CN117122839A

CN117122839A - Automatic forest fire prevention and protection system for residences, buildings, constructions and property

Info

Publication number: CN117122839A
Application number: CN202310938792.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 哈利·亚伯拉罕·斯塔特
Original assignee: Has Co ltd
Current assignee: Has Co ltd
Priority date: 2019-02-28
Filing date: 2020-02-19
Publication date: 2023-11-28
Also published as: CN113811369A; EP3930858A4; EP3930858A1; AU2020228019A1; CN113811369B; WO2020176309A1; CA3130838A1

Abstract

A fire retardant delivery system for use with a carrier source to prevent forest fires is provided. The system includes a flame retardant tank for storing a flame retardant. The flame retardant tank is in fluid communication with a carrier source. The metering valve is constructed and arranged to meter the flow of the flame retardant injected into the carrier discharged from the carrier source to maintain a predetermined ratio of flame retardant to carrier to produce a flame retardant and carrier mixture. The at least one dispensing nozzle is configured to deliver the flame retardant and carrier mixture to a desired area.

Description

Automatic forest fire prevention and protection system for residences, buildings, constructions and property

Description of the divisional application

The application relates to a division application of an application patent application of which the application date is 2020, 02-19, the application number is 202080030599.7 and the application is an automatic forest fire prevention and protection system for residences, buildings, constructions and property.

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application is a partial continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/804,040, filed on even date 6 at 11 in 2017, which is a partial continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/080,326, filed on even date 14 at 11 in 2013 (which has now been abandoned), which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/726,066, filed on even date 14 at 11 in 2012, the disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth in their respective entireties herein.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to devices, techniques and methods designed to protect buildings from forest fires and control the behavior and direction of the forest fires. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a fire protection and protection system for mixing, diverting and dispensing fire retardants as needed into desired areas on and around the exterior surfaces of a building, or in specific areas, to block or redirect mountain fires.

Background

Mountain fires are frequent and increasing in size throughout the united states. Many authorities call 2018 the most severe mountain fires in the united states history. According toCalifornia forestry and fire department(CalFire)Cross-department fire control center in United states(NIFC) data, in california, the most deadly and damaging mountain fire season since 2018 was recorded, together with 8,527 fires, the burning area was 1,893,913 acres (766,439 hectares), the largest burning area recorded for the fire season. The compl fire destroys over 18,000 buildings, the most deadly and damaging mountain fire since california has recorded.

Although the relationship between climate change and forest fire occurrence is presumed, the number of risky dwellings, buildings, constructions and properties is increasing. In the last decade, almost 40% of U.S. households have been built in "town forest juncture areas", i.e. areas of residential neighborhood forests or grasslands.

This is especially true in the midwestern region of the united states where mountain fires destroy thousands of houses and other structures. These fires take about $30 million to extinguish each year, and this figure does not weigh the overall economic impact of these fires.

Accordingly, as drought conditions continue to spread, the risk of damage to the home from mountain fires is spread throughout the united states and all other forest areas or grasslands in other areas of the world. Thus, this is a global risk without precedent.

As more and more homes and communities are built along the border areas between cities and forest areas, particularly areas that have historically been burned by forest fires, accordingly, more and more of these buildings are directly at risk of being destroyed by the forest fires. This population and building trend, coupled with the historical wood management practices that have led to increased forest fuel loads over the last decades, and the rapidly increasing drought conditions that exist in the midwestern united states, has led to unprecedented numbers of buildings being exposed to the risk and destruction of forest fires.

Under certain conditions, traditional methods of extinguishing mountain fires may not work when a large fire enters a town forest boundary where a residential community has been built. Mountain fighters typically have only a sleeve-hand side view, looking at the house on the mountain path destroyed. Over the past few years, it has become apparent that mountain fighters have failed to prevent the mountain from destroying communities during which many widely known mountain fires destroy thousands of houses in the middle and western united states (including arizona, california, ida, nevada, texas, okamara, utah and others).

The costs associated with extinguishing mountain fires are insignificant compared to houses and other structures destroyed by the mountain fires. For example, the United states insurance service agency calls for estimated insurance losses of over 20 billion dollars from mountain fires in san Diego county and san Bernadio county, calif. in 2003 alone. More than 10 million dollars are spent from a mountain fire, cedar fire, which destroys over 2,200 residential and commercial structures. Annual insurance losses from a mountain fire in 2012 are certainly much higher, over 50 million dollars by the year. Global losses may be several times the number in the year and the final statistics may exceed $ 1,000 billion—this loss may take years to compensate.

According to the data of the cross-department fire center of the United states, the mountain fires of 66,131 are shared from 1 month 1 day of 2017 to 22 months of 12, and the synchronization of 2016 is 65,575. During 2017, about 980 acres of land was burned, as opposed to 540 acres in 2016.

In the case of a nappa fire occurring at 10 months 2017, 8,900 buildings were burned. Forty-four people are lost in the fire. Insurance property loss is estimated to be $ 94 billion. The estimated insurance property loss does not include the cost of extinguishing mountain fires.

In the thomas big fire of tuffla county, california, 12 months 2017, there were 1,300 building losses and 23 tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate. Fire causes death of two people. Insurance property loss is estimated to be $ 25 billion. In 2017, more than one hundred people die from mountain fires.

In view of the tremendous damage caused by forest fires to economy and environment, disaster reduction techniques to reduce the risk of communities and woodlands are of increasing interest.

With respect to houses and commercial buildings, there are several forest fire mitigation strategies that can be used to reduce the risk of forest fires destroying dwellings, houses and buildings. These strategies include relatively simple measures such as using nonflammable materials during construction and establishing effective "defensive space" or removing vegetation around houses located in the risk areas.

Many communities have adopted some programs in the community area to reduce the fuel load around town forest boundaries by actively thinning shrubs and carefully managing the controlled "burn". It is important to make community planning before building a residential area. It may be unworkable to locate residential areas in areas where mountain fires are highly likely to occur, which are detrimental to protected space clearance, brush clearance, or controlled combustion.

Nevertheless, mainly for aesthetic reasons, houses, commercial buildings and other buildings are still built at the edges of urban areas where the risk of forest fires is greatest, even deep in forest areas. Thus, there is an urgent need for a system that eliminates, reduces, or at least significantly reduces the risk of mountain fires destroying buildings, such as houses and the like, wherever they are built. The presently disclosed embodiments aim to meet this need.

Disclosure of Invention

One or more techniques may protect a building from fire. The building may include a fire suppression system configured to protect the building and/or a desired area surrounding the building from a fire. One or more techniques may include determining that a desired area is compromised by a fire based on one or more factors. One or more techniques may include activating the fire suppression system from an activation location that may be remote from the forest fire suppression system, for example.

One or more techniques may protect a building from fire. The building may include a fire suppression system configured to protect the building from a fire. One or more techniques may include monitoring a water supply pressure of the fire suppression system. One or more techniques may include monitoring a water supply flow rate of the fire suppression system. One or more techniques may include determining that fire suppression system demand exceeds a threshold, such as may be based at least on water supply pressure and/or water supply flow. One or more techniques may include, for example, altering a flow of a fire retardant of the firestop system to at least a first surface of a building, possibly upon determining that the fire stop system demand exceeds a threshold.

One or more techniques may protect multiple buildings from fire. One or more of the plurality of buildings may comprise a fire suppression system, which may be configured to protect the or each of the plurality of buildings from fire. One or more techniques may include monitoring a water supply pressure of one or more fire suppression systems of a plurality of fire suppression systems. One or more techniques may include monitoring a water supply flow rate of one or more fire suppression systems of a plurality of fire suppression systems. One or more techniques may include determining that a fire suppression system demand for one or more of a plurality of fire suppression systems exceeds a threshold, for example, possibly based on a water supply pressure of the one or more of the plurality of fire suppression systems and/or a water supply flow of the one or more of the plurality of fire suppression systems. One or more techniques may include determining which one of one or more of a plurality of firestop systems directs a flow of flame retardant to at least one vertical surface of a building associated with each one or more of the plurality of firestop systems. One or more techniques may include, for example, altering the flow of flame retardant directed to the at least one vertical surface for one or more of the one or more fire suppression systems determined in the plurality of fire suppression systems, or for each fire suppression system, possibly upon determining that the fire suppression system demand exceeds a threshold.

One or more techniques may protect multiple buildings from fire. One or more of the plurality of buildings may comprise a fire suppression system, which may be configured to protect the or each of the plurality of buildings from fire. One or more techniques may include determining a first set of one or more fire suppression systems that are proximate to a perimeter of an active fire area. One or more techniques may include determining a second set of one or more fire suppression systems that may be, for example, farther from the perimeter of the active fire area than the first set of one or more fire suppression systems. One or more techniques may include varying the flow of water directed to the second set of one or more fire suppression systems.

One or more techniques may estimate a fire exposure of one or more regions of a geographic area. One or more techniques may include, for example, determining a first fire risk level for at least one of the one or more regions, possibly based on one or more current atmospheric conditions corresponding to the at least one region. One or more techniques may include, for example, determining one or more fire characteristics of the at least one region, possibly based on at least one image of the at least one region. The at least one image may be captured after a temporally recent past fire in or near the at least one region. One or more techniques may include determining a number of fire suppression systems located in or near the at least one region. One or more techniques may include determining one or more ash risk effects for the at least one region. One or more techniques may include adjusting a first fire risk level to a second fire risk level, possibly based on a number of fire suppression systems, one or more ash risk effects, and/or one or more fire characteristics, for example. One or more techniques may include, for example, determining an evacuation condition, possibly based on a second fire risk level. One or more techniques may include communicating an evacuation condition to one or more recipients.

