BOOM APPARATUS FOR FIRE AND RESCUE USE

Abstract: The invention relates to a boom apparatus used for fire and rescue use, the boom apparatus comprising a boom (1) that can be moved in a variety of ways and that is arranged on a chassis (2). The essential feature of the invention is that at least one multipurpose element (5) and an adapter (6) are arranged on the free end of the boom (1). By means of the adapter (6), various changeable operation units (4) can be connected to the boom (1) in a fast and simple manner. The multipurpose element (5) comprises a duct (8) and an axial-flow fan (9) arranged in connection with the duct (8), the axial-flow fan providing an air flow through the duct (8). At the same time, an operating medium can be supplied to the duct (8), the operating medium being spread with the air flow.

Description: BOOM APPARATUS FOR FIRE AND RESCUE USE The invention relates to a boom apparatus for fire and rescue use, which boom apparatus is meant to be arranged on a movable base, and which boom apparatus comprises a boom that can be moved in a variety of ways and that can be preferably prolonged or shortened, and further, means at the free end of the boom for supplying an operating medium to the object being treated. In prior art solutions, different types of hydraulic guns and other apparatuses spraying fire-fighting medium are fixedly arranged on the free end of a boom on a conventional massive and heavy rescue vehicle. The boom and the fire-fighting apparatus fastened to the end of the boom can be controlled from the vehicle, thus adding to the safety of the operating personnel. It is a disadvantage of said solutions that the fire-fighting apparatuses fixedly fastened to the end of the boom can be used for the actual fire extinction only, whereby additional equipment is always required at the fire site. Such apparatuses cannot be utilized effectively because of their limitations. In the following, such prior art fire apparatus boom solutions are dealt with. DE 3 800 037 presents a fire-fighting apparatus arranged on a vehicle and comprising a telescopic extinction jet pipe that is fixedly fastened to the end of a lifting arm and that can be extended into a building for example through a window. A fine water jet can be sprayed to the interior of the building by means of nozzles in the jet pipe. Said apparatus can be used for fire extinction only and cannot be utilized in other types of fire and rescue services. Therefore, besides said apparatus, a vehicle with a tail lift for rescuing people and other rescue units for example for clearing the area must also be brought to the fire site. US 5 211 245 and 5 301 756 present a boom solution mounted on a fire-fighting vehicle and movable into advantageous fire-fighting positions, and fastened to the free end of the boom are a sharp jet pipe that can pene- trate a fuselage wall or the like, a nozzle for spraying a fire-fighting foam, and various devices for helping to control the apparatus. It is also a disadvantage of such apparatuses that they lack versatility and cannot be utilized effectively for different tasks. Mounting various operating units one by one on the end of the boom is time consuming, requires discrete fastening means and tools, and is not practical since dismounting the supplementary devices is also time consuming and, thus, the apparatus with the supplementary devices is not neces- sarily always ready for rescue operations. EP 228 363 also presents a fire-fighting apparatus for aircraft, the apparatus comprising a lifting arm arranged on an undercarriage, a covered operation cabin arranged on the free end of the lifting arm, a lightweight boom controllable from the cabin, and a spray nozzle arranged on the end of the boom for spraying a fire-fighting medium. GB 1 251 579, in turn, describes a boom structure arranged on a movable support, the boom structure comprising at the free end of the boom a fire-fighting medium delivery nozzle that can be adjusted and controlled by remote control. Furthermore, SE 337 329 pres- ents a spraying head body arranged to rotate at the end of the boom, the spraying head body comprising nozzles rotating along with the body in order to supply a fire-fighting medium. The object of the present invention is to provide a multipurpose flexibly usable boom apparatus that can replace several special apparatuses needed in fire and rescue uses and that can be operated by less personnel in an effective and versatile way. The boom apparatus of the invention is characterized in that the boom apparatus comprises at least one multipurpose element arranged on the free end of the boom, which multipurpose element comprises a body part in- eluding at least one duct, and a fan arranged in connection with the duct for providing an airflow through the duct, and means for supplying an operating medium to the airflow within the duct, that an adapter is arranged on the free end of the boom, which adapter comprises fastening elements for the fast coupling of changeable operation units, and connector elements for switching on the driving power and/or the operating medium required by the operation units. It is an essential idea of the invention that a lightweight multipurpose boom that is extendably movable in a variety of ways is fastened to a movable base such as a lorry, an all terrain vehicle or a movable base ar- ranged to be hauled by them is available for fire, rescue or other similar operations. It is a further idea that at least one multipurpose element is arranged on the free end of the boom, the multipurpose element comprising a body part including at least one duct and a fan arranged in connection with the duct. The fan provides an airflow through the duct. The multipurpose element further