School Bus Fire Suppression
Did you know?
School bus fire suppression is not yet mandatory, but about 1-2 school bus fires occur daily in the US alone. The fumes from these fires have been linked to cause cancer and respiratory issues. A FireGator™ system costs about $312 annually when spread out over the lifetime of the system. Click here to get a quote.
School Bus Fire Suppression
The School Bus Safety Act
Senator Duckworth and Congressmen Cohen and Spires, introduced The School Bus Safety Act, May 20,2021. The Act will require all school buses to have seatbelts and fire suppression systems to address engine fires. The main requirements are listed below. The National Safety Council and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety are supporting the bill.
- A three-point safety belt, which includes a seat belt across a lap as well as a shoulder harness to help protect passengers by restraining them in case of a collision;
- A Fire Suppression System, which addresses engine fires;
- A Firewall that prohibits hazardous quantities of gas or flame to pass through the firewall from the engine compartment to the passenger compartment;
- An Automatic Emergency Braking System, which helps prevent accidents and crashes by detecting objects or vehicles ahead of the bus and braking automatically;
- An Event Data Recorder (EDR) that can record before and during a crash, driver inputs, and restraint usage when a collision occurred; and
- An Electronic Stability Control (ESC) System, which uses automatic computer-controlled braking of individual wheels to assist the driver to remain in control of the vehicle.
School Bus Fire Evacuation
Properly evacuating a school bus during a fire can take several minutes, even with an experienced driver. The thick, black smoke that is created from a bus fire makes it especially difficult. This smoke is very toxic and can be disorienting, not to mention cause lifelong health issues.
It is very important for drivers to have proper training in evacuating the bus during this type of emergency. Even with training, and cooperation from the students it can take 2-5 minutes to evacuate. Children in wheelchairs are the last ones off in an evacuation. Click here to see what a school bus fire evacuation looks like.
School Bus Fire Suppression
FireGator™ offers a simple and effective school bus fire suppression system. The patent-protected HALO allows for uniform installation and inspections. The NFPA recommended biannual inspections can be done by the driver on a phone or tablet. A green LED notifies the driver at all times when the system is armed. The suppression agent is safe for human inhalation for up to one hour, and it can be used with buses that run on all types of power diesel, electric, and gas. Our preassembled kits come specially designed for conventional, rear-engine, and cut-away buses.