WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The government is warning people to immediately stop using a fire-extinguishing device shaped like a ball.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says Elide fire-extinguishing balls can fail to extinguish a fire, leaving people at risk of injury and death.
However, the CPSC says Elide Fire USA has not agreed to recall the balls or help customers with a fix for the products.
According to ElideFireUS.com, the ball activates by itself within seconds of flames touching it. The ball breaks open and dispenses a dry chemical to extinguish a fire.
The CPSC says the products can fail to effectively disperse the chemicals and therefore fail to put out fires. It says the balls do not have a pressure gauge or pressure indicator, a locking device to reduce unintentional discharge, or a nozzle to direct the discharge.
The CPSC says the Elide Fire Ball does not meet the requirements of UL 299 Dry Chemical Fire Extinguishers and UL 711 Rating and Fire Testing of Fire Extinguishers, which are voluntary safety standards.
The company says its product is not a fire extinguisher, so measuring it against the fire extinguisher standards is not a fair measure.
“We strongly disagree with the CPSC release,” Chuck Thompson, a company representative, said. “The very nature of our company is innovation in fire safety because there is never enough fire protection.”
He said the Fire Ball was created to bring an additional line of fire protection to any potential fire situation. When it is mounted in a higher-risk area, he says it can stop a small fire from becoming a large fire.
“I could go on, but in the end, there is never enough fire protection, and to remove or recommend against a product that is meant to help because it was tested against standards that don’t apply to the product is not fair,” Thompson said.
According to the government, Elide Fire USA sells three models of fire-extinguishing balls. Models ELB01 and ELB02-1 are red. Model ELB02-02 is blue. The products sold for between $95 and $120. The CPSC says its warning is for all three models.
A CPSC news release urges consumers not to buy or sell the fire-extinguishing balls. If you already have the fire-extinguishing balls, the CPSC says to take them to a local fire department or a hazardous waste disposal facility.
The government says people should only buy fire extinguishers that meet the UL 299 and UL 711 safety standards and are marked with those certifications.
