Reduced surface evaporation rates are marketed as a competitive advantage by water-enhancer manufacturers. In this report, a new test method is developed and applied to quantify the evaporation rates of various commercially available water-enhancer products in a controlled environment. These quantified evaporation rates were then compared to the evaporation rate of water which served as the benchmark.
In May 2017 FPInnovations conducted an initial field assessment of a helicopter on-board system for mixing water-enhancing gel concentrate at Fort Vermillion. For this study, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry contracted a Bell 214B helicopter with on-board gel mixing capability. The helicopter company chose Firewall II gel and an Isolair external tank to meet the contract requirements.
This Info Note presents FPInnovations’ observations of the ability of the on-board mixing system to effectively mix Firewall II gel with water.
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s (AAF) Wildfire Management Branch recently contracted two Sikorsky S-61N heavy helicopters. Both helicopters are equipped with an external tank (max. volume 1000 U.S. gallons) and have on-board injection systems that are capable of mixing class A foams and water-enhancers.
Currently, there is limited data on comparative drop footprints of foam and water-enhancers (suppressants) for these heavy helicopters. To fill this knowledge gap, AAF has asked FPInnovations to conduct drop tests in different wildland fuel environments. This study focuses on mapping the drop footprints of water, foam, and water-enhancers in black spruce stands at specific flight parameters.
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s (AAF) Wildfire Management Branch has recently contracted two Sikorsky S-61N heavy helicopters. Both helicopters are equipped with an external tank (max. volume 1000 U.S. gallons) and have on-board injection systems that are capable of mixing class A foams and water-enhancers.
Currently, there is limited data on comparative drop footprints of foam and water-enhancers (suppressants) for these heavy helicopters. To fill this knowledge gap, AAF has asked FPInnovations to conduct drop tests in different wildland fuel environments. This study focuses on mapping the drop footprints of water, foam, and water-enhancers in an open field at specific flight parameters.
This study focuses on evaluating the relative performance of different commercially available wildland fire chemicals using a custom-built sensible enthalpy rise calorimeter, known as the ‘Thermal Canister.’ Six different fire chemicals were evaluated in this study: Blazetamer 380, AquaGel-K, Firewall II, WD 881C, Thermo-Gel 200 L, and FireIce 561. The evaluation of the relative performance of the fire chemicals was conducted by using the average heat release rate as the primary metric.
It was found that under the test conditions, Thermo-Gel 200L at 3% concentration and FireIce 561 at 1.4% concentration were the most effective at suppressing combustion. The fire chemicals that were least effective at suppressing combustion were Firewall II at 0.25% and 2% concentration and WD 881C at 0.1%, 0.3%, and 1% concentrations. The study also found that certain fire chemicals such as AquaGel-K and FireIce 561 at their highest approved mix ratios were too viscous to be applied and may prove to be challenging to use for firefighting operations.
Data from this study will be used in the Wildfire Chemical Roadmap, where results from multiple tests will help assess the effectiveness and cost of using gels.
Durant le dégel du printemps, les routes secondaires peuvent être affaiblies par l’eau qui en sature les diverses couches. Les gouvernements imposent par conséquent des restrictions de charge pour atténuer l’impact de la circulation des véhicules lourds. Comme le transport de charges utiles réduites n’est pas viable économiquement, les usines accumulent d’importants stocks de bois pour maintenir une production continue pendant cette période. De récentes améliorations technologiques des camions, telles que les systèmes de gonflage central des pneus (CTI) et des configurations d’essieux moins dommageables pour les routes, peuvent réduire la charge appliquée à la structure de la route et permettre de reprendre des opérations viables de camionnage grumier plus rapidement qu’avec les équipements traditionnels. Le rapport documente les résultats d’une étude sur le terrain en vue d’explorer si ces deux technologies qui préservent la route pourraient rendre le camionnage possible durant les périodes de restriction.
In 2020, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s (AAF) Wildfire Management Branch contracted two externally tanked heavy helicopters with on-board injection and mixing systems. The two heavy helicopters are Sikorsky S-61N helicopters with modified Isolair tanks, capable of dropping water, foam, and water-enhancers. Drop tests were conducted using these helicopters to understand the relative footprints of different suppressants.
This study focuses on using drop footprint data to estimate recovery rates of water, foam, and water-enhancers in two scenarios – an open field and a forested stand. These estimates may provide a primarily understanding of how best different suppressants can be used for different applications.
Quand les diverses couches qui forment les routes de camionnage commencent à dégeler au printemps, les fonctionnaires chargés de la réglementation en C.-B. imposent des limites de charge pour éviter ou restreindre les dommages causés par des véhicules lourdement chargés. Jusqu'à récemment, la décision relative au moment où imposer ces limites était basée sur des critères subjectifs ou des dates traditionnelles, et avait donc tendance à être conservatrice. Il existe toutefois une technologie permettant de déterminer avec plus de précision à quel moment imposer des restrictions pour protéger l'intégrité de la surface de roulement tout en maximisant le nombre de jours de camionnage avant l'arrêt des activités au printemps. Le rapport documente l'expérience du ministère des Forêts de C.-B. dans l'application de cette technologie à deux routes de camionnage des billes dans le nord-ouest de la C.-B.
Dans le calcul du taux de transport des copeaux de bois en hiver, on oublie souvent de prendre en considération les coûts imputables au gel des chargements (temps d'arrêt, perte de charge utile et temps de la main-d'oeuvre nécessaire pour l'enlèvement des copeaux). Les entrepreneurs ont essayé de nombreux moyens pour résoudre ce problème, et la plupart en sont arrivés à des solutions acceptables. Au cours des deux derniers hivers, FERIC a travaillé avec des entrepreneurs du nord-ouest de l'Ontario pour faire l'inventaire de leurs "bonnes pratiques" et essayer de nouvelles solutions. Le présent rapport dresse un bilan de ces bonnes pratiques et des nouvelles pratiques préventives relevées pendant l'étude de FERIC.
FPInnovations studied the effectiveness of sprinkler systems and aqueous gel for the protection of structures from wildfire. The study results may assist fire suppression personnel when making strategic decisions on wildland–urban interface fires. The time and resources required to set up the systems, water volumes used, structural damage, and structure temperatures were investigated.
