Columbus Fire Department put one of its newest devices to action recently, snuffing out a fire that could have threatened a home in Columbus. Fire Chief Randy Koehn used the X-Tinguish FST, a fire suppression tool produced by Flame Guard USA, during a basement fire in mid-December. The fire suppression device, housed in a portable red box with a durable black handle, is a highly effective tool which has been used by fire departments, police, first responders and the armed forces for several years. “It breaks down the air and interrupts the chain reaction of the heat, fuel and oxygen that it takes to produce a fire,” Koehn said. “It more or less snuffs the fire out. It does not take oxygen away so if someone were in the room yet it wouldn’t harm anybody.”