Patent Publication Number: US-2015075820-A1

Title: Portable firefighting agent delivery system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is related to and claims priority from earlier filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/834,193, filed Jun. 12, 2013. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a portable firefighting nozzle for delivering firefighting materials into subsurface areas. More specifically, the present invention relates to an extendable nozzle system for penetrating through layers of stored materials, debris or structures to deliver the firefighting materials into subsurface voids. 
     Various types and sizes of piercing or penetrating nozzles have been developed to permit firefighters to extinguish hidden fires, such as those that may be present behind or in a barrier, such as the walls of a building, or in piles of combustible material such as coal, sawdust or the like. Some of these devices were nothing more than lengths of pipe to which a fire hose could be attached, or were more elaborate structures which included hardened tips that could be driven through a barrier to reach the site of a hidden fire by striking the device with a sledge hammer or the like. 
     While such devices have performed their intended function with varying degrees of success, most of them have suffered from the disadvantage of not being substantially instantly available for use by the attack firefighters when needed, due to their size and/or the necessity for removing the attack nozzle from its hose line in order to connect the barrier or wall piercing device to the hose line. In other words, so far as is known, most of the devices heretofore developed for extinguishing hidden fires could not be brought into operation without substantial loss of time or shutting down an active fire hose line to permit removal of the attack nozzle and substitution of the wall piercing device therefor. 
     Extinguishing fires in hidden spaces, while being essential to prevent recurrence after the primary fire has been put out, has heretofore been a time consuming and highly destructive task. This was due to the fact that the extinguishment of hidden fires usually involved the use of hooks, axes, pike poles and the like, to pry or tear away surface materials in order to expose the hidden fire and permit the firefighters to extinguish the same. This technique was also hazardous to the firefighters at the scene. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for a novel and improved fire extinguishing device that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages and objections of the prior art devices. There is a further need for a novel firefighting device which, in addition to its primary function of piercing a barrier can be employed in digging through bulk material for extinguishing fires hidden thereby or therein. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In this regard, the present invention provides an extendible firefighting nozzle and supply mechanism for use in penetrating materials and debris for fighting concealed fires in, for example, coal supply, bulk wood chip and combustible grain silo fire incidents. The system includes three primary components to deliver firefighting foam, water and/or inert gas to the fire area. The components include a distribution manifold, a sectional delivery piping extension and interchangeable spray nozzles that are tailored to the specific need. 
     The manifold is a length of piping having handles for the operator to grip and reliably use the system. The handles allow one or two man operation an allow use in a battering ram operation to drive the system through obstacles and into the combustion area. At the rear of the manifold a hammer cap is provided that allows the user to employ a sledge hammer or impact driver to assist in driving the system into the debris pile or fire area. Further, the manifold includes at least one NST fire hose adapter with a flow control valve to allow introduction of foam, water or fogging materials to the system via the manifold. 
     The manifold includes an output end that interfaces with a nozzle of any number of extension pipes. The interface is modular and threaded using NPTM threading to allow extensions to be added or removed depending on the depth of penetration required. Preferably the extensions are formed using high strength steel piping selected based on the design from Schedule 40, 80 and/or 120 pipe or heavier as needed. 
     The nozzles are designed for various specific purposes. A breaching and breaking nozzle is designed for penetration of structures walls and debris piles. While digging nozzles are designed to penetrate bulk material piles. The nozzles include various features such as flutes and forward directed ports that allow the use of high pressure water to aid in hydraulic boring to further assist and enhance penetration. Then water or other fire suppression agents can be delivered by adjusting various delivery flows at the manifold. The nozzles are interchangeable and can be tailored to suit the hazard being dealt with. 
     A further feature of the system is the provision of a retrieval chain secured to the hammer cap for easy of removing the unit from a pile or silo. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved fire extinguishing device that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages and objections of the prior art devices. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel firefighting device which, in addition to its primary function of piercing a barrier can be employed in digging through bulk material for extinguishing fires hidden thereby or therein. 
