Process of forming strategic chemical-type wildfire breaks on ground surfaces to proactively prevent fire ignition and flame spread, and reduce the production of smoke in the presence of a wild fire

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11826592-B2
Application number	US-202217869777-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2022
Priority date	Jan 9, 2018
Publication date	Nov 28, 2023
Grant date	Nov 28, 2023

Abstract

A process of forming strategic chemical-type wildfire breaks on ground surfaces to proactively prevent fire ignition and flame spread, and reduce the production of smoke in the presence of a wildfire. The process involves using a wireless mobile information network for managing the application of a clean fire and smoke inhibiting slurry composition containing clean fire inhibiting chemicals, and cellulose or wood fiber, mixed with water and other additives, on ground surfaces in advance of wild fire, to blanket the ground surfaces from wildfire ignition, and also application over smoldering ambers and ashes to prevent re-ignition while reducing (i) the use of significant amounts of water, (ii) the production of toxic run off water, and (iii) toxic smoke.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process of making and applying a fire and smoke inhibiting slurry mixture on ground surfaces before the arrival of wildfire so as to proactively form a strategic chemical-type wildfire break on said ground surfaces, said process comprising the steps of:
(a) in a mixing tank, blending mulch fibers including wood and/or cellulose fibers, with clean fire inhibiting chemicals (CFIC), using a wetting agent, and then mixing with a quantity of water to make up a fire and smoke inhibiting slurry mixture, so that said clean fire inhibiting chemicals infuse into the surface of the mulch fibers when being mixed within said mixing tank during the blending and mixing steps of said process; and
(b) using a GPS-tracking hydraulic spraying system supported on a mobile spray vehicle to hydraulically spray the fire and smoke inhibiting slurry mixture on a ground surface so as to form a strategic chemical-type wildfire break;
(c) documenting the formation of said strategic chemical-type wildfire break on said ground surface by capturing GPS-coordinates and time/date stamping data generated by said GPS-tracking hydraulic spraying system deployed on a wireless system network supporting a network database for storing, as database records, said GPS coordinates and time/date stamping data associated with said strategic chemical-type wildfire break;
(d) wirelessly transmitting said GPS-coordinates to said network database for storage and future access on said wireless system network; and
(e) providing authorized stakeholders access to database records stored in said network database on said wireless system network to verify the formation and existence of said strategic chemical-type wildfire break;
wherein, once said fire and smoke inhibiting slurry mixture sprayed on said ground surface has dried, leaving behind CFIC-infused chemicals within said mulch fibers adhered to said ground surface forming said strategic chemical-type wildfire break, said strategic chemical-type wildfire break provides fire protection and smoke reduction in the presence of a wildfire.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said wood and/or cellulose fibers forming said strategic chemical-type wildfire break are obtained from materials selected from the group consisting of wood fiber mulch, cellulose fiber mulch, cellulose fiber mulch with tackifier, wood fiber mulch, wood fiber mulch with tackifier, stabilized mulch matrix, bonded fiber matrix, engineered fiber matrix, high-performance-flexible growth medium, and extended-term flexible growth medium.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein during step (b), said ground surface on which said strategic chemical-type wildfire break is formed, is selected from the group consisting of: (i) a ground surface region around a neighborhood of houses located in a high-risk wildfire region; (ii) a highway surrounded by a high-risk wildfire region on both sides; (iii) a piece of land on which a house just burned to the ground after a wildfire passed through; and (iv) on a house or building that is burning or has burned due to a fire within the building.

4. The method of claim 1 , which further comprises:
(v) upon the outbreak and arrival of a wildfire on or about a GPS-specified property, local fire departments use a mobile application to remotely assess database records stored in said network database, and quickly determine and identify the formation and existence of said strategic chemical-type wildfire break, and advise individuals fighting and managing wildfires.

5. A process of forming a strategic chemical-type wildfire break on a ground surface to proactively prevent fire ignition and flame spread, and reduce the production of smoke in the presence of a wildfire, said process comprising the steps of:
(a) mixing mulch fibers including wood and/or cellulose fibers, with clean fire inhibiting chemicals (CFIC) a wetting agent, and a quantity of water in a mixing tank, as to make up a fire and smoke inhibiting slurry mixture, whereby said clean fire inhibiting chemicals infuse into the surface of the mulch fibers when being mixed within said mixing tank;
(b) using a GPS-tracking hydraulic spraying system supported on a mobile spray vehicle to hydraulically spray the fire and smoke inhibiting slurry mixture from said mixing tank over a ground surface so as to form a strategic chemical-type wildfire break;
(c) documenting the formation of said strategic chemical-type wildfire break on said ground surface by capturing GPS-coordinates and time/date stamping data generated by said GPS-tracking hydraulic spraying system deployed on a wireless system network supporting a network database for storing, as database records, said GPS coordinates of said strategic chemical-type wildfire break;
(d) wirelessly transmitting said GPS-coordinates and time/date stamping data to said network database for storage and future access on said wireless system network; and
(e) providing authorized stakeholders access to database records stored in said network database on said wireless system network to verify the formation and existence of said strategic chemical-type wildfire break;
wherein said clean fire inhibiting chemicals infused in the mulch fibers of said strategic chemical-type wildfire break inhibit fire ignition and flame spread in the presence of a wildfire.

6. The process of claim 5 , wherein said wood and/or cellulose fibers are obtained from materials selected from the group consisting of wood fiber mulch, cellulose fiber mulch, cellulose fiber mulch with tackifier, wood fiber mulch wood fiber mulch with tackifier, stabilized mulch matrix, bonded fiber matrix, engineered fiber matrix, high-performance-flexible growth medium, and extended-term flexible growth medium.

7. The process of claim 5 , wherein said ground surface on which said strategic chemical-type wildfire break is formed, is selected from the group consisting of: (i) a ground surface region around a neighborhood of houses located in a high-risk wildfire region; (ii) a highway surrounded by a high-risk wildfire region on both sides; (iii) a piece of land on which a house just burned to the ground after a wildfire passed through; and (iv) on a house or building that is burning due to a fire within the building.

8. A method of proactively preventing ignition and spread of flames and reducing the production of smoke in the presence of wildfire by proactively forming strategic chemical-type wildfire breaks on ground surfaces prior to the arrival of a wildfire, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) using a GPS-tracking hydraulic spraying system to hydraulically spray a ground surface with a fire and smoke inhibiting mulch mixture including mulch fibers, including wood and/or cellulose fibers, infused with clean fire inhibiting chemicals (CFIC) using a wetting agent and water, to form a strategic chemical-type wildfire break;
(b) documenting the formation of said strategic chemical-type wildfire break on said ground surface by capturing GPS-coordinates and time/date stamping data generated by said GPS-tracking hydraulic spraying system deployed on a wireless system network supporting a network database for storing, as database records, said GPS coordinates of said strategic chemical-type wildfire breaks;
(c) wirelessly transmitting said GPS-coordinates and time/date stamping data to said network database for storage and future access on said wireless system network; and
(d) providing authorized stakeholders access to database records stored in said network database on said wireless system network to verify the formation and existences of said strategic chemical-type wildfire break;
wherein upon incidence of wildfire around said ground surface covered with said fire and smoke inhibiting mulch mixture form

Assignees

• Mighty Fire Breaker Llc

Inventors

• Conboy Stephen

Classifications

• A62C3/0242 Primary

  by spraying extinguishants from the aircraft (spraying from aircraft in general B64D1/16) · CPC title

• A62C3/0271

  Detection of area conflagration fires (fire alarms for forest fires G08B17/005) · CPC title

• A62C3/0278

  by creating zones devoid of flammable material · CPC title