Posted: 12/5/2013 7:22:14 AM EDT
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Anyone know what kind of fire extinguisher is used inside humvees?
Just wondering what chemicals I inhaled. My squad was posted up on a road block talking to the Iraqi Civilian Watch one time and the driver of the vehicle wondered what the red button did.... 
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Powder I think. All I remember was a whitish cloud and cold air. Quoted:
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Gas or powder? Powder I think. All I remember was a whitish cloud and cold air. If it was powder, you would have known ot. Everything would be covered on off white powder like clown makeup. Whitish cloud and cold air sounds more like CO2, not the best for fighting liquids on fire. Halon is expensive as a bitch, and has been for 20 years (thanks EPA), but it is good stuff |
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Anyone know what kind of fire extinguisher is used inside humvees? Just wondering what chemicals I inhaled. My squad was posted up on a road block talking to the Iraqi Civilian Watch one time and the driver of the vehicle wondered what the red button did.... Halon. At least thats what was in our's It's open source information available to everyone on the internet. It should be on stickers in the vehicle. I had a situation in 2010 and the vehicle's anti fire system was activated. The vehicle was instantly and fully engulfed in flames with all of my guys inside. The gunner was trapped in the center of this fire because of his gunner's rentention harness and received 3rd degree burns from the waste down. I was blown/thrown through my 500lb armored door. The fire was so intense that the halon system did not put it out for 10 to 15 seconds. My driver inhaled that stuff and said that he throat and lungs/chest felt burned for a couple of weeks. Just google halon. Anyone that breathed that stuff for more than 5 seconds should at least be checked out by your battalion med section. |
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No. This happened a few years ago. Quoted:
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Do you have access to the extinguisher or the label? No. This happened a few years ago. Just saw this. There is nothing wrong with anyone that breathed that if you're talking years ago and you're just now asking about it. |
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Halon. At least thats what was in our's It's open source information available to everyone on the internet. It should be on stickers in the vehicle. I had a situation in 2010 and the vehicle's anti fire system was activated. The vehicle was instantly and fully engulfed in flames with all of my guys inside. The gunner was trapped in the center of this fire because of his gunner's rentention harness and received 3rd degree burns from the waste down. I was blown/thrown through my 500lb armored door. The fire was so intense that the halon system did not put it out for 10 to 15 seconds. My driver inhaled that stuff and said that he throat and lungs/chest felt burned for a couple of weeks. Just google halon. Anyone that breathed that stuff for more than 5 seconds should at least be checked out by your battalion med section. Quoted:
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Anyone know what kind of fire extinguisher is used inside humvees? Just wondering what chemicals I inhaled. My squad was posted up on a road block talking to the Iraqi Civilian Watch one time and the driver of the vehicle wondered what the red button did.... Halon. At least thats what was in our's It's open source information available to everyone on the internet. It should be on stickers in the vehicle. I had a situation in 2010 and the vehicle's anti fire system was activated. The vehicle was instantly and fully engulfed in flames with all of my guys inside. The gunner was trapped in the center of this fire because of his gunner's rentention harness and received 3rd degree burns from the waste down. I was blown/thrown through my 500lb armored door. The fire was so intense that the halon system did not put it out for 10 to 15 seconds. My driver inhaled that stuff and said that he throat and lungs/chest felt burned for a couple of weeks. Just google halon. Anyone that breathed that stuff for more than 5 seconds should at least be checked out by your battalion med section. When we were doing Bradley IFV/Eagle NET training, they said if the HALON system ever goes off while you're inside with it buttoned up driving down the road or doing training, don't expect to live. 
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Just saw this. There is nothing wrong with anyone that breathed that if you're talking years ago and you're just now asking about it. Quoted:
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Do you have access to the extinguisher or the label? No. This happened a few years ago. Just saw this. There is nothing wrong with anyone that breathed that if you're talking years ago and you're just now asking about it. I'm not worried about any affects. I was just wanting to know. |
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Halon is an oxygen displacement gas to quench the fire.
