Saskatoon Fire Department gets new aerosol spray that reduces temperatures when fighting fires

The Saskatoon Fire Department has been equipped with a new fire extinguisher that disperses an aerosol spray to reduce temperatures where it is being used.

Assistant fire chief Wayne Rodger told reporters on Thursday that the extinguisher, an FST X-Tinguish, has a time-delay that will allow it to be sent into high heat spaces to reduce temperatures.

"Lowering those gases, giving our firefighters a chance to get down into that space," Rodger explained how the spray could be used.

It would allow firefighters to get into the "deep-seeded" areas of a structure so the embers of the blaze could be extinguished with water or other tools.

"There are limitations," Rodger said.

It can be deployed in a space of 5,300 cubic feet at maximum, he said. It can be applied in environments like the staircase of a basement, where hot gases naturally flow upward.

Temperatures around 1,000 F or about 540 C would now allow for the use of certain extinguishers, so the aerosol could be used to lower the temperatures significantly, clearing the way for other tools, Rodger said.

"We saw the promise on certain applications where it could lead to better outcomes for our staff, from a safety perspective, and that's usually the capstone," Rodger said.