WO2023039686A1 - System and method for fighting forest fires made up of water-containing bags predictively arranged in water lines, installed transversely to the advance of the fire and forming firebreaks, to extinguish or slow the progress of the fire - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for fighting forest fires made up of water-containing bags predictively arranged in water lines installed transversely to the advance of the fire and forming firebreaks, to extinguish or slow the progress of the fire, said system comprising water bags (1), preferably made of PVC, with a volume ranging from 0.20 cubic metres to a maximum of 600 cubic metres per unit, each water bag unit (1) incorporating: a die-cut portion (4) with perforated washers (10) reinforced at both ends, a retractable valve (2), a metallic membrane (5), and rapid combustion lateral lines (3); said water bags (1) being arranged coiled on reels (6) which are installed on a cart (7), and the preferred storage arrangement being on reels (8). The system further incorporates raised support means (9) and water supply means (11) for supplying water; and the method includes installing water bags (1) on the surface of the ground, forming one or more firebreaks longitudinally facing the direction of the advance of the fire and arranging the rapid combustion lateral lines (3) facing the direction of the advance of the fire.

Description

System and method against forest fires made up of water container bags arranged predictably as water lines, installed transversally to the advance of the fire, forming fire barriers, to extinguish or mitigate the advance of the fire.

DESCRIPTIVE MEMORY

It is known that approximately 75% of forest fires are intentional causing deforestation, damage to the ecosystem and agriculture among many others.

In recent times, climate change has caused very particular weather conditions, with high temperatures that are exceeding historically known records. The strong winds and the drought that cause water shortages in large areas facilitate the conditions for the generation of fires and the rapid spread of fire.

Throughout the world, there are thousands of sources of permanently active forest fires and the work of firefighters and fire fighting teams is sustained over time.

Forest fires impact people's lives, biodiversity, flora and fauna, agricultural activities, tourism, people's health, air pollution due to CO2 emissions, the real estate market, the economic activities of small businesses, air and land traffic, among other direct and indirect effects.

The invention presents a system and a method against forest fires strategically using water-containing bags, in which said bags are arranged in such a way that they form fire barriers to mitigate and stop the advance of fire.

The proposed system is complementary to the existing methods and also provides significant advantages, among them those related to the reduction of risks for firefighters and personnel assigned to fight the fire, since being predictive, much is installed. before the fire front reaches the place where the water container bags will be.

Scope

The field of application of the system and method of the invention is mainly oriented to forest fires, and can be applied in plains, pastures, plains, forests, valleys or hills, exposed or affected by forest fires.

state of the art

In the state of the art, it is possible to identify a series of systems and methods to extinguish or put out different types of fires, for example, structural or forest fires where the base, a priori, for fighting fire is water together with other devices such as bat- fires, rakes, shovels, sprinklers, axes among others.

In forest fires, the action of the wind is very important, since the speed and direction of the wind directly affect, increasing and facilitating the spread of the fire. In this sense, the experts are able to a great extent to anticipate the direction of fire propagation, with this information we proceed to make fire barriers, which mainly consider the cleaning and extraction of combustible material from the areas of possible fire advance. This type of methodology is widely used to prevent the spread of fire, but it has the disadvantage of being inflexible in the sense that it cannot be moved if the direction of the wind changes and, secondly, it consumes a large amount of time and energy from the fire brigade and volunteers. .

It is known, as a simplified basis, two methods for the control of forest fires, the direct method and the indirect method.

In the direct method, fire control is achieved by extinguishing the fire on the advancing front and the work of the firefighters is basically carried out with water and other tools, the use of helicopters or fire hydrants is incorporated, which represents a great expense. economical and logistical challenge, along with the risk to people in terms of burns, injuries and even their lives.

In the indirect method, fire control is achieved by surrounding it, enclosing it in a control line, strategically using natural barriers such as rivers, lakes, roads, etc.), deliberate and controlled fire to burn possible fuels that fuel the fire, thereby which turns out to be very risky and dangerous. Hydrant planes or helicopters and the formation of firebreaks are also used.

