A system and methods are provided for community outdoor fire protection comprising: receiving indicators of a current fire, and responsively determining a level of the current fire risk for each of multiple endpoints of a shared water supply; determining a relative duty cycle for operating each endpoint according to a fire risk; receiving a water pressure measurement of the shared water source and determining a maximum number of concurrent endpoints to operate; accordingly allocating operation of each endpoint to a set of time slots; and activating the multiple endpoints to turn on respective water flows according to the time slot allocation.

A forest fire retardant composition contains a retardant compound that includes a halide salt, a non-halide salt, a metal oxide, a metal hydroxide, a sulfate salt, or combinations thereof. The forest fire retardant composition may include at least one anhydrous salt and at least one hydrate salt. The sulfate salt may be magnesium sulfate. The magnesium sulfate hydrate has a formula MgSO.sub.4(H.sub.2O).sub.x, where x is about 1 to about 11. For example, x may be equal to at least one of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 or 11. The composition may be in the form of a dry concentrate, a liquid concentrate, or a final diluted product. The final diluted product is effective in suppressing, retarding, and controlling forest fires while exhibiting corrosion resistance and low toxicity.

A forest fire retardant composition contains a retardant compound that includes a halide salt, a non-halide salt, a metal oxide, a metal hydroxide, a sulfate salt, or combinations thereof. The forest fire retardant composition may include at least one anhydrous salt and at least one hydrate salt. The sulfate salt may be magnesium sulfate. The magnesium sulfate hydrate has a formula MgSO.sub.4(H.sub.2O).sub.x, where x is about 1 to about 11. For example, x may be equal to at least one of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 or 11. The composition may be in the form of a dry concentrate, a liquid concentrate, or a final diluted product. The final diluted product is effective in suppressing, retarding, and controlling forest fires while exhibiting corrosion resistance and low toxicity.

A dump gate system for a fluid hopper in a firefighting aircraft. A gate sealably engages a gate opening in the hopper at a closed position. The gate is hingedly connected about the gate opening, and a drive shaft is supported within the hopper. A crank arm is fixed to the drive shaft and is further coupled to the gate by a connecting link. The crank arm and the connecting link define an over-center geometry while the gate is at the closed position, such that weight of the fluid on the gate induces torque on the drive shaft in a gate-closing direction. A linear electric motor is selectively coupled to rotate the drive shaft in a gate-opening direction to thereby enable control of the fluid flow from the hopper according to an angular position of the drive shaft.

A machine for extinguishing fires, using materials that are excavated and thrown directly from the ground includes a brush cutting module with knives and lateral panels, an excavating module comprising a cutter with spikes, and a throwing module formed by a flywheel mounted on a rotary shaft and provided with radial blades, allowing the excavated material to be thrown through openings in the throwing module. The position of the openings can be adjusted and the excavated materials can be thrown in one direction or another.

A gatebox system for delivering fire retardant fluid from a firefighting aircraft. A first and second gate opening are formed through a lower portion of a gatebox. The gates are hingedly connected along edges of the openings. One or two drive shafts in the gatebox are rotatable in gates-closing and gates-opening directions. Crank arms are fixed to the drive shafts and coupled to the gates by connecting links, which define an over-center geometry while the gates are at a closed position, such that weight of the fluid on the first gate induces torque on the drive shaft in the gates-closing direction. Rotation of the drive shafts in the gates-opening direction enables control of the fluid flow from the hopper according to an angular position of the drive shaft.

An apparatus configured to perform a prescribed burn of vegetative ground fuel comprises a movable platform configured to traverse ground that contains the vegetative ground fuel, and a burn chamber disposed on the movable platform. An ignition source is disposed in the burn chamber and configured to ignite vegetative ground fuel within a prescribed burn region of the ground. A containment arrangement is situated relative to the burn chamber and configured to confine burning of the vegetative ground fuel to the prescribed burn region. A discharge apparatus is positioned relative to the burn chamber and configured to expel residual effluent from the burn chamber. An extinguisher system can be included to extinguish residual flames and embers. A smoke filtration system can be included to filter residual effluent expelled from the burn chamber.

The document relates to a method for limiting the spread of a wildfire, comprising: defining a fire limiting boundary (4); positioning a plurality of droplet generating units (1) along the fire limiting boundary (4); connecting said droplet generating units (1) to a liquid source (3); and activating said droplet generating units (1) so that a mist is applied to a border area (41) along said fire limiting boundary (4), said border area (41) having a width, as seen in a direction across the fire limiting boundary, which is 20-200 m, preferably 50-150 m, wherein said actuation of said droplet generating units (1) being initiated before the wildfire (5) is at least 500 m, preferably at least 1000 m, at least 2000 m, at least 5000 m, or at least 10,000 meters, from fire limiting boundary (4). Each droplet generating unit (1) provides a mist throw length (L) of 20-200 m, preferably 20-30 m, 30-40 m, 40-50 m, 50-60 m, 60-70 m, 70-80 m, 80-90 m, 90-100 m, 100-120 m, 120-140 m, 140-160 m or 160-180 m, and each droplet generator (10) operates in an angled position relative to the frame (11) at an angle of 10-60 degrees seen to a horizontal plane, preferably at an angle of 20-50 degrees seen to a horizontal plane.

A method of designing a fire detection system including: determining a location of one or more fire detection devices within the building; and generating a map that displays the location of one or more fire detection device.

A device for minimizing the risk of fire in weed control applications, provides that arcs are detected by analyzing characteristic partial discharge or current and voltage values, which are prevented by round, channel-less geometries, the use of a depth electrode or the use of high ground contact pressures, which are extinguished by extinguishing mats or liquid spraying on the treated and/or surrounding surface before, during or after the high voltage treatment.