Brominated haloalkanes were first used during World War II in fire extinguishers for aircraft and tanks. BCF was introduced as an effective gaseous fire suppression agent in the mid-1960s for use around highly valuable materials in places such as museums, mainframe rooms, and telecommunication switching centers. BCFs were also widely used in the maritime industries in the engine rooms of ships and also in the transport industry in vehicles. Its efficiency as a fire extinguishing agent has also led it to be the predominant choice of fire extinguishing agent on commercial aircraft and is typically found in cylindrical hand-held canisters. Its advantages as a fire extinguishing agent are that it has lower toxicity than chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride and that since it is a covalently bonded compound, it does not form conductive ions, therefore being usable on electrical equipment.
BCF is an excellent fire extinguishing agent, as it is a streaming agent with low toxicity, a low pressure, liquefied gas, and effective on all common types of fires, A, B, and C. It is mainly used in portable and wheeled extinguishers, and small spot protection units for aviation and marine engine applications, and was never widely used in fixed systems like Halon 1301 was.
BCF has fairly low toxicity. The lethal concentration for 15 minute exposure is about 32%.