The National Fire Prevention Association's annual expo is in Boston this week. Given my background in firefighting and emergency response, I knew I had to check this out! While there weren't any actual flames, I did find some cool, new fire prevention and response products.

Hand-Held Fire Extinguisher

First up is the DKL Portable Fire Extinguisher from J&R Fire Fighting in China. We've seen a whole bunch of fire extinguisher re-designs, but this is the first completely hand-held one I've seen. Apparently the one-time-use DKL can shoot suppressant about 10 feet out of the nozzle. The grip end could probably use a new design, but this thing has some serious potential for kitchen or home use.

Evacuation Chair Comparison

Ever since 9-11, evacuation chairs for evacuating immobile people out of high-rises have been a hot product. I saw three different companies at the show. This first one from Evac-Chair is extremely lightweight at 19lbs. I hopped in for a ride and felt both comfortable and secure. The downside is that there's no breaking system, but it seamlessly converts between stairs and landings.

This model from Emergency Chairs allows the carrier to push it down stairs, pull it up stairs or carry it Roman style, but the design seems awkward in more ways than one.

This last chair from Garaventa is definitely the Hummer of the group. At a much bulkier 44lbs, this evacuation chair has built-in brakes that definitely do the job. It's also rated for more...hefty patients.

Wrist Beacon

These emergency beacons from Evacuaid are like firefighters' PASS devices (homing beacons for downed firefighters), but are aimed at industrial workers. The flashlight automatically turns on when you slide your wrist through, which is neat. I wonder if the inventors got the wrist-light idea from watching too much Star Trek?

All the Rest

Arc vault (don't think it's from Iron Man)

Fire extinguisher training simulator

Floodwater protection doors

Hydrant flow testing set-up

This new rescue helmet has sliding air vents on top.

Big-ass nozzle

Smoke detector sensitivity testers

Human-friendly fire suppressant

New thermal camera with firefighter tracking