There are many patent documents related to fire extinguishing systems and methods, for example:

Patent 201803344 describes a device for extinguishing massive fires which comprises: - one or more containers arranged in a casing in which the containers are polymeric and contain a mixture of water and CO2 under pressure, a procedure for extinguishing fires is also described. large-scale fires that involve the steps of providing a load of containers filled with pressurized water and co2, dropping said containers onto the flames of a fire generating areas of extinguished fire, spraying said areas with water and establishing an extinguished strip in front of the fire to prevent its spread.

Patent 201802961 refers to a system for extinguishing fires by means of suffocation and instant cooling, which is made up of three suffocating and cooling elements: a liquid based on a mixture of water and CO2, carbon dioxide in a gas state and a chemical element based on foam concentrate, and a series of specifically arranged mechanical parts, which are contained and housed inside a spherical device that as a whole allows the simultaneous and instantaneous release of the elements to be triggered in a fused and explosive manner, by come into contact with high temperatures and/or a critical impact.

Patent 201701323 discloses a fifth configuration fire apparatus, which reduces weight and improves the vertical extension height and horizontal reach, comprising; a chassis defining a longitudinal direction and including a first frame rail separated from a second frame rail, the first frame rail and the second frame rail define a pair of rack rails; a single front axle coupled to a front end of the chassis; a single rear axle coupled to a rear end of the chassis; a body assembly attached to the chassis and having a storage area configured to receive a ground ladder and fire hose; a pump attached to the chassis; a water tank attached to the chassis; a torque box extending along the longitudinal direction and extending above the single rear axle, thus transferring the load along the chassis, which the torque box includes; a tubular body portion having a rectangular cross-sectional shape, a first end disposed rearward of the single rear axle, and an opposite second end disposed forward of the single rear axle; and a plate having a first wall disposed across an upper surface of the tubular body portion, a first leg disposed along a side wall of the tubular body portion, and a second leg disposed along a second opposite side wall of the tubular body portion; wherein the torque box has a width equal to a spacing between the laterally outward facing surfaces of the first frame rail and the second frame rail; where the tubular body portion is positioned on the pair of frame rails; and wherein the first leg and the second leg define a plurality of interconnections configured to engage a plurality of brackets that are attached to the pair of frame rails; a pedestal coupled to the torque box and disposed rearward of the single rear axle; a single set of stabilizers attached to the chassis and movable between a fully extended position and a retracted position, where the single set of stabilizers projects from opposite lateral sides of the chassis when in the fully extended position; an aerial ladder assembly including a plurality of extendable ladder sections, the aerial ladder assembly attached to the chassis with the pedestal and torque box, wherein the aerial ladder assembly can be extended to provide a horizontal reach of at least least 30.48 meters and a vertical height of at least 32 meters; and a stability base, where the second opposite end of the torque box engages the single set of stabilizers, thereby defining a first load path from the aerial ladder assembly to the single set of stabilizers through the pedestal and the tubular body portion of the torque box, where the stability base engages the first end of the torque box, thus defining a second load path from the aerial ladder assembly to the stability base through the pedestal and the tubular body portion of the torque box.

Patent 199802232 refers to the fact that: uncontrolled fire in forest fires causes great human and material losses, to help control it or they take adjustable plates to the site of the accident to form a retaining wall or barrier, which It is connected by means of hoses to a motor pump and emits a curtain of water that stops the advance of the flames in some areas, they have retractable arms which in turn have adjustable legs to adjust to the terrain and the means of union of some other.

Patent 200202477 provides methods, systems and devices to install barriers in the openings or spaces that are inside or between structures such as walls, ceilings and floors, at least one molded bag is placed in the hole or space, and is introduced into the bag a flowable firestop material that is generally functional to vulcanize or harden, such as a hydratable cementitious slurry, to create a barrier in the hole or space.

All the cited documents added to other existing systems and methods differ from the present invention that provides a system and a method against forest fires that incorporates water container bags strategically arranged in a predictive manner, using information from experts who are capable of anticipating the sense advance of the fire, to arrange pockets of water in transversal lines to the advance of the fire, forming fire barriers, to extinguish or mitigate the advance.

technique problem

Given the permanent existence of sources of forest fires, in all parts of the world, it is necessary to have systems, methods and means that can anticipate and stop or mitigate the spread of fire. The invention presents a system and a method against forest fires strategically using water-containing bags, in which said bags are arranged to form water lines, which form fire barriers to mitigate and stop the advance of fire. Brief description of the figures

Fig. 1 shows a series of images of a water container bag unit, plan elevations and isometric.