Drawings

The embodiments described herein will be better understood and numerous objects and advantages thereof will become apparent when reference is made to the following detailed description of embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a residential building and an area around the building, showing one embodiment of a flame retardant dispensing system according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a schematic layout of the flame retardant dispensing system shown in fig. 1 with the building removed to illustrate the system.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a primary system including a dispensing system, a storage system, and a control system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a control system according to one embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a schematic top view of a peripheral fire retardant distribution system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of another primary system including a dispensing system, a storage system, and a control system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram of another primary system including a dispensing system, a storage system, and a control system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of another primary system including a dispensing system, a storage system, and a control system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7C is a schematic diagram of another primary system including a dispensing system, a storage system, and a control system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 7D is a schematic diagram of another primary system including a dispensing system, a storage system, and a control system, according to one embodiment.

Fig. 8A is a schematic diagram of a containment module according to one embodiment.

Fig. 8B is a schematic diagram of a containment module according to one embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a control system according to one embodiment.

Fig. 10 is an exemplary topographical view illustrating fire hazard zone assessment.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary diagram of a computer/processing device in which one or more concepts of the present disclosure may be implemented.

Detailed Description

In some embodiments, a fire retardant dispensing system for any type of building is disclosed, including residential, exterior, barn, commercial, and other buildings and their associated surrounding landscapes, to name a few non-limiting examples. The system is designed to prevent the building from catching fire when a mountain fire is approaching and relies on a spray system which, when activated, can quench and coat the exterior of the building, deck and surrounding landscape very quickly with fire retardant which remains on the surface until flushed away. In some embodiments, the system is self-contained and relies on a tank pressurized by a power source (e.g., inert gas, combustible fuel, electricity, gravity, pump, or other power source) to deliver the flame retardant to injection valves located on and around the building. The power source is operably coupled to the flame retardant tank and the carrier source. In other embodiments, the power source of the system includes a water line that is pressurized by a municipal water supply or pumping mechanism of a well to provide water and pressure to the system.

In some embodiments, power may not be required, but if an electric control system is used, a backup battery system, uninterruptible power supply, or other local electrical energy source may provide power. The system may be manually activated or may alternatively include a control module that allows activation of the system in any manner, including input manual activation, remote telemetry, and remote access (e.g., via DTMF telephone, mobile device application, or internet link, to name a few non-limiting examples). The system may be activated by remote access (e.g., using a satellite link). The system may be activated by/through one or more machines/devices or other non-human intervention. One or more machines/devices may be self-learning. One or more machines/devices may learn (e.g., automatically) and/or may adjust upon determining that the system is active. For example, one or more machines/devices may learn and/or determine one or more activation triggers for system activation. One or more machines/devices may learn and/or determine a desired protection area that may be compromised by a fire, for example, possibly based on one or more factors.

Other embodiments are directed to stopping or redirecting the direction of a forest fire and include a pump driven by a combustible compressed fuel, electricity or other power source, the pump being connected to a reservoir of non-pressurized flame retardant, and a series of dispensing devices connected to an outflow of the pump. The dispensing means is positioned to spray fire retardant in a straight line or arc that blocks the progression of a mountain fire or blocks or redirects the fire in a desired manner. Several subsystems (each subsystem including a pump and associated distribution device) may be arranged in series so that fire retardant protection lines several miles long may be quickly laid on vegetation. This "flanking" technique allows mountain fighters to control the direction and behavior of the fire at key points (typically near the community).

Referring to fig. 1, 2 and 3, the fire retardant distribution system 10 is schematically illustrated in a typical installation in a residential environment including a building 24, such as a typical residence located near a city-mountain fire boundary. The systems shown in fig. 1 and 2 are merely one illustrative example, and those skilled in the art will recognize from this disclosure that many other configurations are possible and will be configured according to the area to be protected. In one embodiment, the desired area is defined as the area between the building and at least one historic fire origin location. In one embodiment, the desired zone is defined based on temperature input from real-time remote telemetry 73. In one embodiment, the desired zone is defined based on relative humidity input from real-time remote telemetry 73. In one embodiment, the desired area is defined based on wind pattern input from real-time remote telemetry 73. In one embodiment, the desired area is defined based on historical fire data and/or historical fire patterns. In one embodiment, the desired area is defined based on a fuel distribution pattern (e.g., a plant community and/or a building pattern). In one embodiment, the desired region is defined based on the perimeter of the (e.g., actively burning) fire. In one or more embodiments, the desired region may be defined based on one or more of the following: smoke detection, flame detection, fire gas detection, volume sensing, video imaging sensing, multi-modal object recognition, one or more occurrences of building/house fires, and/or one or more occurrences of fires that burn within a (e.g., set and/or predetermined) radius. For example, the predetermined density of the fuel that results in high combustion strength may be associated with other characteristics such as: red warning days or temperatures, which also result in high combustion intensity, may indicate a higher population of artificial fire triggers. Regardless of the density of the house and the possibility of combustion, a pilot is required. Research on multi-modal methods may find correlations between common variables to better define high risk areas/areas where fire suppression systems are installed.

One or more monitoring/suppression techniques may include remote monitoring, activation (e.g., activation triggering), and/or forest fire management. One or more monitoring/suppression techniques may remotely monitor a single building and/or an entire area having one or more buildings. For example, such remote monitoring may be accomplished without firefighters "on the ground". One or more monitoring/suppression techniques may take into account local conditions (e.g., wind and/or weather forecast, etc.). One or more monitoring/suppression techniques may classify areas with risk of forest fire activity damage (e.g., highest risk) and/or exposure (e.g., severe and/or substance exposure).

One or more monitoring/suppression techniques may protect one or more areas and/or sites that are threatened by active forest fires. For example, evidence suggests that ash may be an important (e.g., major) cause of forest fires spreading and the consequent loss of life and/or damage to property. For example, it may be that under appropriate conditions, ash of an active forest fire may propagate over five miles. Such ashes may ignite houses/buildings/structures which may be considered to be in low risk areas. One or more monitoring/suppression techniques may monitor forest fire activity in one or more areas and/or provide preventative forest fire suppression in and/or near one or more areas.

The system 10 includes several different components or subsystems, including: a fluid-based dispensing system, shown generally at 12, comprising a conduit and nozzle system for delivering and applying a fire retardant to a surface; a carrier (e.g., water or other flame retardant carrier) and a flame retardant storage system, shown generally at 14, including a storage tank for storing the carrier and flame retardant, respectively, when the system is not in use, and a pressurization tank for pressurizing the system and associated hardware; and a control system, shown generally at 16, generally including the equipment necessary to activate the dispensing system 10. Each of these components is described in detail below.

The system 10 shown in the figures illustrates a typical residential installation in which the system is configured to deliver a water-based fire retardant to the exterior surface of a building 24, to the deck 26 of the building, and to surrounding areas such as a landscape 28. In fig. 1, the building is shown positioned near the canyon region 30 to illustrate the building protection and possible "flanking" distribution.

The distribution system 12 is shown separately in fig. 2 and includes a piping system 20 and distribution nozzles connected to the piping at an engineering location. The dispensing system 12 shown herein also includes a conduit 20 that extends to the edge of the canyon region 30. The type and size of the piping 20 used in the distribution system 12 depends on factors such as the size of the system and the amount of water and flame retardant to be delivered through the system. In general, any type of UV flame retardant piping will work well for the piping 20 used in the system 12, including, for example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) piping, polyethylene piping, copper tubing, galvanized tubing, or steel tubing, to name a few non-limiting examples. For certain combinations of metal pipe and flame retardant, care must be taken to avoid corrosion of the pipe by the particular flame retardant used. The diameter of the conduit 20 also depends on the volume and operating pressure of the flame retardant being delivered through the system.

Conduit 20 and associated dispensing nozzle define dispensing system 12 for the flame retardant contained in storage system 14. As described below, the pipes are connected to various sources of fire retardant and mounted to the walls of a building or buried under the ground. In some embodiments, the conduit 20 is installed during initial construction of the building 24 so that the conduit may be installed in an "in-wall" manner under sheet rock or the like for aesthetic purposes. However, the system 10 may typically be retrofitted into existing buildings, in which case the duct 20 may run under the eaves or the like in as unobtrusive a manner as possible while maintaining convenient access for maintenance purposes.

The dispensing system 12 may include several different types of dispensing nozzles. Each nozzle has a specific application. For example, exterior wall nozzles 34 are strategically located along the perimeter of building 24 so that when the system is activated, the exterior surface of building 24 is coated with a fire retardant. Thus, the wall nozzle 34 is mounted under the eaves or cornices of the building 24 and is configured to direct the sprayed flame retardant stream onto the exterior walls of the building. Six wall nozzles 34 are shown in fig. 1 and 2, but in order to uniformly coat the entire exterior wall surface area (or as much as practical), how many wall nozzles are needed to install. In some embodiments, the wall nozzle 34 may be installed approximately once every 30 linear feet along the length of the wall, but the spacing may be more or less dependent on system design details.