The gas itself is not harmful. When in use, it's obviously displacing the oxygen from the fire to put it out but also makes it hard for you to breath. ETA: like any compressed gas, it will also be very cold when expanded out of the canister. If you are breathing it directly or have bare skin in the stream, you could get a "cold burn" from it. Same as CO2 or any highly compressed gas. |
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When we were doing Bradley IFV/Eagle NET training, they said if the HALON system ever goes off while you're inside with it buttoned up driving down the road or doing training, don't expect to live. Quoted:
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Anyone know what kind of fire extinguisher is used inside humvees? Just wondering what chemicals I inhaled. My squad was posted up on a road block talking to the Iraqi Civilian Watch one time and the driver of the vehicle wondered what the red button did.... Halon. At least thats what was in our's It's open source information available to everyone on the internet. It should be on stickers in the vehicle. I had a situation in 2010 and the vehicle's anti fire system was activated. The vehicle was instantly and fully engulfed in flames with all of my guys inside. The gunner was trapped in the center of this fire because of his gunner's rentention harness and received 3rd degree burns from the waste down. I was blown/thrown through my 500lb armored door. The fire was so intense that the halon system did not put it out for 10 to 15 seconds. My driver inhaled that stuff and said that he throat and lungs/chest felt burned for a couple of weeks. Just google halon. Anyone that breathed that stuff for more than 5 seconds should at least be checked out by your battalion med section. When we were doing Bradley IFV/Eagle NET training, they said if the HALON system ever goes off while you're inside with it buttoned up driving down the road or doing training, don't expect to live. That would be from the lack of Oxygen and not the Halon itself. |
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I had this happen in 08 inside my Bradley. We rolled out the gate to head to our roving guard area and I told my driver to turn on the CREW system...
I heard a loud ass boom, the air tasted nasty as fuck, and my first thought was some hadji had thrown a grenade at my Brad. A couple seconds later, a dumbass below and to my front left told me he had hit the wrong switch... |
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Ive wondered if it was Halon. I know that Halon is not used anymore for commercial use, but was unsure for military operations. Quoted:
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Halon. Dibs on guns and ammo. Ive wondered if it was Halon. I know that Halon is not used anymore for commercial use, but was unsure for military operations. It's been some years but I was around when they installed the fire suppression system in the AAVs - definitely halon. We were warned it could suffocate you but that was preferable to being made to look like Paul Walker. |
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Quoted: Powder I think. All I remember was a whitish cloud and cold air. Quoted: Quoted: Gas or powder? Powder I think. All I remember was a whitish cloud and cold air.  No health risks with this or any other mainstream fire fighting chemical.
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Quoted: Halon is an oxygen displacement gas to quench the fire. The gas itself is not harmful. When in use, it's obviously displacing the oxygen from the fire to put it out but also makes it hard for you to breath. ETA: like any compressed gas, it will also be very cold when expanded out of the canister. If you are breathing it directly or have bare skin in the stream, you could get a "cold burn" from it. Same as CO2 or any highly compressed gas. |
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Halon its self is not that bad. Decomposed halon after burning is where it gets bad. But it is better than fire. Its been a while so I cant remember what it decompooses to but its not good for you. And it is a better option than co2 flooding for a manned vehicle.
Poster above me it correct. Halon inhibits the chemical chain reaction that is fire. |
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If it was cold then it was halon mist: http://www.firepro-wa.com/fikefm200discharge.gif No health risks with this or any other mainstream fire fighting chemical. Quoted:
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Gas or powder? Powder I think. All I remember was a whitish cloud and cold air. http://www.firepro-wa.com/fikefm200discharge.gif No health risks with this or any other mainstream fire fighting chemical. That's kinda what it looked like. |
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If it was powder, you would have known ot. Everything would be covered on off white powder like clown makeup. Whitish cloud and cold air sounds more like CO2, not the best for fighting liquids on fire. Halon is expensive as a bitch, and has been for 20 years (thanks EPA), but it is good stuff Quoted:
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Gas or powder? Powder I think. All I remember was a whitish cloud and cold air. If it was powder, you would have known ot. Everything would be covered on off white powder like clown makeup. Whitish cloud and cold air sounds more like CO2, not the best for fighting liquids on fire. Halon is expensive as a bitch, and has been for 20 years (thanks EPA), but it is good stuff I was in the TL seat (front passenger) and the gunner kicked the fire extinguisher...ya I was covered in white powder  , even the DI (happened in AIT) couldn't keep a straight face
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A fellow arfcommer (Hoodwink) and I had a 40# ABC go off inside of our work truck once. A newspaper photographer happened to be close by and started taking pictures thinking our truck was on fire. We ended up taking everything out and using a pressure washer to clean it.
