Memorial Day, May
31, 2004
Johnston County, North Carolina
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06:43:58
The last
frame before the bullet vehicle glances off the backup unit.
The lead patrol car and minivan can clearly be seen over the
hood of the CVPI. |
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06:43:58
The bullet
vehicle has sideswiped the backup unit and is now impacting
the lead unit. The officer seen in the image still has not
had time to even react to the impact. |
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06:43:59
The bullet
vehicle comes more into frame, and the FIRE Panel powder can
already be seen, creating a cloud of protection to inhibit
the start of fire. |
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06:43:59
The powder
cloud grows as the impact continues. The bullet vehicle almost
rolls over as a result of the impact. |
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06:44:00
The powder
cloud grows as the impact continues. |
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06:44:00
The bullet
vehicle has come to rest
The FIRE
Panel powder has completely enshrouded the front of the bullet
vehicle as well as the lead CVPI and minivan. |
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06:44:15
Even 15
seconds after the vehicles have come to rest, and the majority
of the ignition sources, such as dragging metal) have ceased,
FIRE Panel’s powder still lingers around the scene, inhibiting
the chance of a fire.
The FIRE
Panel’s fire suppressing ability remains in full effect as
long as the powder can be seen. As rule of thumb, if the powder
cloud appears to be as thick, or thicker, than cigarette smoke
in a typical bar, then the environment is inert and the fire
cannot start. |
While FIRE Panel maintains that our testing in November
2003 was the most accurate, real-world, worst-case scenario test
conducted yet, we have now found even more compelling footage –
an actual accident with a FIRE Panel equipped CVPI captured on an
in-car police video camera from Memorial Day 2004.
The incident occurred around 7 am on the morning
of May 31, 2004 in Johnston County, North Carolina. A North Carolina
State Trooper had pulled a minivan over for a traffic stop along
I-95 with a second NC Trooper responding as backup. During the stop
a pick-up truck drifted out of the traffic lanes, sideswiping the
backup unit and making hard contact with the rear of the lead unit.
The accident was clearly videotaped by the in-car
camera in the backup unit, showing the pick-up’s impact into the
lead car and the subsequent plume of fire suppressing powder released
from the FIRE Panel. Those captured images can be found above.
Fortunately, neither State Trooper was critically
injured.
FIRE Panel is proud of our product and we have gone
to great lengths to test its ability to enhance the safety of the
CVPI in situations such as these. However, this real world demonstration
of the panel’s ability to effectively disperse fire-suppressing
powder during the accident on May 31, 2004 clearly answers any criticism
of the responsiveness of the technology. To receive a copy of the
in-car video along with the FIRE Panel test footage from November
2003 please contact us at (866) 607-0747 or at info@firepanel.net.
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