comprises means for supplying the desired operating medium to the duct. It is still a further idea of the invention that on the free end of the boom is arranged an adapter comprising fastening elements for fast coupling of various changeable operation units. The adapter further comprises connector elements for switching on the driving power and/or the operating medium required by the operation units. The essential idea of a preferred embodiment of the invention is that the apparatus comprises means enabling the use of the multipurpose element both as a fan and an exhauster. This allows the multipurpose element to be applied to both blowing different types of gases and other operating media and exhausting gases from the fire site. It is an advantage of the apparatus of the invention that it can be applied to various fire and rescue uses and to various preventive measures in a more versatile way than before. The blow of the multipurpose element enables the operating medium to be spread more efficiently and farther, for example more easily to the interior of a building. A longer operating medium range also means that the location of a chassis with respect to the site is not critical. The apparatus of the invention is in no way restricted to supplying water or aqueous solutions only, but it is also suitable for spreading all kinds of fire-fighting media, such as foam and powder. It is also possible to supply different types of liquid, powder and granular chemicals or the like for example in connection with chemical, gas and oil disasters. Further, the multipurpose element can be used at the fire site for effectively blowing various fire-fighting gases to the site of the fire and for also blowing fresh air in order to ventilate the site after the actual fire extinction. The apparatus can also be utilized for exhausting flue gases and toxic gases from the site and conducting the gases either through a filter or through a separate duct farther away from the actual operating site to enable work at the site to be continued. A fine water mist can also be used for preventing the toxic gases from spreading. It is a further advantage that different operation units, such as a rescue basket, a hydraulic gun, fire foam feeders and various tools can be mounted fast and easily to the adapter at the end of the boom. A simple way of attaching different operation units significantly increases the application area and the operational flexibility of the apparatus, whereby the apparatus can also be utilized in between the actual rescue operations. It is a further advantage that changing the operation units in between work performances and different operation stages is simple and fast. The operation units can be trans- ported to the operation site together with the chassis, whereby they can be changed at the operation site when the need arises so as to always have in use an apparatus that is as effective and safe as possible. It is a further advantage that the adapter and, correspondingly, the fastening elements of the operation unit can include connector elements that engage automatically or by a manual fast coupling while the operation unit is connected to the boom adapter, whereby hydraulic fluid, compressed air, electricity or some other form of energy or medium required by the operation unit can be supplied to the operation unit via the connector elements. It is yet an advantage that a crew of only a few persons is sufficient for the effective use of the apparatus and, thus, less personnel are required on the alert at rescue stations. An important advantage is achieved when the boom apparatus of the invention is connected to a lightweight and fast all terrain vehicle, whereby the combination can be used as a powerful leading car arriving first at the site of an accident. It is known that the first minutes are critical in fire and rescue operations. A leading car arriving at the site very fast is thus necessary. Such a leading car can operate independently at the operation site. The required operation units and the fire-fighting medium needed for the fire extinction are on the base. When water mist is used, the amount of water to be carried to the site does not need to be large. Said apparatus can be effectively used for rescuing people, for initial extinguishing and for clearing. When the situation is under control, fire-fighting can be continued by means of heavy equipment that has arrived at the site. The apparatus of the invention can also be effectively used for final extinguishing, ventilation and drying. The apparatus is also very well suitable for rescue operations in, for example, traffic accidents and industrial fires. The invention will be described in more detail in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 schematically shows an embodiment of a boom apparatus provided with a chassis according to the invention and seen from the rear of the chassis, Figure 2 is a schematic cross sectional side view of an embodiment of the multipurpose element of the invention, Figure 3 is a schematic front view of an embodiment of the boom apparatus of the invention, and Figure 4 schematically and by way of example shows some of the operation units that can be fastened to the adapter of the boom apparatus of the invention. Figure 1 schematically shows an embodiment of a boom apparatus provided with a chassis according to the invention and seen from the rear of the chassis. The apparatus comprises a boom 1 that is rotably fastened to a chassis 2, which chassis 2 is preferably a lightweight lorry suitable for all ter- rain mobility, an all terrain vehicle or a vehicle of the like. Further, for example a trailer arranged to be hauled by one of the above described vehicles can also be used as the