Problem Statement
According to the U.S. Department of interior, approximately 90% of all wildfires are caused by human interference leading to approximately 6.9 million acres of burnt fields and homes. This problem has led to millions of people without homes and has led to major economic problems, due to the fact that most cities cannot function without proper human infrastructure. If this problem continues, wildfires can lead to long term effects that can be irreversible and people living near large forests will be at higher risks.
Justification
This year alone the National Interagency Fire Center reported over thirty thousand wild fires and they ranged from people leaving campfires unattended, burning of debris, downed power lines, negligently discarded cigarettes and intentional acts of arson.
In 2018 there were 58,083 wildfires, compared with 71,499 wildfires in 2017, according to the NIFC. About 8.8 million acres were burned in 2018, compared with 10 million in 2017. Currently in California, helicopters battled smoky skies overnight in an attempt to rescue dozens of people trapped in the fiery depths of the Sierra National Forest and at least 148 people had been flown to safety by Tuesday morning. In Oregon, whipping winds and dry conditions have helped fuel fire outbreaks. South of Portland, officials in Marion County implored some residents to “please leave now” as fires that have burned through more than 27,000 acres approached more densely populated areas.
A California family set off a "smoke-generating pyrotechnic device," causing a fire that is raging through the San Bernardino National Forest. The fire has burned thousands of acres, destroyed countless wildlife and may potentially cause a lot more devastation as the uncontrolled fire continues to burn. Natural fires are generally started by lightning, with a very small percentage started by spontaneous combustion of dry fuel such as sawdust and leaves. On the other hand, human-caused fires can be due to any number of reasons. Some classifications include smoking, recreation, equipment, and miscellaneous.
How wildfires start, though they are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency as natural disasters, only 10 to 15 percent of wildfires occur on their own in nature. The other 85 to 90 percent result from human causes, including unattended camp and debris fires, discarded cigarettes, and arson. Wildfires can burn millions of acres of land at shockingly fast speeds, consuming everything in their paths. These rolling flames travel up to 14 miles an hour, which converts to about a four-minute-mile pace, and can overtake the average human in minutes.
Solutions to the Problem
Bambi Bucket (Helicopter Bucket)
In 1989, the original Bambi bucket was first introduced to the SEI industry as a solution to stopping the spread of wildfires. The development of this innovative aerial firefighting product was born out of the valuable feedback received from helicopter operators as well as Canadian and American forest and land management agencies. These Bambi buckets come in variety of different sizes ranging from 75 US gallon model to a 2,600 US gallon model, these buckets provides cost effective water delivery and are constructed from a unique fabric that has a maximum durability and strength.
Patent for Bambi bucket
Patent number: US5829809A
On October 2, 1984, Don Arney developed the first Bambi bucket, but it was originally called the Collapsible Fire Fighting Bucket. The Collapsible Fire Fighting Bucket is a valve system that can control the release of water from the bags, the way that it works is by having the Collapsible Fire Fighting Bucket being suspended from an aircraft and filled from an open body of water, the bucket has a body made of pliable material having an upper rim, a side wall and a bottom rim. The design for the Collapsible Fire Fighting Bucket has inspired many other companies around the world to come up with their own design of combating wildfires.
Fire extinguishing firefighting drone
EHang demonstrated the 216F at a launch event in Yunfu, China. The 216F can carry up to 150 liters of firefighting foam and 6 fire extinguisher bombs in one trip of the drone and it can reach altitudes of 600 ft. Using a visible light zoom camera to quickly identify the location of fire, the 216F hovers precisely in position and uses a laser aiming device to fire a window breaker, the fire extinguishing bombs and then a full-range spray of firefighting foam, the EHang release explains that “Multiple 216Fs can be deployed to rapidly extinguish the fire.”
Patent for fire extinguishing firefighting drone
Patent number: WO2016195320A1
The present invention relates to a fire drone for extinguishing fire, and more particularly, when a fire occurs in a house, a building, etc. It is made so that the fire can be quickly suppressed by an initial input, and ground movement and flight movement can be freely performed. The present invention relates to a fire drone for fire suppression, which is connected to a central control system and operated unattended from a long distance. In general, a firefighting helicopter is a aircraft that rotates the rotor blades by the engine to fly the fuselage with lift and propulsion force generated by the flow of air passing through the surface of the rotor blades, and is widely used for transportation, movement, attack, and firefighting.
FMC 220 Fire Tracker
A SoftTrack Skidgine is all about the suspension system: Most track vehicles, like a bulldozer, have nothing or very little in the way of suspension and therefore, the tracks do not move up and down over rough terrain. When a track vehicle maneuvers, it has a tendency to push whatever is in the way out of the way, and thus makes a mess of the terrain it is operating on. In hilly or rugged country this destruction of soil, combined with later erosion, can cause lots of problems environmentally. Lines created by dozers can turn into a path-of-least-resistance for water runoff, bringing dangerous silt into lower lakes, rivers, and ponds, potentially creating mudslides or harming nearby wildlife in the process.
Patent for FMC 220 Fire Tracker
Patent number: US1959871A
This invention relates to tractors, such as-are ordinarily used for farming operations, and is more particularly directed to a new and improved gear reduction transmission means for reducing the speed between the crank shaft of the tractor engine and the drive wheels of the tractor. Heretofore, it has been found by experience that in certain hilly sections in the wheatcoun- .10 try a tractor will stall by reason of the fact that it does not have enough power in low gear to be able to pull uphill certain types of heavy farm machinery, such as a combined harvester and thresher. Occurrence 15 from time to time, causes great inconvenience and leads to a considerable loss of time in working a field.
Phos-chek
Phos-chek is a non-colored long-lasting fire retardant. The USDA Forest Service has used PHOS-CHEK to stop the spread of wildfires for over 50 years. It’s the same product formulation you’ve seen dropping from planes during virtually every US wildfire. The phosphate and sulfate salts act as fire retardants and prevent combustion of cellulosic materials. They also act as a fertilizer once the fire danger has passed. Guar gum and clay are thickening agents to prevent dispersal of the retardant after it is dropped from the plane. Other ingredients include corrosion inhibitors and flow conditioners.
Conclusion
Human interactions are the main cause of all global wildfires which have led to millions of acers of burnt fields and houses. There has been many solutions to solving this problem; however, the Bambi bucket can take up to an hour to refill, the Firefight Drone is still a developing solution, the Fire Tracker causes more damage to the field in order stop the fire, and Phos-chek are very affective in putting out fires but if not cleaned properly it can stain the ground. Although these solutions are being used in practice they are not the most effective way in quickly putting out fires.
References
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Facts + Statistics: Wildfires. III. https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-wildfires.
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The New York Times. (2020, September 8). Wildfires Lead to Helicopter Rescues in California and Destruction in Washington. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/us/wildfires-live-updates.html.
Thiessen, P. by M. (2020, July 2). Here's how wildfires get started-and how to stop them. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/wildfires/.
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