A Short History of Halon Fire Suppression Systems

When halon 1301 came on the market in the 1960s it was rightly seen as the most effective gaseous fire fighting agent ever developed. It found widespread application in the protection of data processing rooms, telecommunications switches, art and historical collections, process control rooms, and many others. However, by the late 1980s a great deal of scientific evidence indicated that the agent was an ozone depleting chemical and the Montreal Protocol of 1987 required a phaseout of new production. The fire protection industry began the search for halon alternatives. Current regulations on can be monitored at the HARC website: http://www.harc.org/, or at the EPA website:

Current Status of Halon 1301 Systems

If you have halon systems currently installed in your company facilities and they are located in the United States, you need to know the following facts:

• You are under no legal obligation to remove systems from service.
• There is no federal legal requirement to remove systems from service by any specific date.
• You may legally recharge your system in the event of a discharge
• Recycled agent is still commonly available for fire system recharge.
• No new agent 1301 is being manufactured
• You should plan the replacement of your systems with a halon alternative.

Halon Services from Reliable Fire Equipment

At Reliable Fire Equipment we can perform maintenance on your systems as required under the requirements of NFPA standard #12A. We have recycled agent in the event you require recharge. We will purchase 1301 from you, or offer you a trade in on your system when installing an alternative agent system. We can modify your existing systems if you have a protected room remodeled.

We recommend you begin planning to replace your system with an alternative system. You have a number of good choices:

• Inergen
• FM-200
• FE-13
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
• Air Sampling System

For More Assistance on Halon

For additional assistance on your halon system, or to discuss your alternatives, complete our Survey Request Form and one of our professionals will contact you.