A fire suppression apparatus for fighting fires from a vehicle configured for flight is disclosed, comprising a foam and water held in separate containers aboard the vehicle that when mixed forms a fire retardant, a pump driven by an electric motor to pressurize the fire retardant, the pump including an air induction valve where air is drawn into a suction end of the pump and pressurized together with the fire retardant, and an aimable boom connected to the pump by a conduit, the boom including a nozzle on a distal end of the boom from which the pressurized fire retardant and air is dispensed toward a target.

A compressed air foam (CAF) mixing device is suitable for use in a CAF system that includes a pressurized source of a water soap mixture and a pressurized air source. The CAF mixing device includes an inlet portion, a venturi portion and a deceleration portion. The venturi portion communicates with the inlet portion and includes a constricted zone which presents a smaller cross sectional area than the inlet portion. The venturi portion opens into the deceleration portion that has a substantially larger cross sectional area than the venturi portion. At least one pressurized air conduit communicates with the pressurized air source and is arranged to be adjacent to the deceleration portion. At least one aperture communicates between the pressurized air conduit and the deceleration portion and introduces high pressure air into the deceleration portion in order to produce a water soap foam (CAF) suitable for firefighting.

A mobile compressed foam firefighting unit comprising a mixing chamber connected at the outlet to the foam feeder, and the following systems connected to the mixing chamber inlet: a water supply system comprising a water pump and a water pump drive, a foam concentrate supply system comprising a foam pump and a foam pump drive, and an air supply system comprising an air compressor and an air pump drive. The system includes a drive motor, and drives of the air compressor and the foam pump comprise variable hydraulic transmissions kinetically connected to the drive motor, and the system is equipped with a water flow meter, a throttle valve with an electric drive and a check valve, and an electronic control unit of the throttle valve installed in the water supply pipe between the water pump and the mixing chamber.

An alternative to aqueous film forming foams containing fluorine for firefighting foams for flammable liquid fires is a mist of aqueous ethyleneamine polyphosphate solution or fumed silica doped ethyleneamine polyphosphate solution. The method consists of spraying a mist of such solutions into a flammable liquid fire to suppress the flames and cool the fire. The mist approach also suppresses flames of wood fires. An alternate approach is to add ethyleneamine polyphosphate or fumed silica doped ethyleneamine polyphosphate to a fluorine free foam to form a flame retarded foam that is able to smother a flammable liquid fire.

A fire extinguisher includes a liquid fire extinguishing media, and first and second gases inside of a storage vessel at an operating pressure, and a discharge tube extending between a control valve and the fire extinguishing media. At least a portion of the first gas is dissolved in the fire extinguishing media. The control valve can be operated to control discharge of the fire extinguishing media via the discharge tube whereupon at least a portion of the second gas enters a flow of the fire extinguishing media via one or more holes in the discharge tube forming bubbles of the second gas in the flow of the fire extinguishing media. The fire extinguishing media exiting the control valve can pass through a nozzle which can causing first and second portions of the fire extinguishing media to collide forming a plume mist of the fire extinguishing media.

An apparatus and method directed to aspirated-type high-expansion foam generation having a nozzle manifold configured to receive a foam solution and at least one nozzle assembly. The generator includes a foam generator assembly disposed adjacent the nozzle manifold. The foam generator has a body portion having a first foam generating portion and a second foam generating portion that is connected to the first foam generating portion. The generator is configured with a main header of the nozzle manifold disposed orthogonal to at least one sub-header; less than six nozzle assemblies; a ratio of a diameter of an inlet of a respective nozzle to a distance from an inner wall surface of the header to the inlet of the respective nozzle is 0.8 or less; and a nozzle with a nozzle insert with a crossover path defined by a non-sharp transition member and a cone shaped tip.

A system for dispensing flame retardant foam on the exterior of a structure. The structure has an opening that enables distribution of flame retardant foam onto the roof. The system includes a foam distribution system having a foam expansion chamber and a roof plenum for delivery through the roof opening. Foam solution and compressed air are combined in a conduit and supplied to the foam expansion chamber. The structure may have at least one wall. In that case, the system may have a wall plenum for delivery of flame retardant foam from the foam expansion chamber through a first wall-associated opening. Each such wall will have an opening associated with the wall that enables distribution of flame retardant foam onto that wall.

A fire detection and suppression system operates in independent autonomous modes or under human command. Optical, thermal and laser based sensors detect fire conditions. Anemometers and thermometers detect environmental conditions, allowing the system to adjust the flow of fluid from the system to the targeted flame or condition. Algorithmic analysis of the input data in connection with such preselected thresholds permits rapid detection of fire conditions and in automatic modes triggers a suppression response. A feedback loop enhances adjusts for dynamic flame and environmental conditions.

A dispensing unit that consists of two or more dispensing solutions, at least one being a fluorine-free foam solution, and at least one hydrogel-based solution, and which involves the dispensing of each solution through one or more compressed air foam system (CAFS), where the CAFS may use compressed air, nitrogen, or other inert gas. The individual solutions may be mixed prior to the CAFS, or one or more solutions mixed after the CAFS, or they may be mixed in separate CAFS chambers. The resulting foam may be dispensed through a single line or through multiple lines, applied simultaneously and/or at different times, and may be controlled manually and/or through automatic controls, or through a combination of the above.

In one structural arrangement the fire fighting nozzle (18) is connected to the compressor (7) of a gas-turbine engine (4). In the second structural arrangement the fire nozzle (18) is connected to a screw compressor (50) connected to a diesel engine (47). Both types of fire extinguishing equipment have the same fire nozzle (18), whose mixing chamber (19) for the generation of a high-speed two-phase dispersive stream (21) of a bubble structure is made in the form of a block of mixers (35) with front and rear partitions (36,37), in between which pipe mixers (38) are located. Each mixer (38) is equipped with a confusor (43) and a diffusor (44). On the outlet from the fire nozzle (18) the high-speed dispersive stream (21) contains droplets of sizes 100-300 μm. The fire nozzle (18) has a mixing chamber (19), divided by partitions (36, 37) to a water supply chamber (40), air supply chamber (41) and dispersing chamber (39). The dispersing chamber (39) narrows into a gas-dynamic propelling nozzle (20), from which a high-speed dispersive stream (21) comes out. The fire nozzle (18) is connected to a rotating mechanism (22) which rotates it vertically and horizontally. The control unit (2) is equipped with a remote control (34) and connected to an generator (3).