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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!pesnta!pertec!kontron!brad
From: brad@kontron.UUCP (Brad Yearwood)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Smoking in public?
Message-ID: <164@kontron.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-May-85 23:42:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: kontron.164
Posted: Mon May 13 23:42:59 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 15-May-85 01:04:15 EDT
References: <473@nmtvax.UUCP> <917@trwatf.UUCP> <10555@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Organization: Kontron Electronics, Irvine, CA
Lines: 52

> 
> > Install a Halon system in the computer room.  Here at the ATF we have a
> > fire-control system
> 
> If it is installed in accordance with the NFPA guidelines then...
> 
> > that will dump 1000 lbs of Halon at extreme
> > pressure should the fire system detect even a whiff of smoke.  The
> > Halon smothers the flames by eliminating all of the oxygen in the
> > room.
> 
> Wrong, it requires two detectors to go off before it will dump the system.
> In addition, HALON doesn not work by displacing the oxygen.  As a matter
> of fact, they aren't quite sure how it works.  One theory is free radical
> displacement, I'm not a chemist so I don't understand all what they are
> describing.
> 
> > 
> > Within 30
> > seconds there won't be enough oxygen in the room to support a poodle,
> > much less a human being.
> 
> Sorry, if the system has been properly installed, there isn't enough Halon
> to fully displace the atmosphere in the room.  You can breathe in a Halon
> environment, they believe it has no harmful effects, at least for four hours.
> A bigger problem is the gases given off by your partially burned computer.
> 
> It does however make a mess of your computer room by blowing the ceiling
> tiles and every other loose object in the room around.
> 

One of my more memorable work experiences was to be buried in a video screen,
debugging with full concentration, only to get the pee-waddly-snot startled
out of me by a tremendous roaring sound and swirling white clouds of fog.
The fact that I was in a windowless 22nd floor computer room added somewhat
to the shock value.  Things were flying all around - listings, pencils,
rubber bands, and hundreds of pieces of play money (I was debugging a
cash dispensing terminal).

A few moments after leaving this maelstrom, I spoke to someone.  There
was an effect opposite to that of helium - the dense Halon gas made my
voice deepen.  The refraction properties, being different from air,
caused heat-like visual distortions in the area of the exhaled gas.
The stuff is quite survivable and is certainly much better than the
alternative.

The dump turned out to be caused by the fire alarm installer, who was
working on the system at the time, crossing some wires accidentally.

I don't remember the ceiling tiles blowing loose.

As for the claim of poodle-cide, we should be so lucky.