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• Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, one of the new high-tech firms in my district, Zlan, Ltd. of Wylie, TX, has come up with an affordable solution to a major cause of the loss of life and property in this country: electrical fires. Each year thousands of people die or are seriously injured and billions of dollars of property is destroyed because of electrical fires. I am told that Zlan's technology, properly installed in the home, can improve electrical fire safety by as much as one-hundred fold, dramatically reducing electrical fires.

• This is not a new problem. As early as 1978, the House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee found that `. . . often the dangerous malfunctions of these systems, which may lead to fire, takes place behind the walls of one's home over a period of time and finally fire erupts without warning. . . . (I)t is essential that industry and government work together to find a solution to this problem.'

• In 1994 the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) asked Underwriters Laboratories (UL) to identify new technology products for reducing residential electrical fires. George A. Spencer, who is Zlan's founder and CEO, invented an electronic circuit breaker and has spent many years developing and improving this technology. Zlan, Ltd. began demonstrating prototypes of its Digitally Enhanced Circuit BreakerR, to the CPSC and UL. CPSC has indicated substantial interest in this technology.

• Last spring Spencer and the Zlan team presented to the CPSC staff an update of their electronic circuit breaker technology designed to detect arcing faults. Key features include:

• Microprocessor controller for state of the art technology.

• Arc detection to analyze low and high current problems in wiring.

• False trip protection for routine power surges, i.e., motor start-ups, etc.

• Auto self-test plus manual test capability.

• LED status light for performance assurance and fault identification.

• Serial Port options for remote monitoring, test and remote trip capability.

• Zlan's Load Center Monitor works with the Digitally Enhanced Circuit Breakers to provide audible and visual indicators of faults, store performance data, identify causes of electrical malfunctions as well as communication capabilities to monitor electrical systems.

• Zlan has entered into an agreement with STMicroelectronics, Inc. (ST) to manufacture a custom chip-set using Zlan's Arc Fault Interrupter (AFCI) technology that will provide a low cost solution to the circuit breakers manufacturers. Most homes can be upgraded to the new AFCI circuit breaker at a cost estimated to be as low as $800.

• This major advancement in electrical fire safety is expected to be on the market in time to meet new electrical building codes now being drafted.

• Innovative use of new technology to improve flawed and dated technology has always been the hallmark of American ingenuity. I am extraordinarily pleased that the creative minds at Zlan have chosen to locate and build their business in my district to advance a promising technology that can save lives and give families the opportunity to make their homes safer places to live.

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