Everywhere you look, there are attempts to make the world a greener place. From moving away from plastic cutlery to saving water and driving electric vehicles; we’re all being encouraged to “do our bit for the environment”, and here at Firechief® Global, we are truly committed to being more environmentally friendly.
What this means from our perspective is being more sustainable and factoring environmentally friendly processes and materials into our innovations and new product development. This is evident in the packaging we use, the distance our products travel and now our new range of environmentally friendly fire extinguishers, which we’ve called our PureSafe range, which we launched at the start of 2025.
The fire safety industry has long been associated with making the world safer by extinguishing potentially disastrous and deadly fires, but now it is also being encouraged to “go green” and the launch of our PureSafe fire extinguishers is just the beginning as a new ban on the use of PFAS chemicals in foam fire extinguishers has been announced.
While there is no confirmed date for when these chemicals, known as Forever Chemicals, will be implemented, we’ve decided to act early as part of our green commitments, offering customers an alternative to potentially harmful PFAS chemicals which are already found all over the world – in mountains, in seas, in animals and also in humans.
Here, we’re going to explain a bit more about our range of environmentally friendly fire extinguishers, as well as some of the reasons why Forever Chemicals are being phased out and what the future of fire safety looks like.
What makes a fire extinguisher environmentally friendly?
Certain foam-based extinguishers require the use of chemicals to create an effective suppressant that smothers the fire. It is the removal of these chemicals that makes a fire extinguisher environmentally friendly, as is the case with water mist and fluorine-free extinguishers, such as those in our new PureSafe range.
Fire extinguishers contain a type of fire-suppressing medium dependent upon the nature of the fire they are intended to extinguish (such as foam, water or carbon dioxide). In the case of foam extinguishers, for example, the foam itself consists of a number of chemicals (including PFAS) which take hundreds, even thousands of years to break down in the environment, hence their name, Forever Chemicals.
While the majority of mediums can be cleaned away or disappear naturally in the cases of water and carbon dioxide extinguishers, foam extinguishers leave behind a residue that is immensely effective at smothering fires but immensely difficult to stop from making its way into the air around us and, subsequently, water systems.
PFAS chemicals have been developed to deliver high performance wherever they have been required – such as non-stick cookware, shampoos and cosmetics, water-resistant clothing and fire extinguishers. However, now the chemicals are being identified at Mount Everest, in rainwater in Tibet, in deep ocean studies, in trees and in our water supplies; it is time to act to preserve the health of our environment, our wildlife and ourselves.
These chemicals continue to put our health at risk, and with new forms of PFAS still in development, research into their effects remains limited (or in some cases non-existent). Phasing them out in favour of greener alternatives makes huge sense at a time when sustainability and health are key.
In the case of the Firechief® PureSafe range of PFAS-free fire extinguishers, our New Product Development (NPD) team has invested significant amounts of time into researching and testing the new range prior to launch, ensuring that these environmentally friendly alternatives offer the same level of fire protection (or better), without releasing any harmful chemicals into the environment.
Why are PFAS fire extinguishers being phased out?
We touched on it previously, but the impact of PFAS on water supplies, wildlife and the wider environment is behind the reasons for the decision to implement a ban. At some stage.
Decision-makers are still consulting over the nature of the ban itself (which won’t come in before 2026), including the fine details and when it will be both confirmed and implemented, but in the meantime, businesses are being encouraged to phase them out to protect the environment. Forever chemicals have been linked with several serious health conditions, including cancer, liver damage and reproductive problems, to name just three, and once they make their way into our everyday lives, it is nearly impossible to remove them.
Pesticides, for example, use PFAS chemicals. These are sprayed onto the earth in the agricultural industry, meaning they get into our soils and our food chains, and any that run off the soil may find their way into river networks and water systems – if they are not evaporated into the atmosphere before falling later as rain.
What this all means is that the chemicals themselves can be ingested by humans and wildlife, as well as damaging the environment, and as a result, we’ve decided to introduce PFAS-free fire extinguishers already.
Our approach to transitioning to safer, PFAS-free fire extinguishers (like PureSafe) is something we are very proud to lead on. With no strict regulation or guidelines in place, it would be very easy to stick to a tried and trusted method until instructed to do otherwise, but we believe in making the world a safer place in every way possible – including offering greener, more sustainable fire safety products.
Introducing Firechief® PureSafe: the future of fire safety
So, we’ve spoken about it a bit already, but what actually is the Firechief® PureSafe range all about?
Well, ultimately, it is a range of PFAS-free fire extinguishers, including water mist and foam extinguishers, that are designed to provide effective fire suppression without releasing harmful chemicals.
PureSafe fire extinguishers have been tested to ensure that they offer (at least) the same level of fire protection when needed the most, making them safer for the environment in every possible way.
Every extinguisher in our PureSafe range is approved to BS EN 3 Standard and has been awarded BSI Kitemark and MED certification.
How to prepare for the PFAS ban: Join a Firechief® Academy webinar
With so many grey areas about the impending PFAS ban, there are a lot of very confused people out there. Do you stick to what you know, do you plan for the future by discarding PFAS-based products entirely? What do you do with your existing PFAS stock? It’s a tough one, and people have all kinds of questions.
That’s why our own Firechief® Academy has created a brand-new webinar focused solely on the subject of PFAS and fire safety. In the webinar, hosted by Alison Tully and Matt Humby, we look beyond the headlines and towards the facts – or at least those that we know right now.
On the webinar, you will learn valuable information about the risks of PFAS, how your business can transition towards a more sustainable approach and much, much more. As a developing topic, the webinar is likely to adapt and evolve each time it is delivered, so Alison and Matt are on hand to provide answers to any questions as well as information on the latest decisions and announcements.
Keen to learn more? Sign up for the webinar today and improve your knowledge of PFAS by looking beyond the headlines.
The future of sustainable fire safety
Fire safety and environmental responsibility are no longer mutually exclusive. The introduction of our PureSafe range of PFAS-free fire extinguishers is not just the next step in fire safety innovation, it is also a huge step towards a new era of eco-friendly fire protection.
We are delighted to be at the forefront of the shift towards PFAS-free fire suppression and making the environment better for everyone while still offering the same high level of fire protection that we have always offered with our products.
If you’re ready to join us on our journey towards a more sustainable fire safety industry, check out our PureSafe range today and prepare yourselves for the new era of environmentally friendly fire extinguishers and more.
The Firechief® range of fire safety products includes an extensive offering of fire extinguishers, which now includes our PureSafe range, too. Discover the latest PFAS-free, environmentally friendly fire extinguishers plus EV fire blankets and more on our website. For more information on PureSafe or any of our products, call us on +44 (0)330 999 0019 or email sales@firechiefglobal.com.
Disclaimer
The information contained within this blog is provided solely for general informational and educational purposes and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice. Before taking any actions based upon this information, we advise the reader to consult all relevant statutory or regulatory guidance and where necessary to consult a qualified fire or industry regulation professional. The use or reliance on any information contained herein is solely at the reader's risk.