Since the Advanced Group of Companies’ humble beginnings in 2000, it has grown steadily to become a formidable force in the risk management, risk mitigation and emergency response markets across the African continent.

The group’s growth is attributed to its founding principles of trust and quality and its three pillars of operation, namely risk management, risk mitigation and emergency response.

These three pillars have made it the market leader when it comes to total risk management on the African continent. With companies servicing all three pillar segments, the group is well positioned to deliver on its promise of saving lives and protecting assets. 

“When it comes to risk management, risk mitigation and emergency response, we’re the best. Safety is our number one priority and meeting our clients’ needs is the only seal of approval that counts,” says Advanced Fire Global COO Westley Barnardt.

Comprising several subsidiary companies, the Advanced Group provides a comprehensive range of risk management, risk mitigation and emergency response products and services to the mining, municipal, commercial, hospitality, aeronautical, marine, petrochemical, oil and gas, and industrial sectors across Africa. Each Advanced Group subsidiary company is a market leader in its respective field.

“When it comes to saving lives and protecting assets, Advanced Group of Companies is the only choice to meet your risk management, risk mitigation or emergency response needs,” notes Barnardt.

High Stakes Sector

Fire is one of the greatest risks in the mining and construction sectors. Not only can it lead to major production and asset losses but also to fatalities, something that all companies want to avoid. 

It is crucial to ensure that any work environment is fully covered against the risk of fire. 

“This is where you can rely on Advanced Fire Global. With our qualified staff, international certification and best of breed product strategy, we can design systems tailormade to your company’s fire risk needs, giving you the peace of mind that your operation is protected against fire risk,” says Barnardt. 

Advanced Fire Global has the capability to support the full range of products it offers, which includes the ANSUL® Vehicle Fire Suppression Systems and fixed suppression systems, such as gas detection and water installations, and provides on-going maintenance. 

HANSA-FLEX Partnership

The company offers permanent on-site support throughout Africa. As part of its on-site offering, all fluid transfer products are supported through Advanced Fire Global’s partnership with fluid technology expert HANSA-FLEX South Africa.

HANSA-FLEX South Africa is a leading fluid specialist that supplies a unique range of hydraulic and pneumatic components worldwide, from crimp fittings to industrial hoses and cylinders, either manufactured in-house or by renowned manufacturers.

In addition to its extensive portfolio of standard products, HANSA-FLEX supplies customised solutions that are developed and manufactured by experienced fluid and hydraulics experts to meet client requirements.

Through HANSA-FLEX’s various value-adding services, such as constant field service availability, on-site hydraulic workshops or kanban warehouses and the supply of installation-ready assembly kits, Advanced Fire Global customers across all industries are assured of reduced downtime and increased productivity.

Since the announcement of the partnership between Advanced Fire Global and HANSA-FLEX South Africa, Advanced Fire Global has secured valuable contracts that not only provide peace of mind to its customers but also the assurance that mining equipment uptime will remain on point.

This year, Advanced Fire Global and HANSA-FLEX will expand their combined site solution to include various African countries with the aim of providing market-leading site solutions to all mining clients.

New Products 

Advanced Fire Global is one of the first companies in Africa to offer its clients with electrical vehicles a solution that safely addresses lithium-ion battery fires. 

With more companies adding electrical vehicles to their fleets, Flameblock, an Advanced Group entity, has developed a trustworthy and effective solution called “Lithium Black” to effectively extinguish and control lithium-ion battery fires. 

New additions to Advanced Fire Global’s product range also include thermal exhaust blankets, spill control products and emergency escape chutes for extra-large mining equipment.

“Our best of breed product strategy means that we insist on using only the best products on the market. When it comes to fire suppression, you do not get better than the ANSUL® range. In collaboration with ANSUL®, we ensure that we offer our clients the latest in fire suppression technology and remain leaders in the industry and when it comes to vehicle fire suppression systems. 

“We are the leaders in the field with more than 23 years’ experience of installing and maintaining the ANSUL® systems for some of the largest mining companies in the world,” emphasises Barnardt.

ANSUL® Liquid Vehicle System (LVS) NF-40 non-fluorinated liquid suppression agent was introduced to help meet the fire protection challenges of today’s vehicles. This latest innovation delivers a stand-alone liquid agent system technology that delivers extraordinary firefighting performance and exceeds the capabilities of historical systems. 

ANSUL® LVS NF-40 non–fluorinated liquid suppression agent is the first to be FM5970-2022 approved. 

The ANSUL® LVS non-fluorinated liquid suppression agent redefines vehicle fire suppression. 

 LVS non-fluorinated agent works by rapidly knocking down flames, then blanketing the fuel and cutting off oxygen and cooling down super-heated surfaces to help prevent reflash. The LVS installation is used in conjunction with the ANSUL® Check Fire detection system. By using the Check Fire system, 24-hour protection is available while an event history log tracks all events. The system includes the latest FM5970 HDME (2022) and AS5062 approvals. 

“This is the only system you will ever need when it comes to vehicle fire suppression,” says Barnardt. 

Advanced Fire Global can also offer the services of two of the top companies in the fire risk mitigation and fire fighting industries as an added cradle-to-grave service solution. Industrial Fire & Hazard Control is a specialist risk mitigation company uniquely focussed on fire, rescue, hazmat and disaster management, which form part of the product and service pillars of the company’s operations.

The mitigation of fire in the mining environment is distinctly different from most other industries and therefore requires a unique approach based on technical knowledge, high performance products and the correct application or implementation strategy. 

Combined, these three legs render the best possibility of controlling and mitigating fires and other relative risks within the mining industry. 

There is no area of fire, rescue, hazmat and disaster management that Advanced Fire Global cannot fulfil as a single source solutions company. 

Advanced Fire Global boasts with highly qualified staff and is constantly developing its training programme. The company strongly believes in empowering people to ensure its footprint remains solid in each country where it has a presence. 

The initiatives to support local communities have been very successful and, in all cases, they have supported local mining houses in their initiatives to uplift the local community. Advanced Fire Global prides itself on its loyal and trustworthy staff and always puts its staff and customers first. 

“If you are serious about protecting the lives of your operators as well as the well-being of your equipment, Advanced Fire Global is your number one choice backed by global market leaders, including ANSUL®, for the prevention, detection and suppression of fire on your equipment or in your operation,” comments Barnardt.