(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2009/ A1

Transcription

1 (19) United State US A1 (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2009/ A1 Muer, JR. (43) Pub. Date: Oct. 29, 2009 (54) FIRE SUPPRESSION DEVICE (76) Inventor: John E. Muer, JR., Tucon, AZ (US) Correpondence Addre: JOHN E. MUSSER, JR 8362 SEGYPTAN DR TUCSON, AZ (US) (21) Appl. No.: 12/150,585 (22) Filed: Apr. 29, 2008 Publication Claification (51) Int. Cl. A62C3/02 ( ) (52) U.S. Cl /70 (57) ABSTRACT The invention comprie a fire retarding device including a tarp or imilar material impregnated with a fire retardant Subtance, cable, and a mean for delivering the tarp to the ite of a fire, uch a one or more helicopter. The fire retard ing device may include a flap of material for firefighter to ue a a refuge and tie-down to ecure one or more portion of the tarp to a tree or other tructure. The tarp may include pocket or pouche filled with ballat material to ait in the deploy ment of the tarp.

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10 US 2009/ A1 Oct. 29, 2009 FIRE SUPPRESSION DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention 0002 Thi invention i related in general to the field offire Suppreion and fire protection and relate pecifically to a device for retarding the pread of an exiting fire. In particu lar, thi invention include a tarp impregnated with fire retar dant Subtance, and aid tarp may be dropped or dragged over an area that i on fire or i in danger of catching fire Decription of the Prior Art 0004 Current method of fighting fire generally involve douing a fire with water in order to cool it down or uing a non-flammable chemical to Smother the flame. Although uch method are often effective, they can alo be inefficient becaue great quantitie of water and/or fire Suppreion chemical mut typically be applied before a large fire can be brought under control. The weight and volume of water and fire uppreion chemical that mut be ued contribute to the expene of fighting a fire and alo to the amount of work that mut be performed. In addition, the ue of large quantitie of water can reult in water damage to building and other item. Furthermore, the ue offire Suppreion chemical in particu lar can have negative conequence for the environment. Accordingly, there i a need for a more efficient method offire Suppreion that doe not impact the environment through the introduction of large quantitie of chemical Subtance or Water In U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,420, Adiga dicloe a method for controlling a fire uing a metal creen with a catalytic coating. In the dicloed method, the indicated creen i lowered into a flame plume and tranfer the heat releae ite from the flame to the creen, thu creating inta bility in the flame. The creen become the ite of combution and mut, in turn, be put out itelf. Accordingly, it i deirable to have a impler device and method for fire Suppreion that work on the principle of mothering the fire rather than merely changing the nature of the combution, thu eliminat ing the need for further tep and thereby making the proce fater and more efficient. In addition, the cot of material involved in coating a creen with catalyt may be avoided with a device that imply mother a fire. Said mothering device would have the added advantage that it could generally be collected after ue and ued again, a neceary. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention dicloed herein utilize a fire Sup preion device compriing the ue of one or more aircraft or airboat attached by cable to a large Surface area pad of fabric or tarp material impregnated with a fire retardant Subtance, which may be dragged over a fire, or dropped on top of a fire or on a elect area in danger of catching fire. The intant invention provide a mean to Smothera fire and to prevent the fire from encroaching upon a protected area or tructure Variou other purpoe and advantage of the inven tion will become clear from it decription in the pecification that follow and from the novel feature particularly pointed out in the appended claim. Therefore, to the accomplihment of the objective decribed above, thi invention comprie the feature hereinafter illutrated in the drawing, fully decribed in the detailed decription of the preferred embodi ment, and particularly pointed out in the claim. However, Such drawing and decription dicloe jut a few of the variou way in which the invention may be practiced and are not limiting on the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 0008 FIG. 1 i an illutration of a fire uppreion ytem 100 including a fire uppreion tarp 10, cable 14, and heli copter 200. The tarp i folded up and i carried by the helicopter to a foret fire ite, illutrated by tree 60, Smoke 50, and flame FIG. 2A i an illutration of the fire uppreion ytem 100 including the body of the tarp 10 and cable FIG. 2B i an illutration of the fire uppreion ytem 100 including the body of the tarp 10, cable 14, weighted portion 18, and tie trap FIG. 2C i an illutration of the fire uppreion ytem 100 including the body of the tarp 10, cable 14, and a rolled up ection or flap FIG. 3 i an illutration of the fire uppreion y tem 100 including tie trap 16 tied to tree trunk 60, deployed at a foret fire FIG. 4 i an illutration of the fire uppreion y tem 100 including tie trap 16 tied to tree trunk 60, deployed and releaed on aforet fire uch that flame (not hown) have been extinguihed FIG. 5 i an illutration of the fire uppreion y tem 100 deployed and releaed on a houe (not hown). (0015 FIG. 6 i a cut-away illutration of the fire uppre ion ytem 100 deployed and releaed on a houe 70. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Thi invention relate to a fire uppreion device for Smothering flame or preventing flame from reaching an area. In particular, thi invention comprie a tarp made of heavy fabric or a imilar type of material, which ha been treated o a to be fire reitant. Furthermore, thi invention include novel feature compriing the ue of helicopter and cable to tranport the invention to the ite of a fire Referring to figure, wherein like part are deig nated with like reference numeral and ymbol, FIG. 1 i an illutration of a fire uppreion device 100 including a fire uppreion tarp 10, cable 14 and helicopter 200. The body of the tarp 10 i folded up and i carried by the helicopter to a foret fire ite, illutrated by tree 60, moke 50, and flame Aircraft are frequently utilized for combating large fire uch a foret fire. The intant invention employ one or two helicopter to carry the fire uppreion tarp to the ite of a fire where it may then be deployed by releaing the tarp from a folded up poition to an open one FIG. 2A i an illutration of the fire uppreion device 100 including the body of the tarp 10 and cable 14. In the illutrated embodiment of the invention, cable 14 run down each ide of the tarp by an attachment mean, for example, eyelet. The body of the tarp 10 i compried of heavy, durable fabric, or imilar material, uch that it can be folded and alo draped over feature uch a tree, vegetation, or tructure. Furthermore, the material of the body of the tarp 10 i treated with a fire retardant ubtance in order to render the tarp non-combutible. The weight of the material of the body of the tarp 10 combined with it non-combutible nature allow the tarp 100 to effective mother any fire on which it i

