While Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites can be used in infrastructure and construction to make flame-retardant buildings, not every facility is made with these fire-proof materials.
Even fewer residential homes have FRP composite components, making them more susceptible to fire.
Our experts at Tencom have developed an FRP composite breach tool handle to assist firefighters and police officers during fire rescue missions.
According to the United States Fire Administration, there were an estimated 1,318,500 fires across the country in 2018. More than half of these deadly incidents were caused by cooking fires, resulting in 15,200 injuries and 3,655 deaths.
While one key factor in preventing deaths in these cases is first-responders' response time, another important factor is whether firefighters can gain entry to the building.
It takes anywhere from 4 to 17 minutes for a home to burn down, depending on when it was built and what materials were used. In as little as 3 1/2 minutes, house fire temperatures can soar to 1,100°F. Death can occur at just 300°F, so getting inside to rescue the victims is critical.
With the help of Tencom’s new FRP breaching tool handles, first responders and firefighters can force their way into the home without hurting their hands.
Traditionally, breaching tool handles are made entirely of metal. The most common materials are carbon steel, stainless steel, and alloys. However, metal is a conductor, which is not ideal for breaching a door or window during a fire.
To safely force entry into a burning building, first responders need breaching tools with non-conductive, heat-resistant handles.
Tencom’s new breaching tool handles both of those qualities, making it the best forced-entry tool on the market.
House fires are not the only cases in which a breaching tool must be used. Police officers also use them in raids.
The most common type of raid in the United States is a drug trafficking raid. Often, the groups that manufacture or sell drugs will take extreme measures to prevent other people from coming inside.
When high-voltage wiring is used at all entry points, including doors and windows, the risk of electrocution increases. These defensive installations can prove to be deadly to law enforcement officers using all-metal breaching tools.
Our new FRP breaching tool handles provide safe entry into defensive installations with high-voltage wiring to doors or windows. In this way, breaking through these defenses is a lot safer and easier.
Specifically, these innovative handles will provide 100,000 volts AC electrical insulation per foot. This passes the ASTM F711 12.2.5.2 electrical withstand testing requirements. That is the same testing that tools used by utility workers undergo.
There are two types of conductivity – thermal and electrical. Tencom’s new breaching tool handles are designed to withstand both types. Let’s take a closer look at what each one means.
Regarding thermal conductivity, most materials can withstand heat up to a certain point. For example, wood is far less heat-resistant than steel. However, FRP composites blow all the other materials out of the water, metaphorically speaking.
The best part about FRP composites is that they can be tweaked to be even more thermally resistant. Here at Tencom, we offer three types of specialty resins that do just that.
First is the vinyl ester specialty resin that improves the product’s resistance to high temperatures. Next is the polyester resin, which makes the product more fire-retardant and resistant to smoke and flame spread.
Finally, we offer another vinyl ester resin with improved fire-retardancy and corrosion resistance.
Moving on to electrical conductivity, this refers to a material’s ability to conduct electrical charge. While metals vary in electrical conductivity, they are all conductors. This can be very dangerous for police officers when responding to a breach.
Fiberglass is a non-conductive, non-magnetic material that is classified as an electrical insulator. This means officers can safely enter through doors and windows booby-trapped with electrical wiring. It’s one less thing that the officers have to worry about.
Here at Tencom, we generally prefer to work with fiberglass. You may have seen the following terms:
To clear any confusion, all of these terms refer to the same material – fiberglass.
As a popular FRP composite material, fiberglass consists of fiber (the reinforcement) and resin (the matrix). Resin is also sometimes referred to as the matrix. It’s what gives the product its shape.
To make breaching tool handles non-conductive and fire-resistant, the materials must undergo pultrusion.
It starts with bundles of fiber rovings that are pulled through a liquid resin bath. At this point, specialty resins and colorants can be injected into the mix. We typically use a strength- and fire-enhancing specialty resin for products such as breaching tool handles. If a product has exceptional insulating properties, it is usually painted yellow. This is, of course, determined by the client.
Next, the product is transferred into a mold and cast. Once curing is complete, the product is ready to go.
With over 50 years of experience in the FRP composite industry, we offer a wide range of products besides the new breaching tool handle. You can order fiberglass rods, angles, channels, bars, poles, and tubes.
Tencom manufactures customized FRP products that meet your exact requirements, so get in touch with our team today.