Also, the system 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes two deck nozzles 36 positioned about the deck 26. These deck nozzles spray the fire retardant onto the horizontal surface of the deck and, if desired, may be of the type that rotates one full revolution so that they also deliver the fire retardant to the adjacent landscape area.

In fig. 1 and 2, four roof nozzles 38 are provided so that they spray the entire roof surface. The system 10 shown in fig. 2 includes nine individual landscape nozzles 40 located around the landscape 28, two of which (labeled 40a, 40 b) are located near the isthmus region 30. It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the duct 20 is buried underground in the landscape area for a number of reasons, including aesthetics, climate protection and damage control.

Each nozzle used by the system 10 is of a type suitable for a particular location. In some embodiments, the wall nozzle 34 is typically an atomizing nozzle or a flat plate nozzle having a diameter of about 1/2 inch. In some embodiments, the nozzles are mounted under the eaves of the building such that the nozzles protrude from the eaves by about 1 and 1/2 inch. These nozzles may be plastic, stainless steel, or brass, to name a few non-limiting examples. In some embodiments, the nozzles do not rotate, but direct a spray, gas stream, arc, or mist directly onto the vertical walls of the building. However, in other embodiments, the nozzles may be configured to rotate as they are pressurized, thereby spraying the fire retardant onto adjacent surfaces, such as soffit, decks, and surrounding external ground.

In some embodiments, deck nozzles 36 may be of the type commonly found in sub-irrigation systems, such as pressure-pop-up rotary sprinkler nozzles. The nozzles may be arranged to rotate a full 360 deg. circle, or only a portion of a circle. In other embodiments, impact driven sprinkler nozzles may also be used for deck nozzles.

Roof nozzle 38 may be of the jet type or of the impingement type. In many embodiments, all of the nozzles in the system 10 are mounted such that they are hidden or minimally visible when not in use, so as not to detract from the aesthetics of the building 24. Thus, the retractable dispensing nozzle may be mounted on the floor or in a special box, for example on a deck. Similarly, roof nozzle 38 may be installed in a building feature on top of a roof, such as a roof or dormitory. The cupola furnace may be constructed to include blowing louvers and similar fittings that are blown out immediately when the flame retardant begins to be blown out of the nozzle. A cupola can also be constructed to accommodate the retractable spray head for roof nozzle 38. Regardless of the type of nozzle used, there are sufficient roof nozzles 38 along the peaks and ridges of the building roof so that the entire roof is sufficiently and uniformly coated with flame retardant to substantially prevent and protect against potential forest fire damage.

Similarly, the landscape nozzle 40 is selected to be of a type appropriate for a particular location. In some embodiments a pressure operated telescopic dispensing nozzle is used, but other dispensing heads work well. With respect to the two landscape nozzles 40a and 40b located near the edges of the canyon region 30, in some embodiments, they are impact heads, or "gun" type agricultural heads, more commonly used to irrigate row crops.

In many embodiments, the dispensing system 12 is not filled with a flame retardant when the system is not in use. In other words, the conduit 20 is empty when the system is not in use. This eliminates the problem of freezing or corrosion of the flame retardant present in the pipe (in a combination of which this is a problem).

The storage system 14 will now be described in detail with particular reference to fig. 3. In fig. 3, the dispensing system 12, the storage system 14, and the control system 16 are schematically illustrated. The storage system 14 includes one or more water or other carrier based fire retardant tanks, a pressurization system, and control valves for operating the system. Specifically, the storage system 14 shown in FIG. 3 generally utilizes a dual tank arrangement 50 and a single pressurized tank 52. In some cases, a double tank arrangement will be modified to include a single tank or multiple double tank arrangements. Alternatively, in some cases, as shown in fig. 6, the system relies on a carrier from a source other than a tank, such as a well, municipal water supply, pond, well, water tank, lake, or any other such water supply source for providing a carrier that is fluidly coupled to the fire retardant from the tank. Hereinafter, the tank device will be referred to as a "double tank device 50". The dual tank device 50 contains water or other carrier and fire retardant and is divided for storage purposes into a carrier tank 51 and a fire retardant tank 53. During storage, the carrier and flame retardant are stored in a non-pressurized state. The size and volume of the canister 50 varies depending on the size of the system 10. The double reservoir 50 is sized so that the reservoir has sufficient volume to evenly spray the desired volume of flame retardant mixture over the entire area to be covered by the system 10. A variety of tank types may be used for the double tank device 50. For example, the double tank device 50 may be fiberglass reinforced plastic, high density polyethylene or steel suitably lined with corrosion resistant material to prevent corrosion in the tank that could impair the fire suppression function of the system. In a typical residential installation, the double tank device 50 has a combined capacity of about 100 to about 350 gallons or more. Larger tanks up to 10,000 gallons or more may be used in large buildings or in large area fire retardant spraying places or community-based systems.

Certain types of flame retardants that may be used in the system 10 tend to delaminate or chemically separate over time, rendering them inactive or ineffective. Depending on the type of flame retardant used, the double tank device 50 may be equipped with a stirrer, such as a bubbler or a paddle mixer, to maintain the homogeneity and activity of the flame retardant or to be useful for a long period of time. A second sparge line (not shown) may extend from pressure tank 52 into flame retardant tank 50 to cause nitrogen or other gas (nitrogen or other gas is sufficiently chemically inert to be useful and practical) to be bubbled continuously or intermittently through the flame retardant to mix the flame retardant and thus prevent delamination. The control system 16 may be configured to provide bubbling to the flame retardant tank itself when the system 10 is activated or when delamination is suspected, or to prevent delamination by time-cycled operation.

The double tank device 50 is mounted to a pressure tank 52 by a pressure line 54. A valve 56 is located in the pressure line 54 and is connected to and operable under the control of the control system 16 by a control line 58, as described below. A pressure regulator 60 with a vent is provided to regulate the pressure in the pressure tank 52. A system flushing pipe 65 branches off from the pressure line 54 and is connected to the outlet pipe 62 upstream of the valve 64. A valve 67 is mounted in the flush tube 65. The system flush tube 65 is explained as follows.

In some embodiments, pressure tank 52 may be a commercially available cylinder or set of cylinders filled with an inert pressurized gas (e.g., nitrogen) that is used as the motive force for system 10 to deliver the water-based flame retardant to the various nozzles through conduit 20. The pressure tank 52 is of sufficient volume and is filled with an appropriate pressure so that when the system 10 is activated, all or a portion of the flame retardant mixture contained in the dual tank device 50 may be delivered through the nozzle at an operating pressure suitable for the system, in some embodiments, about 50psi to 60psi. A pressure regulator is typically used to regulate the working pressure of the gas delivered from the pressure tank 52 to the double tank device 50 and the nozzles downstream of the tank 50. In some embodiments, the dual tank device 50 can be pressurized to about 120psi or less.

At start-up of the system 10, the flame retardant and carrier are mixed into a flame retardant and carrier mixture. The fire retardant contained in the double tank device 50 is delivered to the conduit 20 (fig. 2) of the distribution system 12 through an outlet pipe 62. As described above, the valve 64 is mounted through the control line 58 into the outlet pipe 62 adjacent the dual tank assembly 50 under the control of the control system 16.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, the dual tank device 50 of fig. 3 may be limited to a single tank or multiple tank fire retardant device, in which case the carrier is not contained within the tank. In such a non-limiting example, the carrier is provided by another source 55, such as a water well, municipal water supply, pond, water well, water tank, lake, or any other available carrier source connected to one or more fire retardant tanks by piping. In such a non-limiting example, another carrier source is fluidly coupled to the single or multiple flame retardant tanks and delivered to the piping of the distribution system 12 (FIG. 2) through outlet pipe 62.

In the installation of system 10, storage system 14 in FIG. 2 may be located in any suitable environment, such as a garage, an HVAC area, an external building, or a building mat.

It will be appreciated that the storage system 14 may utilize multiple double tank arrangements 50 and multiple pressure tanks 52 if the size of the system 10 is sufficient to ensure the capacity achieved by the additional tanks.

The control system 16 (or activation system 16) is shown in schematic detail in fig. 4 and includes an activation switch 70, typically an electronic switch such as a solenoid or mechanical relay, and an auxiliary power source 72, such as an external battery and/or uninterruptible power supply module. Control system 16 is operably coupled to and operably drives the power source. The activation switch 70 is a main on/off switch for activating the system 10 and is typically powered by the power supply of the building or site. However, in the case of a forest fire, power from a utility or the like may be cut off. The auxiliary power supply 72 provides power to the activation switch 70 via line 74 to ensure that the activation switch 70 is energized in all circumstances, even if the external power supply has been interrupted. As previously described, control line 58 interconnects control system 16 with valves 56 and 64, which are preferably electrically actuated solenoid valves. Alternatively, all of the valves described herein may be pneumatically, hydraulically, or manually operated, to name a few non-limiting examples, depending on the type of system used.

The activation switch 70 may operate under various input systems capable of activating the system 10. For example, the switch 70 may be activated with a manual switch 75 located on (in or near) the building 24. If a mountain fire is approaching the building, manual switch 75 is activated to begin activating system 10.

