We started writing about it Foam firefighting events several years ago when we noticed trends regarding unintentional activations of foam fire suppression systems affecting our customers. These false activations initially caused significant aircraft damage. As a result, the resulting severely disrupted hangar and flight operations caused reputational damage and financial pain to many private and charter aircraft operators, as well as FBO and MRO companies.
The frustration of our customers remains. These trends continue unabated and anecdotally seem to be increasing as some of our customers have been suffering from false activations in recent months. Some of these activations were major events where multiple aircraft were damaged and required expensive repairs. We also observed false activations impacting industry participants outside of our portfolio.
The accidental discharges continue to confuse aircraft and hangar operators. Paradoxically, the technological advances that should reduce false activations may actually contribute to more glitches. Many false activations can be traced back to malfunctioning electrical components, often caused by moisture contamination, electrical surges, and poor design for a specific hangar environment. In a way, the advanced technologies seem to be making the systems more vulnerable.
Reduced fire protection requirements provide potential relief
We are pleased to report that significant progress has been made over the past year thanks to a number of industry influences, but particularly the advocacy of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and its members.
In late 2021, after many years of lobbying from NATA and others, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) agreed to adopt amendments to NFPA 409, Standard on Aircraft Hangars, the primary standard for aircraft fire protection in the United States and elsewhere .
The standard basically requires that automatic foam extinguishing systems…
