ABOUT US
Clean Fire Extinguishing Agents Since 1992
The American Pacific- Halotron® business manufactures a series of clean fire-extinguishing agents that incorporate blends of chemicals and hardware designed to replace the ozone depleting halons that were widely used in fire-extinguishing systems at the time.
American Pacific Halotron Division is part of the NewMarket Corporation (NYSE: NEU) family of companies and has been working in the clean agent fire protection industry for over 32 years.
Clean • Safe • Non-Corrosive • Electrically Non-Conductive
The Story of Halotron®
Changing Global Policies & Standards
In 1987, more than 60 nations signed the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete Stratospheric Ozone, which prescribed measures to phase out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons with high ozone depletion potential (ODP).
The U.S. government implemented the provisions of the Montreal Protocol through the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990, and required the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create a program to evaluate proposed substitutes for CFCs and ozone-depleting halons. This program is called the Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP).
Joined Worldwide Effort to Replace CFCs and Severe Ozone Depleting Halons
Initial development of the first phase of Halotron® clean agents to substitute for halons 1211 and 1301 occurred in Sweden in the early 1990’s. Halon1211 was widely employed in portable fire extinguishers and halon 1301 was frequently employed in total flooding systems in the 1970s and 1980s. Production of halons ended in all developed countries (as defined by the UN) to include the US, Europe, and Canada, at the end of 1993.
The U.S. EPA SNAP program found Halotron® I to be acceptable as a halon 1211 substitute in its first list of acceptable substitutes published in early 1994. Fire testing with the US Department of Defense first occurred in late 1992, followed by full scale fire testing with the US Federal Aviation Administration (US FAA) in 1993, the latter leading to approval of the use of Halotron® I for airport ramp fire protection to replace halon 1211. Fire testing of Halotron® I in various hardware at Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Northbrook Illinois USA, first occurred in 1995 and thereafter led to multiple UL listed fire extinguishers offered by OEM partners of AMPAC.
Halotron® BrX (stabilized 2-BTP) was developed exclusively in the U.S. initially in the early 2000’s after an extensive screening process for high performance halocarbon-based clean agents that might be a “drop-in” for halon 1211 in certain critical applications such as aviation. That process included toxicological testing as well as fire testing to measure acceptability. This process extended over a period of more than 10 years. The proprietary stabilizer package employed to this date, necessary to ensure reliable performance in typical packaging, was developed and patented in this period. Fire testing at UL leading to UL Listed hardware was first completed in 2016.
Buckeye Fire Equipment Company (Buckeye)
The first major US partner OEM to offer UL Listed equipment containing Halotron® I in 1996 was Buckeye Fire Equipment Company, a major manufacturer of portable fire extinguishers in the United States. American Pacific assisted Buckeye in completing a rigorous extended fire and hardware test program that resulted in multiple UL Listed fire extinguishers. This was followed two years later with the entry of Amerex offering multiple UL Listed Halotron® I fire extinguishers.
“The first major partner OEMs to offer UL or equivalent Listed Halotron® BrX extinguishers were P3 Engineering (now Accenture/umlaut) and Kidde Aerospace and this occurred in 2017. They both offered an Federal Aviation Administration approved Halotron® BrX portable for use on board commercial aircraft at that time.
American Pacific Southwest Regional Fire Training Center
Beginning in 1999, American Pacific utilized its unique Cedar City Utah fire testing facility (Southwest Regional Fire Training Center) to assist OEM partners Buckeye and Amerex to achieve UL Listed Halotron® I containing wheeled units. UL 711 compliant fire pans of various sizes up to 400 ft2 in area are maintained. UL witnessed fire testing, which was a requirement to achieve the UL Listings in 65 lb (29.5 kg) and 150 lb (68 kg) size units.
The Southwest Regional Fire Training Center is located within the American Pacific production facility where manufacturing and other testing of Halotron® products occurs.
Our Products
Halotron BrX®
Designed for streaming applications where efficient fire-fighting performance is the predominant factor.
Halotron ® I
Designed for streaming applications in handheld fire extinguishers and local applications.
Halotron® II
A total flooding clean agent designed for normally unoccupied spaces.