The activation switch 70 may further operate via coded remote activation/access 76, such as internet access, mobile device application, or a coded series of tones (e.g., DTMF tones generated by a telephone handset), as desired. Thus, the control system 16 may include a wired telephone system, a cellular telephone system, or a satellite telephone system so that the switch 70 may be remotely operated by calling a particular telephone number and manually or automatically entering a code. The building owner, local fire department, etc. may use the coded remote access 76 by dialing a number, activating an application, or sending a code or signal as appropriate. The switch 70 may also be operated by an in-situ detector 78, such as an infrared, smoke, temperature and/or other fire detector located around the building, or by a similarly configured RF or IR or laser control device. For example, the infrared detector may be located near the edge of the canyon region 30. The detector can activate the switch 70 if a mountain fire is detected. Similarly, thermal sensors and other types of similar sensors may be located around or near the building, or near the edges of the isthmus region 30, and configured to activate the system 10.

In some embodiments, the flame retardant used in the system 10 is a liquid, gel, or powder that when properly combined or mixed with water or other carrier, readily flows through the piping and nozzles. Because the flame retardant component may not be used for years after the dual tank device 50 is filled, in some embodiments, the flame retardant is not susceptible to decreasing effectiveness over time. Because the flame retardant is sprayed onto the building, in some embodiments, the flame retardant does not discolor the building surface, does not damage vegetation, and does not cause other environmental damage. A variety of flame retardants suitable for use in the system 10 are commercially available and may be selected on an item-by-item basis. By way of non-limiting example, flame retardants may include foam, class A foam, or fire fighting foam, and flame retardants sold under the brand names Buckeye Platinum A class foam fire extinguishing agents, barricade, phos-Chek, tetra KO, fireice, and the like may also be used. In some embodiments, the flame retardant applied may be water alone, applied from the start of flame retardant application, or applied after another flame retardant is exhausted by the system. Thus, as used herein, "flame retardant" is intended to include water, foam/water mixtures, or any other substance capable of suppressing or extinguishing a fire.

The operation of the system 10 will now be described in detail. When the system 10 is not in use or "idle", the dual fire retardant tank arrangement 50 is substantially filled with water or other suitable carrier and fire retardant, respectively, but not pressurized; alternatively, the tank or tanks may be filled with flame retardant and the appropriate carrier provided by any other suitable carrier source (not within the tank or tanks). Valves 56, 64 and 67 are closed. The system 10 is activated in any of the ways detailed above. For purposes of illustration, in this case, it is assumed that the system 10 is installed in a residential building and that authorities have evacuated residents of the building due to threat caused by approaching mountain fires. In other words, the system 10 is not activated until the building is evacuated. When the owner believes that the building is being threatened by a mountain fire, the owner accesses the system through the internet, a smart phone application, or dials the number of the coded remote activation/access 76 of the control system 16 on a WiFi portal, landline, cellular or satellite phone. The coded remote activation/access 76 is configured to respond to an incoming access signal and prompt the caller to activate the switch 70, i.e., to turn the switch 70 from an "off" position to an "on" position. For example, the coded remote activation/access 76 may prompt the caller to enter an authorization code, such as a user name and password or a digital code, to first ensure that the caller is authorized to give further indication to the system. The coded remote activation/access 76 will then prompt if the correct user name and password or digital code is entered. The caller selects a particular activation code or option from a menu that may include a status check, input from a sensor, or activation of an activation switch 70. The authorization code may include a fingerprint and/or facial recognition.

When the caller enters the activation code, control system 16 sends appropriate signals to valves 56 and 64 (which are electrically operated valves, such as solenoid valves, as described above) to open the valves. When valve 56 is open, gas from pressure tank 52 flows into and pressurizes double tank device 50. With valve 64 open, water and flame retardant begin to flow into outlet pipe 62, and thus into the entire dispensing system 12, under the pressure exerted by the gas from pressure tank 52. The ratio measurement of carrier and flame retardant is maintained by a preset pressure or other mixing system (e.g., syringe, venturi, injection pitot tube, etc.). The mixing system may include multiple injection points, venturi tubes, injection pitot tubes. The now mixed flame retardant quickly flows into the conduit 20 and begins to exit from each nozzle in the system. Although the nozzles in the system are configured to apply the desired amount of flame retardant to adjacent surfaces, typical application rates are in the range of 0.5 to 5 gallons per 100 square feet of surface. The desired quantity may be calculated by the control system upon activation using input from a remote sensor or owner/operator. Furthermore, this application rate may vary depending on the type of flame retardant used.

The fire retardant agent is sprayed from the nozzle onto the desired surface until the entire volume contained in the double tank device 50 is sprayed through the nozzle or the system is deactivated by deactivating the switch 70, that is, the switch 70 is moved from the "on" position to the "off" position, depending on the type of switch selected by the design process. In this regard, in some embodiments, the pressure tank 52 contains sufficient pressurized gas to expel the entire contents of the fire retardant contained in the double tank device 50 when the double tank device 50 is full and purge all fire retardant contained in all piping lines in the distribution system 12. Thus, if the system 10 remains activated until all of the flame retardant is discharged through the nozzle, gas from the pressure tank 52 will flush the piping lines for all of the flame retardant.

Similarly, the activation switch 70 may be turned off at any time after activation in any of the manners described above. When control system 16 deactivates system 10 (i.e., closes switch 70), both valves 56 and 64 are closed. If there is sufficient water and fire retardant in the double tank device 50, the activation switch may be turned off and then turned on again at a later time.

The control system 16 is able to close the valves 56 and 64 at different times. For example, valve 56 may be closed prior to valve 64, allowing dual tank assembly 50 to decompress for a period of time. Valve 64 is then closed by control system 16. If deactivation is accomplished by using various types of coded remote activation/access 76 (as described above) before all of the water or fire retardant contained in the dual tank assembly 50 has been expelled through the system 10, the fire retardant mixture remaining in the conduit 20 downstream of the dual tank assembly 50 may be flushed to clear the conduit in the system in preparation for the next use. This is accomplished by opening valves 56 and 67 with valve 64 closed. Valves 56 and 67 are allowed to remain open until all of the remaining flame retardant has been discharged through the various nozzles.

In some embodiments, the flame retardant used in the system 10 is of a type that will remain on the surface to which it is sprayed, providing continued protection against fire by a mountain fire until the remaining flame retardant is washed away.

A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that certain modifications and additions may be made to the system 10 as described above and shown in the accompanying drawings. For example, the system may be designed to be operated only manually, thereby omitting the control system 16. In this case, only one manually operated valve may be used instead of the valve 56 shown in the drawings, and the system is activated by manually opening the valve to deliver gas from the pressure tank to the double tank device 50. Also, a hose having a nozzle at one end may be connected to the double tank device 50 to allow the mixed flame retardant to be manually sprayed to a specific location. Similar to a standard hose tap, a separate line may be installed to the system, allowing a firefighter to connect an external hose to the actual fire retardant supply. As another modification, large sprinkler "guns" such as impact heads may be installed at the roof level to provide greater coverage of surrounding structures. Furthermore, the entire community may be protected by a single large scale facility along the pipeline. In this case, each building in the community may be individually protected by the system 10, and a community perimeter system for delivering flame retardant to lines around the community may be effectively used.

Fig. 5 shows another embodiment. The system 100 is of the type used to control the direction of a fire on the sides of the fire or to prevent the fire from advancing in a particular direction, in which a series of "large gun" dispensing heads (such as those available from the Nalson irrigation company, inc. address Walarwa airport road 848, washington, USA, mail codes 99362-2271) are positioned to spray fire retardant on a line over a relatively long distance. In many areas, historical fire data is available that provides a reliable statistical indicator of the direction of propagation of mountain fires. In other words, firefighters can reliably predict the direction and behavior of a forest fire in any given area by relying on factors such as weather, wind patterns, fuel distribution and historical fire data and/or historical fire patterns. The system 100 is used to enclose a fire by laying long fire retardant lines that are intended to block the fire, or direct the fire away from populated areas, or toward areas that are more easily extinguished, etc.

In some embodiments, the system 100 relies on a compressed gas driven pump 102 driven by compressed gas delivered to the pump 102 through a line 104 interconnecting the pump to a suitable compressed gas tank 106. Pump 102 may be a diaphragm pump such as the IRAROTM diaphragm pump (to name but one non-limiting example) available from england fluid products company (irish, bai Linsi wok airport commercial area lake Jing Lu/175) and may be powered by compressed nitrogen or air in tank 106.

One or more containers 108, consisting of a plurality of dual reservoir devices 50 of carrier or fire retardant, are mounted to the pump 102 by tubing 110. Depending on the particular installation, these reservoirs 108 may be portable, or located at the surface, underground, or remote from the pump 102, as may the tank 106. A single outflow tube 112 from the pump 102 may be connected to a tee 114 and two branch lines 116, 118 extend from the tee. A plurality of spray dispensing heads 120 are mounted in line in branch lines 116 and 118-twelve dispensing heads 120 are shown in the system 100 of fig. 5.

Each dispensing head 120 is preferably a "large gun" type spray head configured to dispense a desired amount of flame retardant. In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the system 100 is pressurized and the components are sized such that the flame retardant is sprayed from each dispensing head in a circle having a diameter of about 100 feet (dimension a in fig. 5). It should be appreciated that the length of the perimeter line defined by branch lines 116 and 118 may be as long as 1/4 mile and more, as shown by dimension B in fig. 5. The area of the ground over which the system 100 distributes the fire retardant is shown with a dashed line around the perimeter of the system.