Fig. 2 shows a scheme of reels to contain bags and the way to deploy to install said bags.

Fig. 3 schematically shows how to store bags of water in a fire station.

Fig. 4 shows a scheme of the application method of the invention.

Fig. 5 shows an example of application and the formation of fire lines.

Fig. 6 shows an example of application of water bags installed in height in the trees.

Fig. 7 shows an example of an application with fire lines to protect a populated area.

Fig. 8 shows an example of an application with two and four water bag firebreak lines.

Fig. 9 shows an example of an application where lines of water bags are observed.

Detailed description of the invention

The invention refers to a system and method against forest fires made up of water-containing bags arranged predictively as contained water lines, installed transversely to the advance of the fire, forming fire barriers, to extinguish or mitigate the advance of the fire. The bags of water can contain water alone or mixed with fire retardants.

Fig. 1 shows a series of images of a water container bag unit or water bags (1). The water bags (1) are preferably made of PVC and have variable dimensions according to the needs that are required at the time of use, containing from 0.2m3 to a maximum of 600m3 per unit. Available in rolls of containers and incorporate a die-cut (4) at both ends to facilitate their partitioning, transfer, and installation on the ground. These die-cut ends (4) have washers (10), perforated and reinforced. In the upper part, 20 cm from the right edge, it incorporates a retractable valve (2) for filling it with liquid, which will be flush with the edge of each bag, said valve (2) is expanded for filling and then pressed and returned to its initial state. Once the valve has been extracted, it will be filled with liquid (water or another liquid used to fight the fire) through a hose adapted to the mouth of the valve (2). The base of each water bag unit is reinforced with a metallic membrane (5) or cloth to protect it from possible scratches and tears, thus preventing it from leaking water and losing volume; each water bag unit (1) has lateral lines (3) for rapid combustion to facilitate the escape of water when coming into direct contact with the fire.

The dimensions of a fire-fighting water container unit (water bag) are: Length; from 50cm to a maximum of 200 meters. High; from 5cm to a maximum of 2 meters. Width: from 50cm to a maximum of 3 meters. Volume: from 0.20m3 to a maximum of 600 cubic meters

Fig. 2 shows a scheme of reels to contain bags and the way to deploy to install said bags. The bags of water (1) are ready for use rolled up on reels (6) (type coils) of reusable wood or plastic and of variable size, depending on the width of the bag of water (1) required, to facilitate the transfer, The reel (6) is installed on a manual (small) or large cart or trailer (7) to be pulled by vehicles.

Fig. 3 schematically shows how to store the bags of water (1), where the preferred storage is in fire stations in reel racks (8).

The step-by-step process to install the water bags refer to the following previous considerations:

1- Notice of fire source and/or area of high risk of forest fire. The necessary condition to install the bags of water is that there is an area or zone at high risk of forest fire occurrence, or that there is already a source of fire, which is advancing in a direction determined mainly by the conditions of the terrain and direction and direction. wind intensity. There are two situations: preventive situation with an undetected source of fire, but in areas with a high probability of occurrence and situation active with focus detected and fire in progress. These two situations have different treatments.

2- Arrangement and storage of bags of water. The reels with water bags will be stored mainly in the deposits of the fire stations in an easily accessible area ready to prepare their transfer. But if required by public or private organizations, they must have or adapt an area to store the devices.

3- Transfer. According to the length of the front of the fire source and the area to be covered, it will be the number of bags of water that will be needed to install on the ground. The area and time needed to install will depend on whether it is a preventative situation or an active situation. The bags of water will be moved rolled up on reels by trucks, vans or vehicles prepared for this purpose. Once in the area to be covered, the bags of water are moved with the trailers or cars (7).

4. - Install the water bags (1) strategically to fight the fire.

