Alliance moves toward model voluntary halon collection program
Developing and implementing a model voluntary halon collection program that will divert nonessential halon to more critical uses are the objectives of a recently formed coalition. Once developed, pilot halon collection programs are expected to be instituted in the state of Rhode Island and areas in the states of California and New York.
The goal of the voluntary halon collection effort, explains the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM), “is to preserve the availability of halon for essential uses (such as national security), while allowing for the transition to more environmentally acceptable fire suppressants for other needs. By removing existing halon from facilities, the transition to more environmentally friendly halon alternatives can be expedited.
The coalition`s efforts, according to the NASFM, will encourage more fire departments to become involved in and build on initiatives such as the Friends of the Earth Ozone Protection Campaign, which encourage individuals and companies to try to transfer their halon to more critical uses.
“Fire officials fought the initial move to ban halon production in the early 1990s, because suitable alternatives did not then exist,” noted NASFM Project Manager Frank McGarry. “Now that acceptable alternatives exist for most applications, it`s time for the fire service to help facilitate the transition. In the meantime, we also want to emphasize that fire protection and environmental protection are both important and don`t have to be at odds with one another.”
In addition to the NASFM, coalition members include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Friends of the Earth, the Halon Alternatives Research Corporation, the Fire Suppression Systems Association, the California Association of Fire Chiefs, the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs, and various fire equipment distributors.
Halon production in the United States and other developed nations ceased in 1994 as a result of the Montreal Protocol international agreement because the fire suppressant was destructive to the earth`s protective ozone layer. Recycled halon, however, may still be purchased and used.