Depending on the area to be protected, several systems 100 may be arranged in series to provide a protection line that is several miles in length. The system 100 may be advantageously used to deliver flame retardant to at least a portion of the perimeter around a residential area, particularly those perimeter areas most likely to be hit by a forest fire.

The system 100 comprises activation means for activating the system, which may be of any of the types described above.

Fig. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a flame retardant delivery system 200 for preventing a forest fire. The system 200 includes a housing module 201 (shown in detail in fig. 8) for holding at least some of the system components. In one embodiment, the containment module 201 is about 48 inches long, about 30 inches wide, about 30 inches high, and carefully placed along the sides of the building 210 to be protected. In other embodiments, the containment module 201 may be any size suitable for the size of the building 210. In other embodiments, the containment module 201 may be located anywhere near the building 210. In some embodiments, more than one containment module 201 is included in the system 200. In other embodiments, the containment module 201 is not included. As shown in fig. 8, the housing module 201 includes a flame retardant can 202. The flame retardant can 202 contains a flame retardant. The containment module 201 also includes other devices operable to apply flame retardants. In one embodiment, the flame retardant is stored in a non-pressurized state. In one embodiment, the flame retardant is at least one of a liquid, liquid foam concentrate, gel, or powder flame retardant. In one embodiment, the flame retardant is environmentally safe, non-toxic and biodegradable. In one embodiment, the flame retardant tank 202 includes an agitator 205 to agitate the flame retardant periodically.

The flame retardant tank 202 is in fluid communication with a carrier source 204. The carrier source 204 discharges a carrier stream that is mixed with the flame retardant injected from the flame retardant tank 202 to produce a flame retardant and carrier mixture. In one embodiment, the carrier source 204 is selected from at least one of a water tank, municipal water supply, water well, lake and/or pond. In the illustrated embodiment, the carrier source 204 is in fluid communication with the containment module 201 through a cannula 206 at the building 210. Alternatively, the carrier source 204 may be in fluid communication with the containment module 201 through a water supply of the building. In the illustrated embodiment, a hose 208 fluidly couples the cannula 206 to the containment module 201. In other embodiments, any means for transporting a carrier, such as a conduit, may be used to fluidly couple the cannula 206 or the carrier source 204 to the containment module 201. In one embodiment, an optional carrier valve (or set of valves) 209 may be positioned in fluid communication between the carrier source 204 and an injection port 217 extending from the containment module 201. The carrier valve 209 is operable to connect or disconnect the carrier source 204 to or from the injection port 217. In one embodiment, a backflow protection valve (not shown) may be included to prevent backflow of the carrier contaminated with the flame retardant into the carrier source 204. In the embodiment shown in fig. 8B, a booster pump 229 is provided in flow communication with the hose 208 to increase the flow of carrier.

Injection of the flame retardant into the carrier to form a flame retardant and carrier mixture is accomplished through metering valve 218 (described in more detail below). Flame retardant may be supplied from the flame retardant tank 202 to a metering valve 218 through a flame retardant valve (or set of valves) 212. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the flame retardant valve 212 may be located within or near the flame retardant tank 202. The control system 214 may be operably coupled to the flame retardant valve 212. In one embodiment, the control system 214 is coupled to a sensor 216, such as a thermal sensor that detects the presence of a fire. In one embodiment, the control system 214 is operable to open the fire retardant valve 212 upon detection of a fire. When the fire retardant valve 212 is open, the fire retardant flows through the metering valve 218, which injects the fire retardant into the hose 208 through the injection port 217. At least one check valve 231 prevents backflow of the flame retardant and carrier mixture into the containment module 201.

The metering valve 218 is constructed and arranged to meter the flow of flame retardant into the carrier. In one embodiment, the metering valve 218 may be located within the containment module 201. In one embodiment, the metering valve 218 may be a Direct Current (DC) pump. In another embodiment, the metering valve 218 may be an Alternating Current (AC) pump. In one embodiment, the metering valve is a peristaltic pump. Metering valve 218 is configured to maintain a predetermined ratio of flame retardant to carrier in the flame retardant and carrier mixture. In one embodiment, the metering valve 218 meters the flow of flame retardant into the carrier based on the amount of carrier flowing from the carrier source 204. A flow meter 227 may be provided to measure the amount of carrier flowing from the carrier source 204. In particular, because the carrier source 204 may not maintain the carrier at a uniform pressure, different amounts of carrier may flow out of the carrier source 204 at different times. Metering valve 218 adjusts the amount of flame retardant injected into the carrier to maintain the ratio of flame retardant to carrier in the flame retardant and carrier mixture consistent at the desired dilution ratio. In one embodiment, the metering valve 218 is controlled by a metering valve controller 219. The metering valve controller 219 receives information from the flow meter 227 regarding the amount of carrier currently flowing from the carrier source 204 and uses this information to control the rate at which the metering valve 218 injects the flame retardant into the carrier to form the flame retardant and carrier mixture. For example, in embodiments where the metering valve 218 is a pump, the metering valve controller 219 slows the pump when the flow meter 227 detects a decrease in the amount of carrier arriving from the carrier source 204, and vice versa. Flame retardant is then injected into hose 208.

At least one dispensing nozzle 220 is positioned on or about the building 210 and is configured to deliver the flame retardant and carrier mixture to a desired area. In one embodiment, the nozzles 220 are strategically mounted on the roof of the building 210 and under the eaves of the building 210 to facilitate the uniform application of the flame retardant and carrier mixture to all surfaces of the building 210, including decks, windows, and landscapes. In one embodiment, the nozzle 220 is mounted to the building 210 in a manner that keeps the nozzle 220 relatively invisible. In one embodiment, the valve box 230 controls the flow of at least one of the flame retardant and the carrier to the dispensing nozzle 220. In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 7A, a flame retardant is injected into the carrier at the containment module 201 such that the valve box 230 controls the flow of the flame retardant and carrier mixture. In one embodiment, shown in fig. 7B, a flame retardant is injected into the carrier downstream of the containment module 201 and upstream of the valve box 230 such that the valve box 230 controls the flow of the flame retardant and carrier mixture. In one embodiment, shown in fig. 7C, a flame retardant is injected into the carrier downstream of the valve box 230 such that the valve box 230 only controls the flow of the carrier. In one embodiment, shown in fig. 7D, the flame retardant is injected into the carrier at the valve box 230 such that the valve box 230 controls the flow of the flame retardant and the carrier. In other embodiments, the flame retardant may be injected into the carrier at a location near the top of the building and/or at the dispensing nozzle 220.

In one embodiment, the system 200 includes an autonomous power source 222, such as a battery, that powers the system 200. In one embodiment, power supply 222 provides power to system 200 so that system 200 can operate without power being transmitted to the premises. In one embodiment, the control system 214 and the overall system 200 may be controlled by separate autonomous power sources. In one embodiment, a single backup power source provides power to both system 200 and control system 214. In one embodiment, at least one autonomous power source 222A is located within the containment module 201, as shown in fig. 8. In one embodiment, at least one autonomous power source 222B is located in the control system 214, as shown in fig. 9. In other embodiments, the system does not require a separate power source 222 and the system is powered by the water pressure provided by municipal water lines or well-based water systems. In such an embodiment, the valve box 230 (e.g., a proportioning valve or a proportioner) does not require external power because it is operated by the pressure of the water entering the proportioner. The proportioner is capable of adjusting the amount of foam concentrate or other flame retardant dispensed into the variable water stream.

In one embodiment, system 200 may be activated by a cellular telephone, a smart phone application, a telephone code, a computer login, and/or direct button press, to name a few non-limiting examples. In one embodiment, the system 200 allows remote activation by a home security or home automation system. In one embodiment, control system 214 enables bi-directional communication between system 200 and at least one of the devices listed above. In one embodiment, the modem 221 or other communication device enables bi-directional communication. As shown in fig. 8, the housing module 201 may include at least one modem 221A and at least one autonomous power source 222A. The control system 214 is further illustrated in fig. 9. As shown in fig. 9, at least one modem 221B and at least one autonomous power source 222B may be disposed within control system 214. In addition, a keypad 223 and connector 225 for zone valves (described in detail below) may also be located within control system 214. In one embodiment, the connector 225 may be housed in another housing separate from the control system 214. In one embodiment, system 200 is coupled to a burglar alarm to notify authorities of the presence of a fire.

In one embodiment, after the flame retardant is applied to the building 210, the flame retardant may be re-hydrated multiple times during a forest fire event and remain effective to protect the building for a predetermined period of time depending on ambient environmental conditions. After application, the flame retardant may be purged through the use of hoses, power washers, and/or any other device capable of spraying water.

