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November 20, 2024
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On fire at Electra Mining Africa 2022: Smart, efficient and cost-effective fire-suppression solutions from FOGMAKER South Africa

FOGMAKER South Africa (Pty) Ltd will use Electra Mining Africa 2022 as a platform to showcase its renowned fire suppression systems as well as to introduce new products and technologies to the mining industry.

“Based on our past experience, this mining exhibition serves as an excellent meeting point for all our stakeholders, from customers, end-users and industry experts to our OEM partners,” says FOGMAKER South Africa’s Managing Director, John Russell. “Alongside our proven Swedish-manufactured FOGMAKER water-mist fire suppression system, this year’s show will also see the unveiling the introduction of Q-TEC Fire’s foam fire suppression solution into our product portfolio.”

Essentially every diesel engine-operated vehicle and machine is susceptible to fires due to presence of heat, rapid airflow and flammable fluids. Fires present a real and serious threat to mining operations so ensuring that steps are taken to minimise the fire risk through design and operational procedures, and where the fire risk is still unacceptable that an effective, certified and reliable fire suppression system is in place is paramount. A small fire in a mine can spread quickly, leading to catastrophic results including loss of life as well as exorbitant costs linked to damages and downtime.

“Building on the tremendous success of the live demonstrations of our FOGMAKER triple-action fire-suppression system at the 2018 show, visitors to our stand P17 in Nasrec’s lake area can once again look forward to seeing this highly effective system in action,” continues John. “The daily live demos will be conducted on a FOGMAKER system fitted on to an OEM mining machine, highlighting the total flooding capability of water-mist technology as well as the ability to integrate our technologies into OEM equipment to ensure safe operation.”

“We are delighted and honoured that a large delegation from FOGMAKER International will be traveling from Sweden to participate in the exhibition, and our stakeholders will be able to engage with them on FOGMAKER’s global activities and operations. We are also extremely excited to announce that we will be showcasing real FOGMAKER installation on various OEM equipment on partner OEM stands!”

The low-weight, low-maintenance FOGMAKER system utilises the power of the purest extinguishant i.e. water, in the form of high-pressure mist (50-micron droplets) to effectively suppress the fire in seconds. The system combines water with 3% Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) to rapidly attack all three components of the fire triangle namely heat, oxygen and fuel. “We refer to this as the FOGMAKER TRIPLE ACTION3 effect,” adds John.

Engine protected by Q-TEC foam spray fire suppression system

The FOGMAKER system is suited to any application where diesel driven machines are being operated and is smartly engineered to be compact and installed in any orientation.  This makes it particularly suitable for machines where space to mount a storage cylinder is limited as is the case with most mobile mining equipment. FOGMAKER systems are manufactured according to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards and have been certified by globally recognised authorities to meet global fire suppression standards.

We recently expanded our reach for solutions into very large mobile equipment and fixed plant with the introduction to our product portfolio of the Q-TEC Fire Services foam fire suppression system. Q-TEC is manufactured in Australia, and has a proud history expanding 30 years in the provision of foam fire suppression systems.  Q-TEC uses the F3 Fluorine Free Foam Agent that is compliant with all United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) laws and offers the most advanced and developed foam-spray fire suppression systems to the mining industry. The system is ideal for larger mobile mining equipment, as well as fixed plant such as diesel bowsers and conveyor belts.  The FOGMAKER and Q-TEC fire suppression systems are also suitable for the military, marine, ports & harbour, airport, bus & coach and forestry sectors. “Our offering includes rent-own financing options to facilitate the protection of large fleets where the upfront costs are normally restrictive,” adds John.

John points out that the effectiveness of their fire suppression systems, which is validated through extensive global certification, must be the key factor when selecting any reputable system. However, the effectiveness of any fire suppression system when called into action is ultimately defined by the design, installation and maintenance of the system. “These elements are dependent on the ability and training of the installation technicians, and we pride ourselves on our highly skilled and professional team.”

Further added value delivered by the FOGMAKER and Q-TEC solutions includes low total cost of ownership, driven by extended life cycle, low maintenance and machine availability. “Moreover, the ability of our systems to seamlessly integrate with OEM and 3rd party systems enhances safety by ensuring that the machine cannot operate without an active fire suppression system,” affirms John.

“We extend an invitation to all Electra Mining visitors to please come and join us on our stand to see these systems in action and to meet our specialist team in person who are eager to share more about our products and technologies. We look forward to a highly successful show and to entertaining everyone at our infamous Thursday evening function with live entertainment,” concludes John.

FOGMAKER South Africa is a proud subsidiary of GiGi Investments and will be exhibiting at Electra Mining with sister companies Integrated Air Solutions, Integrated Pump Technology and Integrated Pump Rental.

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