OxySafe Offers New Fire Prevention System for Home Oxygen Users

WESTLAKE, Ohio (June 16, 2016)—OxySafe now offers a new installation step-saving bi-directional thermal fuse to help prevent oxygen fires caused by patients smoking while receiving oxygen therapy. It provides two directional protection against oxygen fires caused by patients smoking, using candles, stove-top ranges or other open flames while receiving oxygen therapy. Such fires are particularly prevalent in situations where oxygen therapy is provided in the home environment where there is limited patient supervision, though fires may occur in environments such as health care facilities and nursing homes, too.

OxySafe director of sales, Jon Schultz, noted that some studies have estimated 39 perent of COPD patients continue to smoke while on oxygen. He said that OxySafe’s new bi-directional thermal fuse saves time and effort in set-up.

“It really is a convenience for the customer that eliminates the need to check to see that the arrow is pointing the correct way during installation,” he said. “One less step may not sound like a lot, but it’s a huge benefit to the end user that saves installation time and enhances accuracy.” 

Easy-to-install thermal fuses such as the OxySafe are gaining in popularity as a way to combat home oxygen fires, especially by veterans who tend to have a higher smoking rate than non-veterans, according to several studies cited by veterans’ groups.

“A lit cigarette can easily ignite the tips of a nasal cannula delivering an oxygen enriched air mixture supplied by an oxygen concentrator. The fire will then burn the PVC tube, effectively moving back up the tube towards the source of the oxygen—typically an oxygen cylinder, oxygen concentrator or liquid supply—making a hazardous situation worse,” Schultz said.

The new OxySafe bi-directional thermal fuse is designed to stop the flow of gas at either end of the PVC tube in the event of a PVC tube ignition. 

For more information, visit applied-inc.com.