In one embodiment, during operation, the system 200 may be installed as a carrier source 204 into a water supply of a building. In one embodiment, when the system is inactive, the carrier fills the system 200 up to the valve box 230. In particular, water flows down the hose 208 to the valve box 230 via the force of a municipal or rural water pump. When the system 200 is not activated, the carrier in the system 200 is not mixed with the flame retardant. Upon activation of the system 200, the valve box 230 opens the output line 217 to the dispensing nozzle 220 and the carrier within the system 200 that is not mixed with the flame retardant flows through the dispensing nozzle 220 to flow water through at least one area onto the building 210. Fresh water entering system 200 injects flame retardant from flame retardant valve 212 into the water stream at a predetermined dilution ratio. The proportioning system is capable of accommodating peaks and valleys in the carrier flow rate measured by the flow meter 227 so that the flame retardant is injected into the carrier at a desired dilution rate. After injection, the flame retardant and carrier mixture is applied to the building 210 or landscape. The building 210 may have multiple zones through which the flame retardant and carrier mixture is applied. In one embodiment, the flame retardant and carrier mixture is applied one area at a time. In other embodiments, the flame retardant and carrier mixture may be applied to multiple regions simultaneously. The flame retardant and carrier mixture may be applied by spray heads, the type of spray head will vary depending on the location of the area, but may include irrigation rotors, spray heads, and spray heads of the micro-irrigation spray head type, to name a few non-limiting examples. All surfaces on the building 210 are treated with the flame retardant and carrier mixture, including roofs, walls, glass, eaves, and decks. The landscape area around the building 210 is also treated. In one embodiment, the flame retardant may be rehydrated multiple times. In another embodiment, only the roof and surrounding landscape is treated.

One or more devices, systems, and/or methods may include one or more hydraulic management techniques. For example, one or more hydraulic management techniques may include monitoring and/or adjusting the hydraulic capacity of the water supply at and/or within the individual building 210. One or more or each fire monitoring/suppression system may have a flow meter and/or water pressure sensing device mounted at and/or downstream of the water source connection point. Such a monitoring/fire suppression system may regulate the flow of the flame retardant and/or carrier mixture to higher risk areas (e.g., roof surfaces) on the building 210, and/or to higher risk areas within active forest fire areas, among other reasons, for example, when the monitoring/fire suppression system demand exceeds the hydraulic capacity of the water supply. One or more hydraulic management techniques may be applied to one or more houses/buildings and/or one or more areas (e.g., without limitation, to a single house/building and/or area). For example, one or more hydraulic management techniques may manage hydraulic capacity throughout a mountain fire activity area.

For example, one or more hydraulic management techniques may reduce the flow of the flame retardant and/or carrier mixture to certain surface areas (e.g., vertical walls) that are less susceptible to fire ashes and/or may direct the flow of the flame retardant and/or carrier mixture to higher risk horizontal surfaces (e.g., roofs and/or decks) to continue and/or increase. As used herein, the term "horizontal" may include surfaces that are entirely horizontal, and/or surfaces that may not be entirely horizontal (e.g., may have a non-vertical slope, such as a sloped roof, etc.).

For example, on an area basis (e.g., an active fire area), if twenty systems are running, there may be at least fifteen systems on treating a horizontal surface (e.g., a high risk surface), while there may be five systems (e.g., where one or more systems may be the same as fifteen systems, and/or where one or more systems may be different from fifteen systems) on treating a vertical surface (e.g., a low risk surface). There may not be enough flow and/or pressure to fully operate most or all of the twenty systems. One or more hydraulic management techniques may throttle (e.g., reduce, and possibly even substantially zero, the flow of the flame retardant and/or carrier mixture) to one or more or all vertical surfaces, which may maintain and/or increase the flow to one or more or all horizontal surfaces. One or more hydraulic management techniques may increase and/or maintain the flow of water and/or fire retardants to areas/fire suppression systems that are closer to the perimeter of the forest fire area (e.g., active fire area), and/or may decrease the flow of water and/or fire retardants to areas/fire suppression systems that are farther from the perimeter of the forest fire area. In one embodiment, the fire department may create polygons on a map displayed on an input screen of a control system operable to control a plurality of the presently disclosed systems and execute commands that activate all systems located within the area contained within the polygons, and such systems will then be subject to the hierarchy of hydraulic management disclosed herein.

Devices, systems, and/or methods that may protect a building from forest fires and/or other fire risks may be useful. Not only may the building be protected from mountain fires and/or other fire hazards, but also devices, systems, and/or methods that create a "protective effect" on one or more surrounding buildings may be useful. For example, an incident command system, such as (or including) one of the control systems disclosed herein, may be used by a fire service to initiate an immediate geo-referenced event at an incident site. For example, if the incident is a building fire (internal or external), this will cause the control system to automatically activate fire suppression systems that burn either side of the building. By doing so, adjacent buildings will be immediately cooled so that the fire point is not reached. In another example, a grid is created by having a firestop system network under the control of the control systems disclosed herein, wherein when one firestop system is activated, the other firestop systems under the control of the control system are thereby activated according to predetermined rules contained in the control system. Additional details of such a control system are provided in fig. 11 and the following description.

Devices, systems, and/or methods implementing one or more algorithms may be useful that may identify one or more geographical areas that possess (e.g., varying) exposure to a mountain fire, may identify one or more risks/exposure radii from the mountain fire to the public, and/or may identify one or more areas that are more protected from the mountain fire than other areas. For example, the state and/or federal government may use the output of such one or more algorithms to establish an accurate radius for public health and/or safety mountain fires. Also by way of example, the insurer may use the output of such one or more algorithms to determine portfolio risk exposure and/or risk reduction.

One or more algorithms may rank fire risk levels for one or more (e.g., individual) buildings and/or areas (e.g., of different sizes), potentially with much higher accuracy than conventional tools. The output of one or more ranking algorithms (and/or the algorithm itself) may be useful to an insurer, federal government, state/local government, municipality, fire prevention zone, real estate agent, company providing fire risk ranking system, and/or company providing forest fire mitigation service.

For example, an insurance company may use the output of one or more algorithms to (e.g., better) set insurance prices, and/or reduce operating costs associated with risk identification. For example, federal, state/local governments, fire zones, and/or municipalities may use the output of one or more algorithms to determine (e.g., more accurate) evacuation trigger points to maintain public health and/or safety. One or more private fire authorities may use the output of one or more algorithms to identify potential customers in mountain fire exposed areas. The output of one or more algorithms may be used by public/private authorities for other natural disaster scenario analysis, possibly in addition to fire analysis.

Currently, the insurance company and/or provider of the insurance industry may use geographic information and/or weighting algorithms to assess fire risk. The accuracy of the currently used techniques is questionable. Many of the currently used techniques operate without knowing their respective accuracy. Currently used techniques may not use historical information to identify whether their algorithm is accurate. Thus, the currently used techniques may not have any feedback loop to re-arm/adjust the respective algorithm. For example, currently used techniques often find that a burned house is marked as safe. The currently used technology should not mark these premises as safe and it should already be known (e.g. via a feedback loop) that these premises have been burned.

One or more algorithms disclosed herein may yield a higher level of accuracy in determining the exposure area. One or more algorithms disclosed herein may include one or more feedback loops to verify algorithm accuracy and/or automatically readjust/adjust algorithm accuracy.

One or more algorithms disclosed herein may result in one or more currently available fire risk levels. One or more algorithms may incorporate such ordering into the algorithm, and/or one or more factors may be added, which may make the one or more algorithms (e.g., significantly) more accurate than existing and/or previous methods.

One or more algorithms may include one or more feedback loops. The one or more feedback loops may include review, analysis, and correction of the algorithm after one or more or each fire. Information and/or data provided from one or more feedback loops may be included in the (e.g., dynamic) evolution of one or more algorithms. For example, by image processing using a map, the ordering produced by at least some of the one or more algorithms may be improved.

One or more algorithms may include ash risk effects and/or may use simulated scenes to identify reactions to such events in and/or around a building.

One or more algorithms may implement one or more public safety mechanisms to identify one or more geographic locations or points from which a fire service or federal, state, and/or local government officer may activate an evacuation process or an in-situ evacuation process. One or more public safety mechanisms may help identify fire and monitoring systems, and/or risk mitigation effects of such systems on civilian and/or first responders life and safety, and/or risk mitigation effects on nearby buildings. By using the information/data provided by the one or more feedback loops, one or more algorithms may be developed continuously and/or dynamically.

One or more algorithms may include at least one module that (e.g., automatically) identifies a fire event. For example, a fire event may be identified by collecting information/data (e.g., personal data that may include people affected by a fire in social media) from (e.g., established) structured data sources and/or non-structured internet public data. Such information may be used (e.g., possibly with artificial intelligence) to establish one or more machine learning loops.

For example, a geographic reference location around a fire may be defined in a map available to the control system. However, because ash falls on nearby buildings, the buildings often burn out beyond the perimeter of these fires. The control system may also access data (e.g., local, state, and/or federal government data) that identifies and records a geographic reference location of a building burned in the fire. By overlaying the location of the fire perimeter over the location of the building combustion, the control system obtains a true representation of the mountain ash effect. In some cases, these ashes may fall five miles away from the perimeter of the fire. This is an analysis that helps to know which buildings are being damaged by a fire if it should occur.

As another example, the control system algorithm may compare two sets of data, such as geo-referenced fire perimeter data and demographic data, and determine a correlation between the population and the occurrence of a fire event. Thus, the control system will know where a fire is more likely to occur based on the population in the monitored area.

