ALTERNATING FOR HALON 1301 IN TACTICAL VEHICLE FIREFIGHTING SYSTEMS

THIS PHASE I EFFORT WILL PRODUCE A LIST OF TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC MERITS AND DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF CANDIDATE HALON 1301 REPLACEMENT AGENTS TO FILL ITS ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS. BECAUSE OF ITS HIGH EFFECTIVENESS AND LOW TOXICITY, HALON 1301 IS THE ARMY'S PRINCIPAL TACTICAL VEHICLE FIREFIGHTING AGENT, BUT INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS HAVE LED TO ITS MANDATORY ELIMINATION. SINCE NO THOROUGH SEARCH FOR SUCH AN AGENT HAS BEEN CONDUCTED FOR OVER FORTY YEARS, AND THERE ARE NOW MANY NEW AGENTS AVAILABLE, NEW RESEARCH IS REQUIRED TO IDENTIFY AGENTS TO REPLACE IT. THESE AGENTS MUST BE EFFECTIVE FIREFIGHTING AGENTS IN THE ROLES CURRENTLY FILLED BY HALON 1301, BE COMPATIBLE WITH HARDWARE DELIVERY AND STORAGE SYSTEMS, AND HAVE ACCEPTABLE TOXICITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. SINCE THERE ARE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS FOR FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEMS, THE LIST MUST INCLUDE AGENTS HAVING A WIDE RANGE OF PHYSICAL PROPERTIES. A SYSTEM WILL BE DEVELOPED TO HELP RANK AGENTS WHICH MEET THE INITIAL SET OF CRITERIA FOR EACH SPECIFIC APPLICATION BY FACTORS SUCH AS FIREFIGHTING CAPABILITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. OTHER FACTORS WILL BE INCLUDED AS NEEDED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS.