April 21, 2010: Here's a unique weapon for you; a fire-extinguisher grenade (Stat-X First Responder). Looks like a smoke grenade (a beer can like canister with pin mechanism on top), but when tossed into a room, it dispenses flame extinguishing aerosol mist. In most cases, it won't completely extinguish a fire, but will momentarily douse the flames enough so that you can either pull people out of the room, or get in there with more serious fire extinguishing methods (water or foam) to completely put out the fire.

The Stat-X is a cylinder 143mm (5.6 inches) long and 81mm (3.2 inches) in diameter. It weighs under .9 kg (two pounds), and puts out the fire retardant mist for about twenty seconds. The mist is non-toxic and does not deplete oxygen. So if there are people in there, you can go get them as soon the flames abate sufficiently to allow that.

The primary market for Stat-X is fire fighters and other first responders. But troops in Afghanistan are finding it useful for firefights where the Taliban are using civilians as human shields. In these cases, Taliban firing from within the room sometimes start fires. Also, flash-bang grenades (that disorient those in a room with a very loud noise and a bright flash) sometimes set off fires. So having a few Stat-X grenades for each platoon, provides yet another, unexpected, tactical option.