Tucked away in the Rolling Creek Business Center in Woodbury, MN lies a gem of the fire suppression industry:  Dyne Fire Protection Labs. I found the Dyne Laboratories on the north end of the gray and red one-story building. From the outside, the laboratory is inconspicuous and unassuming, but when I stepped inside for a tour of the facility, I found a laboratory – and an extremely friendly and professional staff – on the very cutting edge of fire suppression testing technology. 

Dyne Technologies was founded in 1999 by Joan Leedy, a chemical engineer and firefighting foam expert from the 3M company. Her premise was simple: “If we made foam testing easier, faster and more accurate, it would be more likely to get done.”  She applied that same philosophy to fire sprinkler testing, and, today, Dyne Fire Protection Labs is an industry leader in performing field testing services on fire sprinklers, chemical analysis of fire sprinkler antifreeze solutions and fire extinguishing dry chemicals, chemical analysis and performance of firefighting foam, and testing for the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water and firefighting foam samples. 

Touring the Dyne Fire Protection Labs Facility

The Dyne facility is organized in essentially four functional areas: an ISO 9001 certified foam quality analysis lab; an ISO 17025 accredited sprinkler field service testing lab; an ion lab where dry chemical extinguishing agents are tested for chemical composition and moisture content and testing is conducted to detect the presence of PFAS; and a shipping and receiving area where initial intake and final shipping takes place. 

Dyne’s General Manager, Grant Lobdell, led the tour of the facility, accompanied by the Lab Manager, Alyssa Dunn, and Office and Marketing Manager, Jennie Novak. Grant did an amazing job of highlighting Dyne’s facilities and quality testing programs.  

The “Foam Lab” performs tests on foam samples annually, testing for physical properties as well as film-forming abilities, concentrations, drain time, and expansion. Lab Analysts can test a variety of foam concentrates and foam solutions, and test to NFPA 11, NFPA 18, and IMO standards as appropriate. The Foam Lab also performs tests on sprinkler antifreeze solutions, analyzing antifreeze type, concentration and freeze point. For more information on Dyne foam and antifreeze testing services, watch the short video below or check out the pdf documents below: 

Firefighting Foam Video: https://youtu.be/M_eRkamUfeQ   

Firefighting Foam Services Flier 

Antifreeze Solution Services Flier 

The “Sprinkler Lab” documents both fire sprinkler reaction time and performance using 3-D photos of each sprinkler tested and a “plunge oven.”  Sprinklers are subjected to specific heat, air flow, and pressure inside the oven and checked to ensure they activate within the specified time standards for each sprinkler type. 

Check out the Sprinkler testing video here:  https://youtu.be/TD-tCwm22vM or the pdf on Sprinkler Testing Services. 

The “Ion lab” was very “cutting edge” and really highlighted the fact that Dyne is a leader in specialized testing for fire suppression agents. Within the Ion Lab, dry chemical agents can be identified, and their chemical composition and moisture content can be precisely measured. This ensures that the agent meets manufacturing standards, and the moisture content is below the 0.25% industrial standard for proper performance. Dyne Labs is the only fire service industry lab performing such testing. Click the link here to watch the video on dry chemical testing and check out the specification sheet on testing. https://youtu.be/7nHjXtve8Io 

Dry Chemical Testing Flier 

Technicians in the Ion Lab can also test for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These are organics molecules used in some firefighting foam and are a source of groundwater contamination in some areas. Dyne Labs can perform tests to measure total organic fluorine (TOF) content, which is directly related to PFAS content, in a sample as precise as one part-per-million. These tests can be used to analyze water or foam samples for the presence of PFAS and can be used to ensure that a foam system that has been flushed of PFAS is indeed PFAS-free. Dyne is the only fire service industry lab performing such testing. For more details on the PFAS Analysis, see the  Total PFAS Analysis Flier.

The Dyne Fire Protection Labs Team

Dyne Labs employs approximately 15 super friendly, super dedicated professionals about equally split between administrative duties and the laboratories. All laboratory personnel rotate through all lab functional areas. 

Dyne services can be obtained via phone, email, or via their online portal. The company provides free test kits and return shipping within the contiguous US. Test results will be sent to the customer within 5 business days, and accelerated return times can also be arranged. Customers are provided with sprinkler or foam reports and can even provide laminated tags for marking sprinkler or foam systems with the latest test information.  

Fire sprinklers, firefighting foams and dry chemical agents are truly life-and property-saving tools, but they can only do that job if they are properly applied to the hazard present and they perform as intended. Dyne Fire Protection Labs helps companies and business owners all over the world ensure that the firefighting equipment and chemicals work as designed, making Dyne a significant contributor to lifesaving efforts and the building of a safer world! 

This Minnesota fire sprinkler testing company is a proud NFSA member. To learn more about the NFSA’s events and training, visit our membership page.

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Links: 

Dyne Website:  https://www.dyneusa.com/ 

Foam PDF

Antifreeze PDF

Sprinkler PDF 

PFAS PDF 

Dry Chemical PDF