As a further example, the control system algorithm may perform fire suppression analysis based on available infrastructure (e.g., the number and size of roads that provide access to an area to enable personnel to actually reach the fire scene) and/or availability of aircraft/vehicles operable to suppress fires, and determine a correlation between the success of the suppression action based on access to such infrastructure. Such data may be further associated with other variables, such as time of year, or past, present, or predicted future weather events for the area.

As another example, the control system algorithm may analyze historical data (i.e., critical fire quality) for combustible material per square foot/acre to determine the probability of a fire occurring if the area is not suppressed (based on historical weather patterns) for a certain time of the year, which allows prediction of the size of civilian population and building population that are threatened by the fire.

By providing a control system algorithm capable of such analysis, in some embodiments as part of a search query mechanism, and operating on the basis of a self-learning algorithm, the system may provide predictability of exposure to civilian population, house and infrastructure fires.

In one or more techniques, the computing device 1104 and/or the control system 214 may be configured to determine one or more activation triggers of any of the firestop systems described herein. Computing device 1104 and/or control system 214 may perform reconfiguration of computing device 1104 and/or control system 214, for example, using information and/or data. In one or more techniques, computing device 1104 and/or control system 214 may be configured to determine one or more adjusted activation triggers, possibly based on reconfiguration, for example.

Also by way of example, at least one module may identify one or more houses/buildings/structures that are within the fire and/or at risk of fire damage/destruction and that are saved or not burned (e.g., for known or unknown reasons). These 43 houses/buildings/structures may be marked and/or alerted with some notification (e.g., an alert or notice of "you are fortunate," etc.). Such alerts and/or notifications may be transmitted via communications (e.g., email, government mail, personal messengers, text messages, and/or telephone calls, etc.). Alerts and/or notifications may notify owners/renters/lessees of such houses/buildings, etc. that their property is at risk and that their property is not damaged for whatever reason (e.g., "you are walking this time" alerts, etc.). Alerts and/or notifications may prompt and/or motivate owners/renters/lessees, etc. to protect themselves from future risks that may lead to damage/destruction of their property and/or personal injury. The information of exposure of mountain fires is a core component for creating a safer civilian environment.

Fig. 10 includes an example topography diagram indicating fire hazard zone assessment. In FIG. 10, potential fire hazard zones 1002-1014 are shown. If a building burns without a forest fire, there is a fire-fighting resource to protect the building. When one building burns during a mountain fire, or multiple buildings burn during a mountain fire, the exposure is so large that traditional fire resources and capabilities are completely inconvenienced. The presently disclosed embodiments provide an automated system to alleviate such limitations of traditional fire resources.

The potential fire risk between at least some of the regions 1002-1014 may be the same or substantially similar, and/or the potential fire risk between at least some of the regions 1002-1014 may be different or significantly different. For example, region 1002 may have a fire likelihood rating of 85%, region 1004 may have a fire likelihood rating of 85%, region 1006 may have a fire likelihood rating of 50%, region 1008 may have a fire likelihood rating of 42%, region 1010 may have a fire likelihood rating of 94%, region 1012 may have a fire likelihood rating of 88%, and/or region 1014 may have a fire likelihood rating of 60% (the scale 0-100% describing the fire likelihood rating is used by way of example and not limitation).

One or more techniques of estimating fire exposure of one or more of the geographic areas may include, for example, determining a first fire risk level for at least one of the one or more areas, possibly based on one or more current atmospheric conditions corresponding to the at least one area. One or more techniques may include determining one or more fire characteristics of the at least one region. For example, it may be that a history mode fire occurs approximately every 80 years at a similar general location within the area identified in FIG. 10, or within a 5 mile radius of the area identified in FIG. 10. As another consideration of this analysis, the general civilian population and the number of infrastructures for the area identified in fig. 10 may be below the existing level for the area 80 years ago. This is a limiting example of the evolution of fire characteristics and exposure to varying degrees. For example, it is possible that based on at least one image of the at least one area, the composition of known buildings (residential and commercial) has a density and arrangement such that when a plurality of such buildings are exposed to the ash effects of mountain fires burning within a 5 mile radius of the area where the exposure exceeds the capacity of the fire resources given the available fire resources.

One or more techniques may include determining a number of fire suppression systems located in or near the at least one area, which may provide additional suppression capability, thereby reducing the likelihood of building loss. One or more techniques may include determining one or more ash risk effects for the at least one region based on at least one image captured after a (e.g., temporally) recent past fire in or near the at least one region. For example, the image may include a map image of the fire perimeter of the most recent past fire. Many of the buildings that may be outside of the perimeter of these fires may also be burned. Local, state and/or federal government data identifies and makes a geographic reference to the location of the building where it burns in a fire. By superimposing the location of the fire perimeter over the location of the building combustion, a true representation of the mountain ash effect is created and it is determined that the burning ash falls five miles outside the fire perimeter, threatening far exceeding the number and quantity of buildings contained within the fire perimeter. Depending on the density and arrangement of these houses, the scale of the fire is related to the distance of ash propagation and subsequent exposure of the civilian population and the buildings, further determining the true exposure of the forest fire.

As a further example, analysis of the data generally reveals correlations between population and occurrence of fire events. This is based on a valuable analysis of the population and historical fire events of where the fire may start.

One can further analyze the success of fire suppression actions based on available infrastructure that enables personnel to actually reach the fire scene, or artificial aircraft/vehicles for suppressing fires, and see a correlation between the success of fire suppression actions based on the visits. The correlation of the data may also be analyzed based on time of year or weather events.

As another example, based on further analysis of historical data (i.e., critical fire quality) of square feet/acre of combustible material, to determine the probability of a fire occurring if the area is not suppressed (based on historical weather patterns) for a certain time of the year, this allows prediction of the size of civilian and architectural populations that are threatened by the fire.

By performing such analysis, in some embodiments, operating as part of a search query mechanism and on the basis of self-learning algorithms, will increase predictability of exposure to civilian population, family, and infrastructure, and may control devices, systems, and/or methods to create civilian security and protection, including infrastructure.

One or more techniques may include adjusting a first fire risk level to a second fire risk level, possibly based on one or more of a number of fire suppression systems, one or more ash risk effects, and/or one or more fire characteristics, for example. One or more techniques may include determining an evacuation condition based on the second fire risk level. One or more techniques may include communicating an evacuation condition to one or more recipients. The evacuation condition may include determining a second fire risk level evacuation trigger threshold.

One or more techniques may include determining an effect of a recently extinguished fire on at least one building in or near the at least one region. One or more techniques may include comparing an effect of the most recently extinguished fire on the at least one building to a second fire risk level. One or more techniques may include determining a predicted risk assessment for the at least one building based on the comparison. For example, a building in or near an area where the fire risk level is high suffers little or no fire damage, which may result in a predictive risk assessment of "low" or "abnormal" (e.g., the building is rarely assessed for actual/confirmed fire damage despite the relatively high fire risk level). For example, in or near areas of high fire risk levels, significant damage to a building may result in a "high" or "anticipated" predictive risk assessment (e.g., where the fire risk level is relatively high, the building is subject to significant fire damage, if not complete loss). In other words, the predicted risk assessment may be a measurement, assessment, and/or comparison of a fire risk level (e.g., for a building and/or area) with an actual/confirmed fire hazard (e.g., for a building and/or area).

For example again, if a first region having a relatively low fire risk level experiences little or no fire damage, the predicted risk assessment of the most recent fire in or near the first region may be one or more of "high," "expected," "acceptable," and/or "normal," etc. Also by way of example, if a first building has a relatively low fire risk level and experiences significant damage, the predicted risk assessment of the most recent fire in and/or near the first building may be one or more of "low," "unexpected," "unacceptable," and/or "abnormal," etc. One or more techniques may include, for example, communicating a predicted risk assessment of the at least one building and/or region to an owner of the at least one building, and/or owners of one or more buildings in the region.

One or more techniques may include determining one or more indicators of a current fire in or near the at least one area from an internet-based social media system. For example, a fire may spread so fast that satellite images or infrared images may be too slow to keep up with identifying the location of the fire's surroundings, or where spots are occurring, where new spot fires are burning. Various social media platforms, e.g By way of non-limiting example only, is where individuals quickly share fire information. An algorithm may analyze fire references in such social media posts and quickly compile a geographic reference map reporting the fire. In addition, mobile device applications may be distributed to the general public, which will allow users to easily report fires using the application, perhaps by the application automatically geo-referencing the reported fires using the GPS location of the mobile device. One or more techniques may include adjusting a second fire risk level based on one or more indicators.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary computer (e.g., processing) device 1104 (which may be incorporated within and/or near the control system 16 and/or within and/or near the remote activation/access 76), wherein one or more of the devices, methods, and/or systems disclosed herein may be at least partially implemented. In fig. 11, computer device 1104 may include one or more of the following: processor 1132, transceiver 1112, transmit/receive elements (e.g., antenna) 1114, speaker 1116, microphone 1118, audio interface (e.g., a headset interface and/or an audio cable socket) 1120, keypad/keyboard 1122, one or more input/output devices 1124, display/touchpad/touchscreen 1126, one or more sensor devices 1128, global Positioning System (GPS)/positioning circuitry 1130, network interface 1134, video interface 1136, universal Serial Bus (USB) interface 1138, optical interface 1140, wireless interface 1142, in-situ (e.g., non-removable) memory 1144, removable memory 1146, in-situ (e.g., removable or non-removable) power supply 1148, and/or power interface 1150 (e.g., a power/data cable socket). Computing device 1104 may include one or more or any sub-combination of the elements described above.

