| Firefighters FAQ guide to Smoke Machines |
| Question: | First and Foremost, Is it safe ? |
| Answer: |
HEALTH WARNING: Vapor from this fluid, like any other common material in
an aerosolized state, may be irritating to or cause allergenic symptoms
in some persons with allergenic sensitivity. Do not fog in the presence
of known asthmatics. This being said, the short answer is yes. It's important to note, that even during controlled training exercises, that the smoke produced for these machines can be quite dense, and greatly reduce visibility for participants as well as trainers and supervisors. When planning your exercise, whether it's a school child targeted stop, drop & roll program or a full building evacuation, it's important to consider such physical aspects of emergency ventilation, participant evacuation and monitoring, and the blocking of hazardous areas such as loading docks or elevator shafts. |
| Question: | What sort of machines are available ? | ||||||
| Answer: | Many. Rule of thumb: know your
manufacturer. Parlights, Inc recommends Rosco Fog machines and products
for three reasons:
For a list of Rosco Fog Machines and their features, Click Here |
| Question: | Isn't all fog fluid the same ? |
| Answer: | No. Parlights recommends Rosco fog products for their high quality control and safety evaluations. You should only use a fog fluid in it's recommended machine, and never mix, dilute, color or substitute fluids in any way. You're going to be breathing it, and we feel that it's pretty important you know what's in it and how it was made. |
| Question: | What's fog fluid made of ? |
| Answer: | Rosco Fog Fluid is composed of a series of glycols of low molecular weight mixed with de-ionized water. The components are all listed on the USFDA Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) list and are used extensively in food, food packaging products and cosmetics among many other products. |
| Question: | Will weather adversely change my smoke effect ? |
| Answer: | Slightly for outdoors work. Cold weather tends to extend the residual life span of the fog effect. If it's windy, your fog will be blowing with it. Indoors, results may vary due to ventilation, humidity and temperature. |
| Question: | What support does the manufacturer give end users in such applications? |
| Answer: | Plenty. And Parlights does too. Feel free to email or call us for any application specific question. If we can't can't answer your question, we can bring the manufacturer in as well. |
| Question: | Where can I download MSDS and Fog Study information ? |
| Answer: | Here: |