Fire extinguisher ball introduced in Ghana

Accra, Aug.23, GNA- The Ghana National Fire Service, is carrying out series of tests on samples of a fire extinguisher ball that could be hurled from afar to extinguish fires.

The fire extinguisher, which is smaller than a bowling ball and weighs 1.4 kilograms, is a revolution in the extinguishing technology from Thailand.

It activates automatically upon contact with fire and releases a cocktail of fire-eating chemical.

Mr Peter Kenyenso, Managing Director of Micro Office Supplies who briefed the Ghana News Agency on the invention said it bursts into action within three seconds of exposure to heat from flames. Fire-proof powder, mono-ammonium phosphate and non-chlorofluorocarbon foam spurt out to dampen the flames and suck up the oxygen that keeps fires burning.

The balls emits a high-pitched alarm set at 138 decibels, loud enough to signal for help but tolerable to human ears. Woradech Kaimart, invented the balls after witnessing a hotel fire at the Thai beach resort of Pattaya, South East Of Bangkok, in 1997 that killed more than 100 people.

It can be installed strategically, within 30 centimetres radius of high fire-risk areas.

Mr Kenyenso said the ball could be placed about 1.0- 1.5 metres above flammable liquid for class "B" fire and wall mount of about 10 centimetres above electrical switch board for class "C" fire. He said it could extinguish fires involving carbonaceous solids such as wood, cloth, paper, rubber , plastics as well as flammable and combustible liquids.

Mr Kenyenso said the driving force of the ball is not harmful to human beings or the environment.