The bags of water make up a mixed and complementary system to the existing one to fight forest fires, directly and indirectly, without putting human resources at risk. We call it direct when the very edge of the fire is intervened and it consists of cooling the fuel, displacing the oxygen, or cutting the continuity of the fuel. In this case, man intervenes with the risks that this implies. The indirect way is to establish the line of control at some distance from the edge of the fire. In this case, this edge is fixed and cannot be moved or moved if the fire propagation conditions change.

In the event that the direction of spread of the fire changes, the bags of water can be moved or transferred to cover the new area or other surface that will be affected. In addition to establishing one, two, three or more fire barriers.

As the source of fire advances in the expected direction, the fire upon reaching the first line of water bags will begin to burn / melt the PVC and as a consequence the water will exit the devices from the lateral edges that have the lateral lines (3 ) or strings of rapid combustion, with two key effects to mitigate the advance of the flames; cool the fuel and cut its continuity.

In the event that the first cutting line (L1) is not sufficient to reduce or put out the fire, as many lines (L2, L3 or more) of water bags (1) may be placed as deemed necessary to reduce the fire. .

As the fire advances through successive lines of water bags, its strength and intensity will mitigate and weaken, which will allow the use of other complementary means normally used by firefighters.

Fig. 4 shows a diagram of the application method of the invention where an area covered with grasslands (P) and forests (B) is observed, either native or planted for commercial purposes susceptible to having forest fires, the direction of the wind (V), the fire front or active focus (F) of the fire, the direction of advance (A) of the fire, the direction of water exit through the lateral lines (3) of rapid combustion. The lines or fire barriers of water bags (1) are arranged to form a first line (L1) followed by a second line (L2) and further back, a third line (L4) is installed, being able to install more lines if is required. The separation between said lines or fire barriers is between two and six meters between them and the length of each line is variable according to the extent of the area or surface to be protected.

Fig. 5 shows an example of application and the formation of firebreak lines where it can be seen that several lines of water bags (1) are arranged in the direction of the fire's advance.

Fig. 6 shows an example of application of water bags installed in height in the trees where the water bags are installed in height supported by a means of support in height (9), such as steel cables or strings extended linearly between trees. , cables with a length of 10, 20, 30 meters, in which for the bag of water (1) to be supported in said means of support in height (9), it has washers (10), perforated and reinforced, arranged in the punched ends (4). Another means of height support (9) is to use an interwoven mesh on which the water-containing bags are supported, waiting for the fire to melt them and thus the water falls. Said mesh can be installed at different heights depending on the need and structures of the trees.

Fig. 7 shows an example of application with firebreak lines to protect a populated area where the lines or barriers of water bags (1) are arranged on a first front in the area of direct advance of the fire and on a second front forming Lines of direct protection to the populated area.

Fig. 8 shows an example of an application with a first instance with two fire lines and a second instance with four water bag fire lines (1), that is, all the water bag lines can be installed ( 1) that is required and with a variable length according to what is required or according to the length of the source of the fire.

Fig. 9 shows an example of an application where lines of water bags arranged in front of the advance of the fire are observed.

The ground level installation method incorporates the following steps:

- Detect forest fire and study possible affectations.

- Determine the direction and speed of the wind and estimate the direction and area of advance of the fire.

- Establish area or surface to protect according to the estimated progress.

- Transfer bags of water (1) stored in rolls on reels (6).

- Establish an area for the installation of water bags (1), this area must be far from the direct advance of the fire in a predictive manner, without risk to firefighters.

- Deploy and Install on the surface of the land of the established area, the water bags (1) forming firebreak lines, lines L1, L2, L3, or more, longitudinally facing the direction of advance of the fire.

- Try to leave the lateral lines (3) of rapid combustion facing the direction of advance of the fire.

- Open the valves (2) of each deployed water bag (1).

- Fill with water all the water balls of each line (Ll, L2, L3) deployed. The height installation method incorporates the following steps:

- Select the means of support in height (9), which is a set of two cables with a length of 10, 20, 30 meters depending on the distance between trees.

- Pass said middle cables (9) through the washers (4) of between five and ten units of empty water bags (1).

- Fix one end of the middle cables (9) to a tree at height using a fire ladder.

- Open the valves (2) of each water bag (1).

