RICHARDSON, Texas — A charter school district here has announced plans to deploy fire suppression systems in its entire fleet of school buses.

International Leadership of Texas (ILTexas) will equip all 16 of its buses with Fogmaker North America’s fire suppression kits.

“We’re always looking at being at the forefront of technologies to enhance safety for our students,” said Eddie Conger, superintendent of ILTexas. “During a demonstration, we watched the Fogmaker system put out a fire in seconds.”

The growing charter district serves 16,000 students with 15 campuses in Dallas, Tarrant, and Harris counties. Last year, ILTexas earned a $35,000 grant to acquire a 33-passenger small bus. ILTexas said that the bus would help in transporting students from its two Garland campuses to events such as academic and athletic competitions.

Kent Tyler, executive vice president of Fogmaker North America, said that the company was excited to work with ILTexas as they decided to add fire suppression to their fleet.

Fogmaker uses water mist to suppress fires by displacing oxygen and reducing the ambient temperature to prevent reignition. It also blankets fuel sources with a biodegradable, nontoxic foam.

“Fire suppression is a critically important safety issue, with bus fires happening on a daily basis,” Tyler said. “Our patented Fogmaker technology is designed to not only automatically suppress these thermal events, but also provide additional time for occupants to safely evacuate the bus.”

There has been a rash of school bus fires in the news recently, including one in Iowa in which the driver and a student died.

A 2016 study by the John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center found that school bus fires in the U.S. occur slightly more than daily. According to the study, most school bus fires start in the engine area, running gear, or wheel area of the vehicle.

On March 14, Fogmaker and School Bus Fleet will present a webinar on school bus fires and fire suppression systems. For more information and to register, go here.