A new tool that the Saskatoon Fire Department has had on hand for a few months had its first official use in a fire on Sunday afternoon that turned out to be 2 fires on Avenue R South.
Assistant Chief Wayne Rodger says this high powered fire extinguisher is deployed and has an 8 second delay so it can be thrown into a building to suppress the fire and the heat before the firefighters go in, making it safer, but it’s not effective in all circumstances.
It’s up to the incident commander to make the decision when it should be used.
Rodger says on Sunday, when firefighters first responded to a blaze on Avenue R, there was only 1 reported fire, but when they got there, they realized there were 2, so while more crews were on their way, the fire suppression grenade was used on the second boarded up home.
Rodger notes that new technologies have really improved the tools they have.
For instance, the breathing apparatus has changed lots in the last 50 years and the nozzles have better options in hose stream applications, so this new extinguisher is just another example of the advancements in technology.