New firefighting solution for hard-to-reach fires launches
Iain Hoey
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The drill extinguisher for hard-to-reach fires is now available internationally
Rosenbauer and SYNEX TECH have announced their partnership for the international market launch of DRILL-X, an innovative drill extinguisher designed for fighting fires that are hard to reach, such as those in roof trusses. DRILL-X combines the work steps of drilling, penetration, and extinguishing in one easy-to-use extinguisher, making it highly compatible with the usual equipment used by fire services.
DRILL-X has been field-tested by selected fire services for a year and is now available for purchase through the sales offices of the global market leader in firefighting technology.
Andreas Zeller, Chief Sales Officer of Rosenbauer International AG said: “As a leading system provider in preventive and defensive fire protection, we are always interested in innovative solutions for the emergency services. Even more so if they have been developed by a local start-up. DRILL-X from SYNEX TECH is highly compatible with the usual equipment used by fire services and is a perfect addition to our product portfolio.”
Quick, safe, and efficient
DRILL-X is an extinguisher that was specifically developed for the direct fighting of hard-to-reach sources of fire in enclosed spaces. The unique drive unit is integrated directly into the extinguisher and is powered by the energy of the water from the attack hose. This enables flexible, vehicle-independent use and makes the extinguisher fail-safe and mostly maintenance-free.
DRILL-X’s innovative drilling technology penetrates the most common materials in less than 20 seconds and thus quickly reaches the source of the fire via alternative attack routes such as roofs, walls, or ceilings. With DRILL-X, there is no need to enter the fire zone during the first phase of firefighting. This saves the emergency crews complex and time-consuming approach routes, reduces their exposure to soot particles, and prevents flue gas explosions due to the introduction of oxygen.
DRILL-X’s extinguishing nozzles enter the fire zone directly, and the jet angle and flow rate can subsequently be adapted to the fire zone. Different extinguishing media such as water, low expansion foam, or compressed air foam can be applied with pinpoint accuracy. Thanks to a high application rate of up to 800 liters per minute, DRILL-X delivers a high cooling capacity and rapid extinguishing results in a very short time, which reduces extinguishing water consumption and thus fire and water damage to the structure.
Test phase for volunteer fire fighters
For the past year, the volunteer fire departments of Roith, Vöcklabruck, Wels, and Freistadt, as well as the Linz Fire Department, have been testing DRILL-X in real-life operations in cooperation with the Upper Austrian Fire Brigade Command as research and development bases and have been providing continuous feedback to the manufacturer. The innovative drill extinguisher has attracted a lot of attention.
Stefan Putz, Managing Director of SYNEX TECH GmbH said: “The positive feedback from the five fire departments shows that DRILL-X is a flexible and efficient extinguishing system. It takes fighting hard-to-reach fires to a new level and makes the daily work of emergency crews safer in the long term.”