Environmental Defence Systems (EDS) Ltd invented, developed, manufacture and supply the market-leading, award-winning AvSax fire containment bag and BlastSax alternative sandbag. BlastSax resembles a pillowcase until it comes into contact with water which it absorbs to become more effective than traditional sandbags at creating a blast and fragmentation protection barrier. BlastSax have proved to be effective against small explosive devices and bullets. They are now used by the British MoD, police forces worldwide and have recently been deployed by Hong Kong Police to detonate two World War Two bombs found on building sites.
EDS also invented, developed, manufacture and supply the AvSax fire mitigation bag to use on board civilian and military planes and helicopters to protect them against lithium-ion batteries which power all our everyday gadgets from mobile phones to laptops. There is a danger these small electronic items could go into thermal runaway which happens when the batteries overheat and catch fire. If one cell in a battery overheats it can produce enough heat – up to 900°C (1652°F) – to cause adjacent cells to also overheat. This can cause a lithium battery fire to flare repeatedly and may have devastating consequences in the confined space of aircraft.
AvSax are the world’s best-selling aircraft fire containment bags by far and are now on more than 15,373 aircraft operated by 80 airline companies. They have been used 32 times to deal with emergencies since the start of 2017 and every time they have been deployed the aircraft has been able to complete its journey safely with no need to divert or make an emergency landing. Diversions can be very costly to the airline company and can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
AvSax won the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the UK in 2018.