chassis 2. Such a chassis 2 preferably comprises support elements 3 by means of which the chassis 2 is kept firmly in place on an uneven surface irrespective of the movements of the boom 1. In this presenta- tion, the boom 1 can also be referred to as an extension arm. The chassis 2 can further comprise facilities and means for transporting operation units 4 along with the chassis 2 to the operation site, or the operation units 4 can further be arranged on a separate vehicle or a trailer. In the figure, a rescue basket is given as an example of the operation unit 4. The chassis 2 preferably comprises means for remote controlling the boom 1 and the equipment connected thereto. The control can be performed by methods known per se. To assist the control, the end of the boom 1 can comprise sensors, TV cameras or other equipment facilitating the control of the equipment and the assessment of the situation. The boom 1 can be a solution applying techniques known per se and its structure is therefore not described in more detail in this context. It is, of course, advantageous if the boom 1 is as steady and extensive as possible with respect to its weight. It adds to the versatility and efficiency of the apparatus if the boom 1 can be rotated around the chassis 2 in a variety of ways, bent and telescopically elongated and shortened. The re- quired energy and medium can be supplied to the end of the boom 1 through conductors, hoses and the like connected to the boom 1 and being disposed inside the boom 1 or external constructions, and they may comprise the required flexible, pivoting, extensible and other means, known per se, that allow free movements of the boom 1 , the means not being presented in the figures for the sake of clarity. One multipurpose element 5 and an adapter 6 are arranged on the free end of the boom 1. The structure of the multipurpose element 5 is more clearly described in Figure 2. By means of the adapter 6, different operation units 4 can be connected to the boom 1 rapidly and simply, some of which being presented by way of example below in Figure 4. The multipurpose element 5 is normally a standard setup at the upper end of the boom 1 , whereby the apparatus is always ready for use. The multipurpose element 5 is placed in the boom 1 in such a way that it does not impede the use of the operation units 4 connected to the adapter 6. Further, the multipurpose element 5 is preferably so lightweight that the boom 1 can be elevated on an even surface without placing the support elements 3 on the ground, and the boom can be used even while the chassis 2 moves. Figure 2 is a schematic cross sectional side view of the structure of a multipurpose element 5. The multipurpose element 5 comprises a body part 7 with at least one duct 8 therein. A fan has been arranged in connection with the duct 8, the fan preferably being an axial-flow fan 9 that can be operated by means of a pressurized operating medium but also in some other manner, for example electrically. If required, the fan provides an air flow through the duct 8. The blast power of the axial-flow fan 9 can be adjusted as required by remote control for example by changing the speed of rotation or by affecting its blade angles. The multipurpose element 5 further comprises means for supplying an operating medium to the duct 8, the operating medium, if required, to be further carried by the air flow in the duct 8. When liquid substances are sprayed, nozzles 10 can be placed in connection with the axial-flow fan 9 as shown in the figure, or they can be placed for example in a ring-shaped nozzle body placed between the axial-flow fan 9 and an orifice 11 as shown in Figure 3. Referring to the latter case, in some cases, the operating medium to be sprayed can be carried sufficiently far without any need to use the fan. However, by using the fan the medium can be spread over a significantly longer range and it can be more efficiently forced to the seat of a fire. The multipur- pose element 5 further comprises the orifice 11 arranged at the blowing end of the duct 8. The cross-section of the orifice can be changed from round to oval in order to achieve an advantageous blow pattern. The orifice 11 is preferably made of a flexible material reshaped when pressed inwards from opposite sides and restored to its original shape when the pressure is released. The figure shows one way to change the shape the orifice 11. On the edge of the duct 8 at the blowing end, rotably pivoted rolls 12 are arranged, through which a cable wire 13 or the like is arranged at its one end in the body part 7, the other end of the cable 13 being connected to a power unit 14 so that by using the power unit 14 the cable wire 13 is made to tighten and the orifice 11 is made to change its shape. Naturally, the shape of the orifice 11 can also be changed in some other ways. The figure shows a strongly simplified version of the adapter 6. However, it comprises fastening and connector means whose structural solutions can be fully known per se and, the structure is therefore not dealt with in more detail in this context. It is essential that the operation units 4 can be con- nected in a fast and secure manner by means of fastening elements compatible with the adapter 6. It must be possible to connect the operation units 4 to the adapter 6 by a fast coupling principle, and so attaching separate fastening means is not required. This is important to the idea of the invention in order that the operation units 4 can be changed in a fast and simple way in between the operation stages. Connector elements enable hydraulic fluid, compressed air, electricity or some other form of energy or medium required by the operation unit 4 to be supplied to the operation unit 4 through