MONROE — Monroe Fire Dept. has a new piece of fire suppression equipment that will give them one more swift acting option against structure fires.

On Thursday April 20, 2023 the Masons from Smith Lodge #31 of Monroe, donated “a FST Fire Suppression device to our department,” said Interim Fire Chief Al Rufer, in a statement. “The FST device is designed to suppress an active fire, buying time for firefighters and those that may be trapped in a structure.”

The hand-held, one-and-done apparatus is activated and tossed into a fiery room, where it releases a kind of gas into the air of the structure, he said.

“Then it starts dissipating this gas and it interrupts the chemical reaction that’s necessary to get a fire to exist…and we can start that process without having to go in,” he said.

In a structure fire, nothing beats a trained crew with hoses arriving swiftly on the scene to contain a fire, he said. But in some situations, it could be an effective tactic. In Monroe, for example, Rufer said he plans to have the FST device in the lead response vehicle, which often ends up as the first vehicle on the scene of a fire.

Rufer said there is virtually no training required to operate the device but that it could make a real difference in a fast-moving fire someday.

“I’ve never actually used one, I’ve just seen it done,” said Rufer, who estimated the item’s value at around $1,000, although he did not know its exact value.  “I’m looking forward to having it around in case it is needed.”

Masons in Wisconsin have donated several of the devices to fire departments around the state, officials said.