A new product is changing the way firefighters do their jobs, and you may soon find it here in Central Illinois.
North Pekin's Fire Department held a live fire training demonstration using the product FireIce® Gel. News 25's Michelle Mantel''s shows us how FireIce® could save time, money, and lives. A car is completely engulfed in flames, as onlookers take a glance, fire fighters distinguish the fire immediately. But they're not using water alone to get rid of the flames. It''s called FireIce®, a fire retardant gel used in fire departments across the country to battle blazes.
The inventor of FireIce® Peter Cordani said, "It''s the only product that you could directly dump into a fire truck itself. All the other fire retardants that are out there in the world you have to use all these different apparatuses". You simply add the powdery mix to water, stir the product– and add the mix to any extinguisher, tank, or other fire apparatus. Then fire fighters stand back, spray the solution, and watch a fire disappear right before their eyes, saving time and water. Cordani added, "If you used a truck filled with FireIce® right now, you'd need 8 to10 trucks with water to compete with me, so it just shuts down on cost, saves on man power plus it saves on equipment.
A chair also filled with flames is rapidly extinguished using the same product. I couldn't believe my eyes so I had to put the FireIce® to the real test. Michelle: I'm fully scooping up the product, completely covering my hand. Peter: And you'll see this is a 2000 degree torch and she shouldn't feel a thing at all.... Michelle: And I don't. Volunteer Fire Fighter Bryan Christopherson said, "I think it''s amazing. This product is very revolutionary. It''s going to save thousands of gallons of water in my opinion; it''s going to save tax payers millions."
North Pekin Fire Chief Chris McGill said, "If we're able to be a little more efficient when we get there and get a quicker knock down we're gonna save homeowners or car owners, whoever, property owners, time and money." The saying "time is money" is certainly true in this case. If used properly fire crews could ultimately cut down on time fighting a fire, costs on tax payers by decreasing water usage, and lives of victims caught under flames. The North Pekin Fire Department will use FireIce® to battle fires throughout the rest of the summer.
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