pipes, hoses, cables and the like in connection with the boom 1. Figure 2 further shows connector means 15 for fastening a separate duct. The connector means 15 can be ar- ranged on both ends. Figure 3 is a schematic front view of an embodiment of the boom apparatus of the invention. In the solution according to the figure, two multipurpose elements 5 that can be controlled and used independently are arranged on the upper end of the boom 1. The multipurpose elements 5 are used for providing a suction effect either by changing the direction of rotation of the fan or by turning over the multipurpose element 5 with respect to an axle transverse to the longitudinal direction of the duct 8 by keeping the direction of rotation of the fan constant at the same time. The multipurpose elements 5 can be turned either simultaneously in the turning direction A, or each indi- vidually in direction B. It can be further detected from Figure 3 that a ring- shaped nozzle structure 16 exists between the orifice 11 and the axial-flow fan 9, the frame of the nozzle construction 16 comprising nozzles. Thus, even if the blow is not used, the duct 8 and the orifice 11 direct the supplied medium in an advantageous way. Elements for changing the shape of the orifice 11 are not presented. Figure 4 shows by way of example some of the operation units 4 that can be connected. The operation unit can be for example a winch 17, a camera 18 or a drilling apparatus 19. Naturally, various water spraying devices, such as a mist gun and spray-drill combinations can also come into question. It may also be necessary to arrange antennas, light fittings, loudspeakers and various pneumatic, hydraulic or electric tools in the boom 1. The drawings and the related description are only intended to illustrate the idea of the invention. The details of the invention can vary within the scope of the claims. Thus, the boom apparatus of the invention can also be arranged on a chassis not designed for road transportation, for example on a deck of a ship where it can be utilized in a variety of ways in fires on board, in averages and for example in oil destruction measures for spreading chemicals and absorption agents. An operating medium can thus be a fire-fighting medium containing mainly water, a suitable chemical, gas or some other medium needed at the operation site. Furthermore, instead of the axial fan arranged within the duct, a fan arranged outside the duct and connected to the duct by means of a side duct can be used. The body of the multipurpose element can comprise two adjacent parallel ducts, through which an airflow is provided by the same external fan. Furthermore, the multipurpose element duct can comprise suitably separate nozzles for liquid, granular and powdery media and separate nozzles for supplying gas.

Claims: CLAIMS: 1. A boom apparatus for fire and rescue use, which boom apparatus is arranged on a movable base, and which boom apparatus comprises a boom (1 ) that can be moved in a variety of ways and that can be preferably prolonged or shortened, and further, means at the free end of the boom (1) for supplying an operating medium to the object being treated, characterized in that the boom apparatus comprises at least one multipurpose element (5) arranged on the free end of the boom (1), which multipurpose element (5) comprises a body part (7) including at least one duct (8), and a fan arranged in connection with the duct (8) for providing an airflow through the duct (8), and means for supplying an operating medium to the airflow within the duct, that an adapter (6) is arranged on the free end of the boom (1), which adapter (6) comprises fastening elements for the fast coupling of various changeable operation units (4), and connector elements for switching on the driving power and/or the operating medium required by the operation units (4). 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim ^characterized in that the operating medium is mainly a fire-fighting medium containing mainly water. 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the multipurpose element (5) comprises an axial-flow fan (9) that is ar- ranged in the duct (8) and that operates by a pressurized fire-fighting medium. 4. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two multipurpose elements (5) are arranged on the free end of the boom (1), and that they are arranged to be controlled and used independently. 5. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the blow end of the multipurpose element (5) duct (8) are arranged an orifice (11) and means for changing the cross sectional shape of the orifice (11 ) in order to achieve an advantageous blow pattern. 6. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one end of the multipurpose element (5) duct (8) comprises connector means (15) for connecting a separate duct. 7. An apparatus as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the boom apparatus comprises means enabling the use of the multipurpose element (5) both as a fan and an exhauster, whereby it can be used for blowing different gases and fire-fighting media to the fire site and exhausting gases from the fire site. 8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the direction of rotation of the multipurpose element (5) fan can be changed. 9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that the multipurpose element (5) can be turned over with respect to an axle transverse to the longitudinal direction of the multipurpose element (5) duct (8) in order for it to be used either as a fan or an exhauster irrespective of the direction of rotation of the fan.

Inventors: RAAPPANA ESKO, RAAPPANA, ESKO
Applicants: RAAPPANA ESKO, RAAPPANA, ESKO
Application year: 1998
Main classification: A62C27
IPC codes: A62B1