WO2007105975A1

WO2007105975A1 - Firefighting equipment

Info

Publication number: WO2007105975A1
Application number: PCT/PT2006/000008
Authority: WO
Inventors: Paulo Alexandre Lucas Macedo
Original assignee: Paulo L. Macedo, Ltd.
Priority date: 2006-03-15
Filing date: 2006-03-15
Publication date: 2007-09-20

Abstract

The present invention relates to firefighting equipment, characterised in that it consists of : - A vehicle (1) with a high degree of traction and mobility; A tank with one compartment for water (5) and another for foam (4), assembled onto the cargo box of the vehicle; - A system (2) for adding compressed air and foam to the water; - A water cannon (10) that can be controlled from inside the vehicle cabin (11) by the operator; - A bulldozer- type blade (3) at the front of the vehicle; and - A system of hydraulic jacks (9) for lifting the vehicle.

Description

DESCRIPTION

"FIREFIGHTING EQUIPMENT"

Scope of the invention

The present invention relates to firefighting equipment as defined in claim 1. Specifically, the equipment consists of four devices which together form a single unit .

Prior art

Various types of firefighting equipment are known, including those described in patents US6289995, US6029750, US5113946, WO0230515 and US6142238.

Patent US6289995 relates to a firefighting vehicle with tracked running gear, having a large onboard water tank, a universal nozzle and heat shields cooled by a system of standoff sprinklers behind the shields, a forward spraying sprinkler and an operator's compartment having controls for operating the vehicle.

Patent US6029750 relates to an all-terrain vehicle for fighting fires in remote areas, carrying a water-fillable tank, a water pump in fluid communication with the inside of the tank, an engine to operate the pump, and at least one hose for directing the pumped water, preferably foamed with a foaming agent at the fire.

Patent US5113946 relates to a firefighting system including a tractor and tanks mounted on the tractor at different elevations. The tanks are filled with water and during dispensing of the water during fire-fighting the tanks are emptied in order from the top-most down.

Patent WO0230515 relates to a firefighting system comprising a motorised vehicle having a body and an operator cab located inside the said body, the system further comprising equipment for fighting of fires, said equipment including at least one nozzle for directing of fighting fluid towards the fire, said nozzle being connected to a source of fighting fluid, wherein: a) said body is covered with a thermoproof, impactproof and explosion proof armour; b) said body is capable of containing inside at least one water storage tank; c) said body is adapted for sealing off; d) the front part of said body is double bevelled so that it forms a sharp edge enabling penetration through the burning objects and their squeezing to the ground.

Patent US6142238 relates to a method for fighting wildland and forest fire and a hitch assembly that allows a tank of fluid to be towed by a fire tractor to a fire location especially for the purpose of spraying and creating a foam firebreak line. Thus, several types of firefighting equipment exist which are mounted onto motorised vehicles and use various devices, such as water tanks, foam and water mixtures, nozzles for directing the mixture towards the fire and bulldozer-type support blades or attachments.

However, the applicant is not aware of the application of all these devices in a single piece of equipment. In fact, it was not to be expected that the combination of all of the abovementioned devices would produce such marked results in the fighting of fires. The possibility of using one or more of the devices which constitute the equipment makes it possible for fighting fires using the techniques and strategies that are most appropriate for each situation. The design of this new equipment is the result of many attempts and experiments with vehicles equipped with various devices, the inventor having reached the conclusion that it would be useful to have an appropriate vehicle possessing great versatility in terms of firefighting techniques, while at the same being highly robust and simple to manoeuvre. The subject matter of this invention therefore offers significant advantages in relation to the known firefighting means.

Brief description of the figures

The description that follows refers to a figure which represents without any restrictive character: - in figure 1 a main elevation of an embodiment of the invention;

- in figure 2 a top view of the embodiment shown in figure 1.

Detailed description of the invention

As may be observed from the attached figures, the equipment of the invention consists of a vehicle (1) , in this embodiment a 6 x 6 dumper, having a high degree of traction and mobility since it has tyres with a large diameter and the steering gear is located at its centre and not within the wheels, which confers great mobility, especially in tight spaces. The cargo box, which is of the tip-up type normally used for transporting inert material, is transformed into a compartmented tank, i.e. one compartment (5) for water with a capacity of 12,000 litres and another (4) for foam with a capacity of 200 litres.

A CAFS 2 system (Compressed Air Foam System) is also used for adding compressed air and foam to the water, making it possible to increase five-fold the extinguishing capacity of the water existing in the tank.

Coupled to the CAFS 2 system is a water cannon (10) that can be controlled from inside the cabin (11) by the operator of the equipment, which makes it possible to project water or foam up to a distance of 50 metres. At the back of the dumper (1) there are two hose reels (8) for hoses between 25 metres and 45 metres in length, to be used as a firefighting line with the assistance of firefighters. The equipment is also fitted with a lighting tower (7) holding five spotlights.

At the front of the vehicle there is a blade (3) . This blade makes it possible to clear access in situations where it is difficult to reach the scene of the fire, by cutting down trees and creating firebreaks.

The dumper (1) is also equipped with a system of hydraulic jacks (9) that can lift the vehicle completely off the ground in any type of terrain, for example to change a damaged tyre.

As may be understood by those skilled in the art, with this equipment it is possible to fight a fire very effectively. In fact, it is fitted with various devices, which are already known and have all been proven to be efficient, but they are joined together in a single piece of equipment. The combination of each of the components will certainly make it possible to fight fires much more effectively.

Since the individual devices are already known, the project designer of the equipment of the present invention could assemble onto an appropriate vehicle devices with various brands that are available on the market, though without exceeding the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Firefighting equipment characterised in that it consists of:

- A vehicle (1) with a high degree of traction and mobility;

A tank with one compartment for water (5) and another for foam (4) , assembled onto the cargo box of the vehicle;

- A system (2) for adding compressed air and foam to the water;

- A water cannon (10) that can be controlled from inside the vehicle cabin (11) by the operator;

- A bulldozer-type blade (3) at the front of the vehicle; and

- A system of hydraulic jacks (9) for lifting the vehicle .

2. Firefighting equipment according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the vehicle is a dumper .

3. Firefighting equipment according to claim 1, characterised in that the tank has one compartment for water (5) with a capacity of 12,000 litres and another tank for foam (4) with a capacity of 200 litres.

4. Firefighting equipment according to claim 1, characterised in that the system (2) for adding compressed air and foam to the water and the water cannon (10) controlled from inside the cabin are fitted with the means necessary for fully carrying out their functions.