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StopTop FireStop Testimony
Chadwick was so smitten with the Stovetop Firestop, formerly called the Range Queen, that he went to Austin earlier this year to testify in support of legislation offering insurance discounts to people who install the device. He even went on QVC, the home shopping network, in October, to hawk the item on behalf of its manufacturer, Fort Worth-based Pyro Control, a division of Williams Pyro Inc. Chadwick planned to return to QVC Jan. 4, but a neck injury will force him to remain home while company President and CEO Della Williams goes in his stead. Williams hopes a second appearance on QVC, combined with new state legislation and an aggressive marketing campaign, will propel the Stovetop Firestop into use as a common household item. Chadwick's house caught fire Oct. 24, 1998, when his daughter, then 11, was frying doughnuts on the stove and got distracted. The home was a complete loss. Afterward, several people sought out Chadwick with fire-suppression devices. Williams was one. Chadwick and his fire prevention staff tested Williams' device, and Chadwick said he believes it might have saved his home. The Stovetop Firestop is an aluminum can, about the size of a tuna can, filled with siliconized bicarbonate of soda. In the presence of a direct flame or a temperature of 277 degrees Fahrenheit, a heat sensor will activate a small pytrotechnic that peels open the unit, causing the soda to fall on the fire and put it out. No one has to be present for the unit to work, and it makes a loud pop when it opens to alert people in the home. The unit, which must be replaced every five years, is installed underneath the vent hood with magnets. Two units cover a four-burner stove. Apartment Investment and Management Co., a real estate investment trust known by its acronym Aimco, is so convinced that Firestop helps put out kitchen fires that it has mandated installation of the device in about 250,000 dwelling units, including 10,000 in the Metroplex, said Jim Kjolhede, vice president of Aimco's Southwest division. More Stovetop Fire Stop info here..
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