There’s a new and proven tool that’s beginning to impact the fire fighting community that will change emergency responder history and save lives during extractions and other emergencies where a cutting fuel is required. That new tool is called MagneGas2® and one of its earliest adopters is the well-respected Fire Department of New York (FDNY). As first announced in January 2015, the FDNY said it had completed 18 months of testing MagneGas2 and approved it for use as a metal cutting and extraction tool and has placed its first order.
The FDNY highlighted the fuel’s hotter flame temperature and the ability to use its tanks in various positions and not solely in the upright position as required with acetylene. Additionally sited was the fact that it is more stable and safer to deploy in harsh conditions and that its tanks have lighter properties making deployment faster. They also made it a point to highlight the fact that it is made in the U.S.A. from renewable and less costly waste liquids.
The FDNY also went on to distinguish MagneGas2’s concentrated heat effect zone, which is virtually non-existent. That means it is better and safer to use while rescuing victims, especially during extractions, because there is significantly less heat transfer to the metal being cut which can help avoid burning the victim in the course of attempting to save them. Finally, it is lighter than air, meaning it will disperse in the event of a leak versus acetylene which pools to ground, becoming very dangerous near an ignition source.
For those firefighters who have been working with acetylene as their primary metal cutting and extraction tool, it’s likely no surprise that its singular greatest hazard is its intrinsic instability. Every day and in every corner of the country where acetylene is used regularly, firefighters face its dangers. The gas is generally very common and therefore found almost anywhere, extremely flammable, unstable and when mixed together with air forms a very explosive mixture. Of course, this is not a welcome combination for firefighters and first responders to face in light of the fact they are often using the gas in less than ideal, and many times emergency, situations with their own and the lives of others at stake.
MagneGas2 is being lauded as a revolutionary and safe alternative fuel solution. From a safety standpoint versus acetylene, it greatly reduces backfire tendencies. As a hydrogen based gas, it boasts lower toxicity, burns cleaner and hotter with a more concentrated flame.
Beyond its safety advantages, MagneGas2 is priced 20 to 30 percent less than acetylene while using 36 percent less oxygen. From an environmental standpoint, it produces less particulate and reduced fumes and is always plentiful since it’s produced from renewable liquid waste resource.
Perhaps most important to professionals, Magnegas2 has been studied and tested by a variety of prestigious and independent testing centers and institutes. In summary, what the testing has consistently reported is that it cuts 38 percent faster than acetylene and uses 36 percent less oxygen than acetylene resulting in a more efficient use of both oxygen and gas.
A complete review of the testing lab results can be seen at http://magnegas.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EWI-Gas-Comparison-Report-2.pdf. Perhaps the most vivid depiction of the advantages is that in demonstrations MagneGas2 has shown it cuts a two-inch thick steel bar at a rate of 18 inches per minute.