deployed.

We are told that when Assistant Chief Betanzos picked the device up off the ground it started to activate. He carried the unit around the vehicle and and threw it off to the side of the roadway. In doing so he sustained some 2nd and 3rd degree burns to his right hand, due to the activation heat. He was transported to Glens Falls hospital, treated and released later that day.

Ara Safety is trying to communicate with the Plattekill Fire Department and Assistant Chief Betanzos in an attempt to better understand how this situation arose and to create the appropriate awareness to ensure it does not happen in the future. We were surprised to hear that the unit in question activated, as testing has been done to ensure the units were designed for safe use in the field. We at Ara take fire fighter safety very seriously and we will continue to gather information regarding this incident and investigate potential training/service changes to ensure that the fire fighting community can continue to use Ara's technology with confidence.

While we gather information, we feel it important to restate the following:

Please ensure all your fire safety products are carried and transported in their appropriate packaging: for our product, either a NFPA approved mounting bracket or an Ara Safety approved case.

Additionally, we urge all fire trained personnel using this technology to NEVER handle a deploying device. If a unit activates prior to being thrown into a fire, drop it and move back a safe distance (six feet). While the unit itself does get very hot while deploying, the suppression cloud itself is cool, non-toxic and does not pose a danger to bystanders.

We will continue to investigate this incident and advise our customers of our findings.

Be Safe.