     These together with other objects of the invention, along with various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       [ 14 ] In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention: 
         FIGS. 1 and 2  are perspective views of the manifold of the firefighting system of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 3 and 4  are perspective views of the extension members for use with the manifold; and 
         FIGS. 5-9  are depictions of various nozzles for use with the system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Now referring to the drawings, the firefighting agent delivery system is shown and generally illustrated in the figures. As can be seen the principal components of the system include a distribution manifold, a sectional delivery piping extension and interchangeable spray nozzles that are tailored to the specific need. These three components combine to provide an extendible firefighting nozzle and supply mechanism for use in penetrating materials and debris for fighting concealed fires in, for example, coal supply, bulk wood chip and combustible grain silo fire incidents. The system can be used to deliver firefighting foam, water and/or inert gas to the fire area. The components 
     Turning to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the manifold  10  is a length of piping  12  having at least one handle  14  for the operator to grip and reliably use the system. Preferably there are two or more handles  14  positioned about the manifold  10 . The handles allow one or two man operation of the agent delivery system thereby making it easier to manage when in use. Further the handles  14  allow use in a battering ram operation to drive the system through obstacles and into the combustion area. At the rear of the manifold  10 , a hammer cap  16  is provided that allows the user to employ a sledge hammer or impact driver to assist in driving the system into the debris pile or fire area. Further, the manifold  10  can be seen to include at least two standardized fire hose adapters  18  with flow control valves  20  to allow introduction of foam, water, fogging materials and combinations thereof into the system via the manifold  10 . 
     A further feature of the system is the provision of a retrieval chain  22  secured to the hammer cap  16  for easy of removing the unit from a pile or silo. 
     As can be seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the manifold  10  includes an output end  24  that interfaces with a nozzle and any number of extension pipes  26 . The output end  24  is modular and threaded using standardized NPTM threading to allow extension pipes  26  to be added or removed depending on the depth of penetration required. Preferably the extensions are formed using high strength steel piping selected based on the design from Schedule 40, 80 and/or 120 pipe, or heavier as needed. 
     Turning to  FIGS. 5-9  there are a variety of nozzles  28   a, b, c, d  and  e , that are configured to be received at the output end of the manifold or at the end of one or more extension tubes. The nozzles are designed for various specific purposes such as breaching, breaking, boring, digging, penetrating and forward projections of penetrating water streams. A breaching and breaking nozzle  28   a,    28   c  and  28   e  is designed for penetration of structures walls and debris piles. While digging nozzles  28   b  and  28   d  are designed to penetrate bulk material piles. The nozzles include various features such as flutes  29  and forward directed ports  30  that allow the use of high pressure water to aid in hydraulic boring to further assist and enhance penetration. Then water or other fire suppression agents can be delivered by adjusting various delivery flows at the manifold. The nozzles are interchangeable and can be tailored to suit the hazard being dealt with. 
     The system is completely interchangeable and extendable, piercing type, low pressure/high flow jetting and agent application system. We have developed and customized this multi-use and versatile product line unlike any other equipment on the market today. By combining our team&#39;s vast experience in the emergency response, industrial and military markets with our engineering and design team, we are able to address any customer concern or need requiring this equipment. 
     Since this is a complete system, the added advantage of the multiple uses of this system is the adaptability to many other industries with the interchangeability of components that are built into each and every device. All of the manually operated 1-½″ components are interchangeable. As a result the device provides a variety of different manual tools for use in the fire service, public works, marine construction, well point insertion, recycling and coal storage industries and so on. The system specifications vary in size from ¾″ for manual wildland firefighting operations up to 4″ (or larger) for equipment mounted boring operations for bulk landfill, recycling and utility applications. For example; the system meets firefighter forcible entry needs, meets ARFF requirements of today&#39;s modern air freight carriers, can be used for coal storage sub-surface injection needs facilitates entry into overland or sea bound shipping containers on a freighter or for interior fire attack conditions on hazardous lightweight truss roof construction. 
     Coincidentally, these same fire protection products have found use in other niche industries that may use low pressure/high volume water jetting, drill well points or provide marine dock construction, utility connections and various dewatering operations and site work for construction, municipal and recycling center sites 
     It can therefore be seen that the present invention provides a novel and improved fire extinguishing device that overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages and objections of the prior art devices. Further, the present invention provides a novel firefighting device which, in addition to its primary function of piercing a barrier can be employed in digging through bulk material for extinguishing fires hidden thereby or therein. For these reasons, the instant invention is believed to represent a significant advancement in the art, which has substantial commercial merit. 
     While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.