Halon dumps: a data point

From: CLASSICCMP_at_trailing-edge.com <(CLASSICCMP_at_trailing-edge.com)>
Date: Thu Sep 14 05:21:19 2000

>>Moderately good news: Halon dumps aren't instantly fatal.

>It can very nearly be.
>
>It's an oxygen displacer and non combustable in itself and non
>posionous but it's not oxygen! It can be lethal due to oxygen
>deprevation. What makes it fairly safe like you saw is that
>it's quite heavy compared to air and hungs the floor.

The air handlers also helped in removing the halon from the room. As
I understand it, during a "normal" (electronically-triggered) Halon dump,
the air handlers would have been cut off to maximize the effectiveness
of the Halon.

In fact, I've heard that Halon's density makes it more dangerous than
if it didn't stratify. Unconscious folks, unfortunately, tend to have
their noses only an inch or two from the floor...

(Did I mention that my office is two floors *below* operations?)

> Those that didn't leave were in my estimation quite foolish.

These guys (and gals) take their jobs *very* seriously. They aren't going
to let anything like the lack of oxygen get in their way!

Tim.
Received on Thu Sep 14 2000 - 05:21:19 BST