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Mitigation Strategy: Fire Containment Covers
A Fire Containment Cover (FCC) is a cover that is placed on top of palleted cargo. The cover is made of a fire resistant material that is designed to starve a fire of oxygen. The FCCs are tested to a minimum performance standard set by SAE AS6453.
Several tests have been conducted at the William J. Hughes Technical Center to help determine the effectiveness of FCCs against Class-A fires. Class-A fires are fires that consist of ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, and fabric. The results from these tests were presented at the 8th Triennial Conference. Lithium battery fires have also been investigated at the William J. Hughes Technical Center. The capability of a FCC to contain a lithium battery fire might be dependent on the number of batteries and their capacity. The results from the tests were presented at the 8th Triennial Conference.
Fire Containment Covers is some cases have also been used to cover Unit Load Devices (ULDs). This provides an additional layer of protection for normal ULDs that aren’t designed to contain and suppress fires. They are currently used on a voluntary basis as an extra layer of fire protection by freight forwarders and airline operators. FCCs are mainly used on the main deck since the lower cargo compartments have smoke detectors and a fire suppression system.