Author: AFEX

As printed in the December 2013 issue of WHEN (Waste Handling Equipment News).

Fire suppression systems are becoming more and more common due to the mandates in mines, above ground and below, along with some insurance companies requiring systems on insured machinery. In addition, with the increased pressures and complexity of hydraulics and the advent of Tier IV engines and their associated excess heat, fires could potentially increase.

So for real facts, I spoke with Kenneth Daniels of AFEX Fire Suppression Systems. AFEX call themselves the heavy equipment experts because that's all they service, heavy equipment. AFEX is in most major mines in the world, have CAT® endorsed products, and their systems are engineered into some John Deere® products. Without giving me the AFEX sales pitch, he explained why I had heard complaints about fire suppression systems in the past.

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As printed in the February 2014 issue of Waste Advantage Magazine.

When it comes to preventing fires on the heavy equipment at landfills, the first line of defense will always be keeping machines clean and well maintained. Using compressed air to clear out the radiator and other areas that tend to gather debris is a common way to do this, and doing it frequently is the easiest way to stay ahead of a problem. This is always time well spent. After all, failure to follow this best practice can result in a build up of flammable fluids and materials, which sets the stage for a fire.

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