Previously we have listed problems with the current way of fighting wildfire, problems like inefficiency, labor intensive and risks. It is always easy to criticize than to change things. But we are here to prove we are not empty talkers or armchair thinkers but practical doers. Note the idea discussed here has been in the process of applying for patent.
The central idea is very simple: We will use fire bombs to target directly at the sources of a wildfire — rather than building barriers to contain it. It should work quickly, accurately and safely, because we can use drones, helicopters and other airborne devices, even ground based cannons, to throw “bombs” of fire retardant dry chemicals at a medium distance to places with big flames. This is very similar to using the firefighting jet — the SuperTanker — except that we no longer rely on a giant aircraft to deliver fire retardant or water. Instead, we divide its huge payload into small containers. Like any bombs the fire bombs will explode because they contain at least one fuze that will detonate upon in touch of fire, or at a low altitude right above the flames with heat triggered fuzes.
The Fire Extinguish Ball
The idea of putting fire retardant inside a bomb or ball is not from us. According to this article, it was invented by a man named Phanawatnan Kaimart in Thailand “after he survived the 1997 Royal Jomtien Resort Hotel fire, which killed nearly 100 people.” Furthermore, the ball is “safer to use than a normal fire extinguisher: it spreads dry powder that doesn’t harm humans or the environment, and you can throw it farther than the range of a normal extinguisher. It weighs only three pounds, and its explosion radius is more than four feet.” The guy won many awards for the invention, and has registered a brand name Elide Fire Ball to sell it worldwide.
Watch the following YouTube video for a vivid display of the power of the fire ball
Fire Bomb + Projectile
Fire balls are powerful but have two major problems. First of all, it cannot go far or travel long distance. At a weight of 3 pounds, it is heavier than a military hand grenade with an average weight of 14 oz, just under one pound. If you check online, you will find that the average soldier can throw the grenade at a maximum distance of 30-35 yards. With three times the weight, we can only expect a working distance of 10 yards. This is why in the YouTube video you saw people walking toward fire and throwing the fire ball to it.
The other problem is that the fire ball works its best with fires in a container. These two problems make it unpractical to use the fire balls in a wildfire.
Everything will be different if we put the fire ball together with a projectile, such as rifles, cannons, drones and helicopters. These delivery vehicles all can work from at least a medium distance, overcoming the short distance problem. When we throw the fire extinguishing bombs to the woods, the micro environment resembles a container, which will enhance the performance of the fire bombs.
