Is it a miracle? No, just a DSPA fire extinguisher

The cause of fighting fires took great leaps forward in recent decades, particularly when seen in the context of the profession’s former incarnations of bucket brigades and horse-drawn fire engines.

Equipment available for today’s firefighters might seem even miraculous to fire brigade members from a century ago.

Fire-resistant turnout gear?

Air packs that supply fresh air to firefighters in smoke-filled buildings?

Heat-sensing cameras that locate hot spots and fire victims?

Miraculous.

Well, then, what would you call an 8-inch disk that, once activated and tossed into a burning building, sprays a non-toxic chemical powder that greatly suppresses flames and cools the room so that firefighters can safely enter?

We’re tempted to call that a miracle.

Firefighters call it a Dry Sprinkler Powder Aerosol fire extinguisher.

In a presentation this week, a local insurance executive gave DSPAs to the Dixon City and Dixon Rural fire departments. The departments will carry the devices in their first-response vehicles.

Just think what this means to local firefighters and the people they protect. After deploying a DSPA, firefighters will be able to enter a burning structure more quickly and rescue trapped inhabitants. With raging flames knocked down to size, firefighters will use less water to extinguish a blaze, meaning less property damage.

DSPAs can do all this without harming humans, animals or the environment, without sucking out the oxygen from a room, and without destroying evidence of arson.

The device already has proved its worth in the Sauk Valley. The Oregon Fire Department used a DSPA when called to fight a basement fire last month. The disk contributed to the firefighters’ ability to put out the fire in just 8 minutes and use only 50 gallons of water.

This near-miraculous technology is available now in Dixon because of the generosity of the PLN Mutual Insurance Co. of Dixon and its general manager, Chuck Jones. The company donated the DSPAs, worth about $1,000 each.

What a great idea. What a generous donation. In this era of tight local governmental budgets, we encourage other businesses, organizations and community members to consider similar gifts of advanced firefighting technology to local fire departments.