Car fire blanket

[dmleblanc]

Someone forwarded this video to me and I thought I'd share it because it seems interesting. A good example of outside-the-box thinking (I'm not saying whether its a good idea or not, just an interesting concept). Anyway, what do you guys think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSX-FW6tRbs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kAtbKvRtFA

[charlie82]

It looks like a good concept. But, it puts you close to the car with no protection if (opposed to a fog pattern while approaching). It also looks like it takes just as long to roll it out as it would to get a 1 3/4 in service, and takes 10 minutes to work. I think I'll stick to water and foam. I see how it could be good to have in a police car or chief's car.

[ATFDFF]

I'll agree with Charlie on this. Good concept to put the fire out, but when you pull it off, it's obvious you still need to overhaul the car...requiring a hoseline. So, if you have to stretch it anyway, why not just use it from the beginning...and cut the time in half.

[dmleblanc]

I'll agree with Charlie on this. Good concept to put the fire out, but when you pull it off, it's obvious you still need to overhaul the car...requiring a hoseline. So, if you have to stretch it anyway, why not just use it from the beginning...and cut the time in half.

Yeah, that's kind of what I was thinking. In the first video especially. If they'd rolled the video a couple minutes more after the blanket was removed, I think you'd have seen that car well involved again pretty soon.

Again, not saying I agree with it, just thought it was a cool idea.

[GTRider245]

Am I missing something, or, did it not put the fire out?

[dmleblanc]

Am I missing something, or, did it not put the fire out?

I wouldn't say it put the fire out....controlled it, yes, but in that first video in particular, when they peeled the blanket back there was still a good volume of high-pressure smoke being generated. Sort of like creating a backdraft situation in a structure fire, they removed the oxygen but did not remove the fuel or the heat. Re-introduce air and poof, you've got fire again. I think if they'd kept the camera rolling another minute or two you'd have seen as much fire as they had when they arrived. So they'd still have to get in there with a handline to overhaul.

Like Charlie said, maybe a good tool for a chief's car to quickly control and contain the fire until the engine arrives to soak it down. The second video sort of presents a scenario where this might be useful...the parking lot or traffic jam where a chief's car might be able to get to the fire a lot quicker than the engine and contain the fire for a few minutes, protecting exposures until the engine arrives for extinguishment. I don't know, in a situation like that I could maybe see the advantage

[MarcusKspn]

Can you use the blanket to seal of the car and then deploy a fit-5?

[GTRider245]

Looks pretty useless then. You still have to use water eventualy.

[charlie82]

You can see burn marks on it quite clearly. I wonder how many times you can use it before having to buy a new one.

[nameless]

its a nice idea, but I don't see it being worth the money. I already have a good tool on my fire engine for putting car fires out, so why spend the money on this big fire blanket?

I wonder how much it costs, I could probably use that money on more useful tools.

The only use I could see was a parking garage where you have a large exposure problem and delayed water on fire time because you'll be stretching from a standpipe. The truck could deploy this blanket while the engine stretches the line. But I don't know if the couple car fires in parking garages would make this worth the money.

[Firetacoma1]

I don't see that drastically changing how we fight car fires but it is an interesting concept. It'd be cool to see what a short blast of water under the blanket would do.

[ChiefKN]

What's the point?

The car's a wreck no matter how you slice it.

[LeatherHed4Life]

Cover and cook for 10 min per ton. Uncover and Bon Appetit!

[ffmedcbk1]

what does it cost... is it cheaper than that FREE water out of the hydrant?

[backflip]

Is it a matter of cost? or a matter of slow response times in volly world?

Any car fire I have been to that actually is a fire and not a cigarette in the seats, its a complete and total loss anyway!!

Water is almost free, manpower and rigs on scene are still needed to utilize that almost free water.

I say almost free, because our fd pays for each hydrant we have to the water company. We then pass that cost on to the community in our tax levy.

[dmleblanc]

Is it a matter of cost? or a matter of slow response times in volly world?

Any car fire I have been to that actually is a fire and not a cigarette in the seats, its a complete and total loss anyway!!

Water is almost free, manpower and rigs on scene are still needed to utilize that almost free water.

I say almost free, because our fd pays for each hydrant we have to the water company. We then pass that cost on to the community in our tax levy.

Didn't say I was advocating it, just putting it out there to generate some discussion because I thought it was an interesting concept. I agree that there don't seem to be enough advantages to radically change anyone's thinking or tactics.

[led219]

it could have its place. i am all for thinking outside of the box.

[owenscott]

What's the point?

The car's a wreck no matter how you slice it.

.... i remember the radio report of first chief on scene of a reported vehicle.
"Car 42 on scene reporting working vehicle fire. Car 42 now reporting explosion, second vehicle fire"

... but you also deploy this right on to a car that might explode.

I dont see the point either. News cars are made everyday ....

[nmfire]

This should be called the backdraft blanket. Because that is exactly what is going to happen. Its not cooling it at all. It just starving it of oxygen and insulating the heat in. Someone is going to get hurt when they go to remove it and eat a face full of fire.

[backflip]

I am also for new ideas and innovations. The problem is that it very often takes too long for hings to be accepted.

Items/tools that we have now were introduced at some point nd were very likelty shunned and not at all welcomed.

SCBA, it used to be cool to come out of a fire choking, puking, not able to see , all kinds of stuff coming out your nose etc...

AED's used to be on tv occassionally, hospitals had them. Mow they are very commonplace. You see them in malls, schools, firetrucks, police etc...

Fog tips, solid bore nozzles.

The FIT-PRO has been shunned on this board, yet generates very good press. Maybe in a few years they will be commonplace.

I am not so sure of a fire blanket though for a car fire. The car is generally a total loss. Maybe there is another application for this product.

My thoughts only