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Anyone know what kind of fire extinguisher is used inside humvees? Just wondering what chemicals I inhaled. My squad was posted up on a road block talking to the Iraqi Civilian Watch one time and the driver of the vehicle wondered what the red button did.... 
Its normally Purple Shit - Maybe they changed it |
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http://www.safetyemporium.com/ILPI_Site/Views/P01_29020399098518.jpg Its normally Purple Shit - Maybe they changed it yeah, thats what I remember. We had an ASV's fire suppression go off when its brakes caught fire. |
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Halon went off in my Bradley while we were on the range once. After a few seconds I realized what was going on and told my drive over the intercom to move out. I kept calling him and he never answered. I then stood up and looked out of the turret and he was standing about 100 meters away. He said that it scared the shit out of him and he exited the drivers hatch in record time. |
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I saw it go off in the drivers hatch of an Abrams, my driver thought he got hit over the head with a crowbar when the bottle popped a couple inches from his face.
I had a mechanic pop the suppression system inside an abrams turret with me in it. I was cleaning the breach and had just cleaned the machine guns. He was doing a test on the sensors and disabled the system to test them. He then enabled the halon system, but never turned off the sensors. It immediately covered everything I had just cleaned in white powder. I was fucking pissed. Never had one go in my JERRV as EOD, but my security always popped their system in the MATV's. |
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That would be from the lack of Oxygen and not the Halon itself. Quoted:
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Anyone know what kind of fire extinguisher is used inside humvees? Just wondering what chemicals I inhaled. My squad was posted up on a road block talking to the Iraqi Civilian Watch one time and the driver of the vehicle wondered what the red button did.... Halon. At least thats what was in our's It's open source information available to everyone on the internet. It should be on stickers in the vehicle. I had a situation in 2010 and the vehicle's anti fire system was activated. The vehicle was instantly and fully engulfed in flames with all of my guys inside. The gunner was trapped in the center of this fire because of his gunner's rentention harness and received 3rd degree burns from the waste down. I was blown/thrown through my 500lb armored door. The fire was so intense that the halon system did not put it out for 10 to 15 seconds. My driver inhaled that stuff and said that he throat and lungs/chest felt burned for a couple of weeks. Just google halon. Anyone that breathed that stuff for more than 5 seconds should at least be checked out by your battalion med section. When we were doing Bradley IFV/Eagle NET training, they said if the HALON system ever goes off while you're inside with it buttoned up driving down the road or doing training, don't expect to live. That would be from the lack of Oxygen and not the Halon itself. I was always told that Halon worked by lowering the oxygen concentration to below a level needed to sustain a fire (below a 50% oxygen content atmosphere comes to mind). But that oxygen concentration would still support human life. Of course that was all based on a Halon system sized for a computer facility with a 50' x 50' room. A vehicle system might have had a higher Halon content as a design goal. |
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Anyone know what kind of fire extinguisher is used inside humvees? Just wondering what chemicals I inhaled. My squad was posted up on a road block talking to the Iraqi Civilian Watch one time and the driver of the vehicle wondered what the red button did.... Halon It happens sometimes in Abrams and is pretty much a non-event. Not sure why people are scared fuckless of the stuff. I suppose it can kill you from lack of oxygen, but the fear most people have is that it is going to give them some disease or long term health effects. In the event one does go off and there is not a fire which can either be caused by a mechanical malfunction or a PFC malfunction.. do the following: -stay calm -do not yell at the person who did it yet if it was a PFC malfunction -open the windows if you have them -no windows? no worries, remember the hatch door or ramp that you or others got into the vehicle through in the first place? open it -turn on the heat/AC/turret blower/NBC system -carry on -now is the time to yell if it was a PFC malfunction Halon system tip of the day: if your vehicle crew has smokers, tell them to put a glove over the fire sensor before lighting up. |
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Harmless, yes. But when it goes off unexpectedly in your Abrams it is scary. My initial thought was we got hit.