Computing device 1104 can take the form of a laptop computer, desktop computer, one or more circuit boards, mainframe computers, server, terminal, tablet, smart phone, and/or cloud-based computing device (e.g., at least in part), etc.

The processor 1132 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of Integrated Circuit (IC), and/or a finite state machine, among others. The processor 1132 may perform signal encoding, data processing, power control, sensor control, interface control, video control, audio control, input/output processing, and/or any other function that enables the computing device 1104 to function as and/or perform (e.g., at least in part of) one or more of the devices, methods, and/or systems disclosed herein.

The processor 1132 may be connected to a transceiver 1112, which may be connected to a transmit/receive element 1124. The processor 1132 and transceiver 1112 may operate as separate components of a connection (as shown). The processor 1132 and transceiver 1112 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip (not shown).

The transmit/receive element 1114 may be configured to transmit signals to and/or receive signals from one or more wireless transmit/receive sources (not shown). For example, the transmit/receive element 1114 may be an antenna configured to transmit and/or receive RF signals, cellular signals, or satellite signals. For example, the transmit/receive element 1114 may be an emitter/detector configured to emit and/or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals. The transmit/receive element 1114 may be configured to transmit and/or receive RF and/or optical signals. The transmit/receive element 1114 may be configured to transmit and/or receive any combination of wireless signals.

Although transmit/receive element 1114 is shown as a single element, computing device 1104 may include any number of transmit/receive elements 1114 (e.g., identical to any of elements 1112-1150). Computing device 1104 may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology. For example, computing device 1104 may include two or more transmit/receive elements 1114 for transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals.

Transceiver 1112 may be configured to modulate signals to be transmitted by transmit/receive element 1114 and/or demodulate signals received by transmit/receive element 1114. Transceiver 1112 may include a plurality of transceivers for enabling computing device 1104 to communicate via one or more radio access technologies, such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), and/or IEEE802.11 and/or satellites.

The processor 1132 may be connected to, may receive user input data from, and/or may send (e.g., as output) user data to, a speaker 1116, a microphone 1118, a keypad/keyboard 1122, and/or a display/touchpad/touch screen 1126 (e.g., a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) display unit or an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display unit, etc.). Processor 1132 may retrieve and/or store information/data from/in any type of suitable memory, such as in-situ memory 1144 and/or removable memory 1146. In-situ memory 1144 may include Random Access Memory (RAM), read Only Memory (ROM), registers, cache memory, a semiconductor memory device, and/or a hard disk and/or any other type of memory device.

Removable memory 1146 may include a subscriber identity module card (SIM), a portable hard disk drive, a memory stick, and/or a Secure Digital (SD) memory card, among others. Processor 1132 may retrieve information/data from, and/or store information/data in, memory that may not be physically located on computing device 1104, such as on a server, cloud, and/or home computer (not shown).

One or more of elements 1112-1146 may receive power from in-situ power supply 1148. In-situ power supply 1148 may be configured to distribute and/or control power to one or more elements 1112-1146 of computing device 1104. In-situ power supply 1148 may be any suitable device for powering computing device 1104. For example, the in-situ power supply 1148 may include one or more dry cells (e.g., nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and/or the like.

The power interface 1150 may include a socket and/or a power adapter (e.g., a transformer, regulator, and/or rectifier) that may receive power from an external source via one or more AC and/or DC power cables and/or via wireless power transmission. Any power received via power interface 1150 may energize one or more of elements 1112-1146 of computing device 1104, for example, perhaps exclusively or in parallel with in-situ power supply 1148. Any power (e.g., solar panel, micro hydro turbine, micro wind turbine, battery pack, or generator) received via the power interface 1150 may be used to charge the in-situ power supply 1148.

The processor 1132 may be connected to a GPS/location circuit 1130, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and/or latitude) regarding the current location of the computing device 1104. Computing device 1104 may obtain location information via any suitable location determination technique.

The processor 1132 may be connected to one or more input/output devices 1124, which may include one or more software and/or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and/or a wired and/or wireless connection. For example, the one or more input/output devices 1124 can include a digital camera (e.g., for photographs and/or video), a hands free headset, a digital music player, a media player, a Frequency Modulation (FM) radio unit, an internet browser and/or video game player module, and the like.

The processor 1132 may be connected to one or more sensor devices 1128, which may include one or more software and/or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and/or wired and/or wireless connections. For example, the one or more sensor devices 1128 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a vibrating device, sonar, and the like.

The processor 1132 may be connected to a network interface 1134, which may include one or more software and/or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and/or wireless and/or wired connections. For example, the network interface 1134 may include a Network Interface Controller (NIC) module, a Local Area Network (LAN) module, an ethernet module, a Physical Network Interface (PNI) module, and/or an IEEE802 module, among others.

The processor 1132 may be connected to a video interface 1136, which may include one or more software and/or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and/or wired and/or wireless connections. For example, video interface 1136 may include a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) module, a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) module, a Super Video Graphics Array (SVGA) module, and/or a Video Graphics Array (VGA) module, among others.

The processor 1132 may be connected to a USB interface 1138, which may include one or more software and/or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and/or wired and/or wireless connections. For example, the USB interface 1138 may include a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port or the like.

The processor 1132 may be connected to an optical interface 1140 that may include one or more software and/or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and/or wired and/or wireless connections. For example, the optical interface 1140 may include a read/write optical disc module, a read/write Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) module, and/or a read/write Blu-ray disc module, etc.

The processor 1132 may be coupled to a wireless interface 1142, which may include one or more software and/or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and/or wireless connectivity. For example, wireless interface 1142 may includeModules, ultra Wideband (UWB) modules, zigbee modules, and/or Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) modules, etc.

In one or more techniques, the device 1104, the control system 16, and/or the remote activation/access 76 may (e.g., constantly) evaluate the risk of fire for one or more or each building and/or area, possibly based on data available to the device 1104, the control system 16, and/or the remote activation/access 76 (e.g., as described herein). The device 1104, control system 16, and/or remote activation/access 76 may be configured to determine which fire suppression system(s) to activate. The device 1104, the control system 16, and/or the remote activation/access 76 may be configured to activate (e.g., remotely) the determined firestop system. In one or more techniques, such activation may be automatic and/or may include supervisory input. For example, based on a particular fire risk, a fire suppression system may be activated when a fire is detected that burns within a particular radius of the system.

While the present embodiment has been described in terms of several illustrated embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill that the spirit and scope of the embodiments are not limited to these embodiments, but extend to the various modifications and equivalents as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A system for protecting a building from a forest fire, the system comprising:

a. a reconfigurable control system comprising:

i. a processor;

algorithm;

an input for receiving an input communication, wherein the input communication comprises mountain fire information;

an output for transmitting an output communication;

b. the reconfigurable control system is configured to define an area based at least in part on the input communication and define a risk of the area; thereby providing a defined risk area;

c. the reconfigurable control system is configured to associate a building with the defined risk area, the building including a fire suppression system, wherein the fire suppression system comprises: a pump, a power supply, and a flame retardant dispensing system;

d. the reconfigurable control system, based at least in part on the input communication, the defined risk area, and the building, is configured to send an output communication to a device for receiving and sending information; and

e. Wherein the output communication is configured such that there is a display on the device for receiving and transmitting information.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising one or more feedback loops.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a menu.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to receive instructions and send the instructions to the reconfigurable control system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the display is configured to receive instructions and send the instructions to the reconfigurable control system; and wherein the instructions are for activating the fire suppression system.

6. The system of any of claims 1-5, wherein the device for receiving and transmitting information is located remotely from the firestop system.

7. The system of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the building is located within the area.

8. The system of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the building is located remotely from the area.

9. The system of any of claims 1-5, wherein the forest fire information includes one or more of smoke detection, ash detection, flame detection, and humidity measurement.

10. The system of any of claims 6 to 9, wherein the forest fire information includes one or more of smoke detection, ash detection, flame detection, and humidity measurement.

11. A system for protecting a building from a forest fire, the system comprising:

a. a reconfigurable control system comprising:

i. a processor;

algorithm;

an output for transmitting an output communication;

b. the reconfigurable control system is configured to define a risk of an area associated with a building based at least in part on the input communication; thereby providing a defined risk area;

c. the building comprises a fire suppression system;

d. the reconfigurable control system is configured to determine an activation trigger based at least in part on the input communication and the defined risk area;

e. the reconfigurable control system is configured such that upon occurrence of the activation trigger, the reconfigurable control system sends an output communication to a device for receiving information; and

f. wherein the output communication causes a display to be present on the device for receiving information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the reconfigurable control system is configured to activate the fire suppression system when the activation trigger occurs.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the forest fire information includes one or more of smoke detection, ash detection, flame detection, and humidity measurement.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the forest fire information includes one or more of smoke detection, ash detection, flame detection, and humidity measurement.

15. The system of claim 11, comprising one or more feedback loops.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the display comprises a menu.

17. A system according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the means for receiving information is located remotely from the fire suppression system.

18. A system according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the means for receiving information is located remotely from the fire suppression system.

19. The system of any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the building is located within the area.

20. The system of any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the building is located remotely from the area.