Fire suppression solution for forestry vehicle

Fire protection specialist Wormald has designed and installed a fire suppression system for Logset’s new forestry vehicle, the 10F Titan Forwarder.

The Logset 10F Titan Forwarder, containing Wormwald’s fire suppression system.

Logset is a Finnish manufacturer of forestry machinery and has recently started operating in the Australian market. The company provides solutions to logging professionals and its 10F Titan Forwarder is a heavy-framed machine with a load capacity of 18 tonnes.

Wormald was engaged to design and install a vehicle fire suppression system on the 10F. Firstly, the Wormald team carried out a formalised fire risk assessment of the vehicle, in accordance with Australian Standard AS 5062-2006: Fire Protection for Mobile & Transportable Equipment. They then installed a 35 L automatic/manual foam water spray fire suppression system which is housed in a 5 mm thick steel box, designed by the company specifically for forestry equipment.

Wormald’s foam water spray vehicle fire suppression (VFS) system is compliant with AS 5062-2006. It features high pressure and small droplet nozzles which target risk areas such as the turbo charger and starter motor in the engine compartment. The system utilises the fire-suppressing and containment features of aqueous film forming foam (AFFF). In the event of a fire, a continuous stream of foam water spray is discharged to rapidly suppress flames and dramatically cool hot surfaces. At the same time, the generated foam acts to smother fuel and oil-spill fires, helping to prevent reignition.

Ian Vincent, from Wormald’s Albury branch, said, “There are many combustible components in heavy forestry vehicles which are in close proximity to ignition and heat sources. Considering the potential for timber to add to the fuel load, the risk of a fire can be very high. The VFS system on the 10F Titan Forwarder is configured so that in the event of a fire, early detection and warning is provided to the driver. This should allow extra time to safely evacuate, while also quickly suppressing the fire to help minimise damage to the vehicle.”

Markku Turunen at Logset said, “The Wormald team showed their expertise and professionalism in designing the fire suppression system for our 10F Titan Forwarder. We showcased the vehicle at this year’s AUSTimber show and it received a great response from attendees. We are expecting to have more 10Fs available to the Australian market soon and will work with Wormald in fitting them with suitable vehicle fire-suppression systems.”