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Halon It happens sometimes in Abrams and is pretty much a non-event. Not sure why people are scared fuckless of the stuff. I suppose it can kill you from lack of oxygen, but the fear most people have is that it is going to give them some disease or long term health effects. In the event one does go off and there is not a fire which can either be caused by a mechanical malfunction or a PFC malfunction.. do the following: -stay calm -do not yell at the person who did it yet if it was a PFC malfunction -open the windows if you have them -no windows? no worries, remember the hatch door or ramp that you or others got into the vehicle through in the first place? open it -turn on the heat/AC/turret blower/NBC system -carry on -now is the time to yell if it was a PFC malfunction Halon system tip of the day: if your vehicle crew has smokers, tell them to put a glove over the fire sensor before lighting up. Quoted:
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Anyone know what kind of fire extinguisher is used inside humvees? Just wondering what chemicals I inhaled. My squad was posted up on a road block talking to the Iraqi Civilian Watch one time and the driver of the vehicle wondered what the red button did.... Halon It happens sometimes in Abrams and is pretty much a non-event. Not sure why people are scared fuckless of the stuff. I suppose it can kill you from lack of oxygen, but the fear most people have is that it is going to give them some disease or long term health effects. In the event one does go off and there is not a fire which can either be caused by a mechanical malfunction or a PFC malfunction.. do the following: -stay calm -do not yell at the person who did it yet if it was a PFC malfunction -open the windows if you have them -no windows? no worries, remember the hatch door or ramp that you or others got into the vehicle through in the first place? open it -turn on the heat/AC/turret blower/NBC system -carry on -now is the time to yell if it was a PFC malfunction Halon system tip of the day: if your vehicle crew has smokers, tell them to put a glove over the fire sensor before lighting up. |
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Halon It happens sometimes in Abrams and is pretty much a non-event. Not sure why people are scared fuckless of the stuff. I suppose it can kill you from lack of oxygen, but the fear most people have is that it is going to give them some disease or long term health effects. In the event one does go off and there is not a fire which can either be caused by a mechanical malfunction or a PFC malfunction.. do the following: -stay calm -do not yell at the person who did it yet if it was a PFC malfunction -open the windows if you have them -no windows? no worries, remember the hatch door or ramp that you or others got into the vehicle through in the first place? open it -turn on the heat/AC/turret blower/NBC system -carry on -now is the time to yell if it was a PFC malfunction Halon system tip of the day: if your vehicle crew has smokers, tell them to put a glove over the fire sensor before lighting up. Quoted:
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Anyone know what kind of fire extinguisher is used inside humvees? Just wondering what chemicals I inhaled. My squad was posted up on a road block talking to the Iraqi Civilian Watch one time and the driver of the vehicle wondered what the red button did.... Halon It happens sometimes in Abrams and is pretty much a non-event. Not sure why people are scared fuckless of the stuff. I suppose it can kill you from lack of oxygen, but the fear most people have is that it is going to give them some disease or long term health effects. In the event one does go off and there is not a fire which can either be caused by a mechanical malfunction or a PFC malfunction.. do the following: -stay calm -do not yell at the person who did it yet if it was a PFC malfunction -open the windows if you have them -no windows? no worries, remember the hatch door or ramp that you or others got into the vehicle through in the first place? open it -turn on the heat/AC/turret blower/NBC system -carry on -now is the time to yell if it was a PFC malfunction Halon system tip of the day: if your vehicle crew has smokers, tell them to put a glove over the fire sensor before lighting up. Our trucks didn't have an automatic fire system. We tended to hot box it sometimes
Our trucks had a red button. Of course, nothing said "PUSH IN CASE OF FIRE" anywhere
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Halon does more than displace oxygen, as it can inhibit flame with single-digit % concentrations. In the body it bonds with hemoglobin even better than oxygen, making it unavailable for oxygen transport. No long term effects, but it will make you pass out/die far quicker than CO2 in a closed environment.
That said, I once discharged a Halon bottle (like an idiot!) in an aircraft baggage compartment with a ramper in it. He's still upright.
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