11 US 2009/ A1 Oct. 29, 2009 dropped and, additionally, to prevent the pread offire onto an unburned area on which the tarp i placed FIG. 2B i an illutration of an embodiment of the invention 100 including the body of the tarp 10, cable 14, weighted portion 18, and tie trap 16. In thi embodiment, weighting material, for example and, i incorporated in ec tion attached or ewn into the bottom area of the tarp 10. The weighted portion 18 allow the tarp to fully deploy and be guided toward the target area in the correct orientation. In addition, the weighted portion 18 may prevent the tarp from being blown back by updraft that are caued by a fire Another element preent in the embodiment of the invention illutrated in FIG. 2B i a ytem of tie trap 16. The tie Strap 16 can be ued by ground peronnel to ecure the leading edge of the tarp to tree trunk or other anchoring object a the tarp i lowered. Thi i ueful becaue thi allow the tarp 100 to be ecured over an area and alo allow maximum ue of the area of the tarp 100, which may be more eaily tretched out fully if at leat one end of the tarp 100 i ecured. The ue of tie trap 16 in thi manner i expected to be mot effective when the tarp 100 i ued in advance of an approaching fire to protect unburned area from catching fire FIG. 2C i an illutration of another embodiment of the invention 100 including the body of the tarp 10, cable 14, and a rolled up ection or flap 20. The flap 20 in thi embodi ment of the invention 100 may be ued a a afety feature. For example, if ground peronnel are trapped a a fire approache; the indicated peronnel may lift the flap 20 portion of the tarp 100 and take helter beneath it. Thu, even in a ituation where tie trap (16, illutrated in FIG. 2B) are ued to ecure the leading edge of the tarp 100, endangered peronnel may till unroll the flap 20, which i unretrained FIG. 3 i an illutration of an embodiment of the invention 100 including weighted portion 18 and tie trap 16 tied to tree trunk 60, deployed at a foret fire by helicop ter 200. In thi illutration, the tarp 100 i being deployed over a burning area in order to Smother exiting flame FIG. 4 i an illutration of an embodiment of the invention 100 including tie trap 16 tied to tree trunk 60, deployed and releaed by helicopter 200 onto a foret fire Such that flame (not hown) have been extinguihed FIG. 5 i an illutration of an embodiment of the invention 100 deployed and releaed by helicopter 200 on a houe (not hown). In the embodiment of the invention 100 illutrated in FIG. 5, the flexibility of the body of the tarp 10 allow it to drape over a houe. Becaue the tarp i non combutible, it ue in thi manner will prevent the pread of flame 55 from other burning houe FIG. 6 i a cut-away illutration of the embodiment of the invention 100 illutrated in FIG. 5 deployed and releaed on a houe 70. The houe 70 i unaffected by the fire, which, in thi illutration, i burning neighboring houe 75. (0027. The ue of the invention 100 to protect a houe 70 from approaching fire i a novel mean for fire prevention and firefighting. It i anticipated that the tarp 10 may be ued both to protect unburned tructure and to quickly Smother the flame on a burning tructure. Several tarp may be ued imultaneouly to fully extinguih a fire over everal houe or an even larger area The preent invention may be embodied in other pecific form without departing from it pirit or eential characteritic. The decribed embodiment are to be conid ered in all repect only a illutrative and not retrictive. All change which come within the meaning and range of equiva lency of the claim are to be embraced within their cope. I claim: 1. A Fire Suppreion Device compriing: a tarp impregnated with a fire retardant Subtance having a firt end and a econd end; a firt cable attached to a firt end of the tarp; and a firt mean for tranporting the tarp attached to the firt cable. 2. The fire uppreion device of claim 1, wherein the tarp include a tie trap attached to the firt end and adapted to ecure the tarp. 3. The fire uppreion device of claim 1, wherein the tarp include a weighted portion adapted to facilitate the deploy ment of the tarp. 4. The fire uppreion device of claim 1, wherein the tarp include a flap adapted to protect a peron. 5. The fire uppreion device of claim 1, wherein the mean for tranporting the tarp include a firt helicopter. 6. The fire uppreion device of claim 1, wherein the tarp i compried of a flexible material. 7. The fire uppreion device of claim 6, wherein the flexible material i fabric. 8. The fire uppreion device of claim 5, further compri ing a econd cable attached to the econd end of the tarp and a econd mean for tranporting the tarp. 9. The fire uppreion device of claim 8, wherein the econd mean for tranporting the tarp include a econd helicopter.