- Fix the other end of the cables in the middle (9) to a second tree in height using a fireman's ladder, forming an overhead line with water bags (1) installed in height.

- Fill all the water balls (1) of the shaped airline with water.

- Install one, two, three or more overhead lines.

- Remove equipment and personnel leaving the overhead lines installed.

The water supply is carried out using a means of water supply (11) such as tank cars or pump cars, swimming pools and motorized pumps.

Claims

Claims 1. - System against forest fires made up of water container bags arranged predictively as water lines installed transversally to the advance of the fire, forming fire barriers, to extinguish or mitigate the advance of the fire CHARACTERIZED because it includes bags of water (1) preferably made of PVC, with a length from 50 centimeters to a maximum of 200 meters, a height from 5 centimeters to a maximum of 2 meters and a width from 50 centimeters to a maximum of 3 meters; with volume from 0.20 cubic meters to a maximum of 600 cubic meters per unit; each unit of water bag (1) incorporates a die cut (4) with perforated and reinforced washers (10) at both ends and in the upper part 20 cm from the right edge, each water bag (1) incorporates a retractable valve ( 2) and its base or lower face is reinforced with a metal membrane (5) or protective cloth; each water bag unit (1) has lateral lines (3) for rapid combustion to facilitate the escape of water when coming into direct contact with the fire; said bags of water (1) are arranged rolled up on reels (6) that are installed on a cart (7); Preferred storage is in fire stations in reel racks (8); incorporates a means of height support (9), which is a set of two steel cables or ropes with a length of 10, 20 and 30 meters, which pass through washers (4) or interwoven meshes on which the bags are supported water containers; For the water supply, a means of water supply (11) is incorporated, such as cistern cars or pump cars. 2. - Method of using the system against forest fires made up of water container bags arranged predictively as contained water lines, installed transversely to the advance of the fire, forming fire barriers, to extinguish or mitigate the advance of the fire of claim No. 1, CHARACTERIZED because for the installation at ground surface level it incorporates the following steps: - Detect forest fire and study possible affectations. - Determine the direction and speed of the wind and estimate the direction and area of advance of the fire. - Establish area or surface to protect according to the estimated progress. - Transfer bags of water (1) stored in rolls on the reels (6). - Establish an area for the installation of water bags (1), in which said area must be far from the direct advance of the fire in a predictive manner, without risk to firefighters. - Deploy and Install on the surface of the land of the established area, the water bags (1) forming firebreak lines, lines L1, L2, L3, or more, longitudinally facing the direction of advance of the fire. - Try to leave the lateral lines (3) of rapid combustion facing the direction of advance of the fire. - Open the valves (2) of each deployed water bag (1). - Fill with water all the water balls of each line (Ll, L2, L3) displayed. - Remove equipment and personnel, leaving the fire lines installed. 3. - Method of using the system against forest fires made up of water container bags arranged predictively as contained water lines, installed transversely to the advance of the fire, forming fire barriers, to extinguish or mitigate the advance of the fire of claim No. 1, CHARACTERIZED because for the installation in height it incorporates the following steps: - Select the means of support in height (9), which is a set of two cables or strings with a length of 10, 20, 30 meters depending on the distance between trees. - Pass said middle cables (9) through the washers (4) of between five and ten units of empty water bags (1). - Fix one end of the middle cables (9) to a tree at height using a fire ladder. - Open the valves (2) of each water bag (1). - Fix the other end of the cables in the middle (9) to a second tree in height using a fireman's ladder, forming an overhead line with water bags (1) installed in height. - Fill all the water balls (1) of the shaped airline with water. - Install one, two, three or more overhead lines. - Remove equipment and personnel leaving the overhead lines installed. 14 4. - Method of using the system against forest fires made up of water container bags arranged predictively as contained water lines, installed transversely to the advance of the fire, forming fire barriers, to extinguish or mitigate the advance of the fire of claim No. 1, CHARACTERIZED because for the liquid filling of each bag of water (1), the valve (2) is expanded and filled with liquid (water or another liquid used to fight the fire) through a hose adapted to the mouth of said valve (2 ), once the bag (1) is full, the valve (2) is pressed and it is returned to its initial state.