On April 17, 2024, the Firefighter Air Coalition (FAC) will kick off its presence at the Fire Department Instructor’s Conference, the largest conference for the worldwide fire service. FAC’s mission to advance firefighter health and safety through new and revolutionary technology is a defined and focused mission.
In this year’s conference, FAC will present new and revolutionary products in collaboration with its technology partners Johnson Controls, Lifeline Firehose, and Arctic Compressor.
Johnson Controls is demonstrating the Firefighter Air Replenishment System (FARS) in the FAC Booth 11056. FARS is an air standpipe system that allows firefighters a simple, fast, and easy connection to refill their tanks in just minutes. This eliminates the traditional need for dedicating firefighters to serve as a bottle brigade hauling air to the scene up 25 stories and more, or into the middle of 1,000,000 square feet.
The need for FARS is global. Million square foot distribution centers and warehouses are consuming rural areas in the United States. The solution to land scarcity in metropolitan areas is high-rise construction. Beyond US borders, it is estimated that construction costs in the Saudi Arabia will be in the range of $73 trillion dollars. Whether it is a distribution center or a high rise – a firefighter’s air bottle provides them with 30 minutes of life,” said Mark Fessenden, President of the FAC. “We need to do better than that.” The air standpipe system is an absolute solution for emergency response. It provides building owners and insurers with the assurances that firefighters will have the necessary air supply to protect and serve. What good is a water standpipe without an air standpipe?
Another exciting air system is the Lifeline Firehose (Booth 6072). This is a system that uses patented coupler design technology to deliver both breathable air for respiration and water for fighting fire, utilizing the Buddy Breather at the end of the nozzle.
With a deeper understanding of the health hazards posed by toxicants at fire scenes, the importance of safe, clean, readily available breathing air cannot be overstated. Recognizing this critical need, Artic Compressor (Booth 5557) partnered with Fathom® E-Power systems to introduce the Arctic All Power Mobile Air Trailer, a groundbreaking solution posed to revolutionize breathing air supply logistics for firefighting operations.
Building landscapes are changing throughout the world, but firefighters are not. They are human beings with a limited air supply to rescue and protect the communities they serve. The FAC’s ultimate mission is to ensure the industry continues to advance and support firefighter air systems and technology.
Despite sprinkler systems being an absolute necessity to prevent thermal injuries and death, today’s fire smoke is more toxic than in years past. When burned or off-gassing, modern plastics and synthetics create an IDLH environment that is deadly to anyone unprotected – especially firefighters who are left to secure the property through overhaul operations. Only air makes that possible.
It is Firefighter Air Coalition’s mission to educate all professionals involved in building construction about firefighters’ air supply limitations in high-rise and big box buildings so that emergency response measures that will save people on the 25th floor or in the center of one million square feet become second nature.
Demonstrations of the Firefighter Air Replenishment System will occur April 17-19, 2026 at the Fire Department Instructor’s Conference, Indiana Convention Center, Booth 11056.
To schedule a private demonstration please contact Shawn Longerich, (317) 690-2542.
