Investors
Investors: Supporting Materials
Assessment of Facts and Benefits of the The Mobile Monitor™
Accurate initial assessment and a managed initial attack is critical, but all the fire training in the world cannot help assess what cannot be seen and what cannot be known.
There are situations today that make firefighting more dangerous than ever as the urban infrastructure of the United States ages and declines, the threat of terrorism both here and abroad remains in the headlines and regulations have been put in place that will hold managers and supervisors PERSONALLY liable for the well-being of the men and women which they send into hazardous conditions.
In this day and age, it makes no sense to send humans onto the front-line of a hazardous attempt to suppress fire if there is any other logical choice. We believe that the timing is excellent for the introduction of the Mobile Monitor and it will change the way this nation and others assess risk and manage the dangerous situations that can end lives or careers in an instant.
Industry Equations - The Economics of Managing Fire
The total cost of fire in the United States is a combination of the losses caused by fire itself, and the money spent to prevent even worse losses. Billions of dollars are spent annually at all levels including funding for diligent prevention, detecting fire quickly, containing it, and then attempting to suppress fire safely and effectively. These fire related losses account for approximately *2.5% of the Gross National Product (or approximately $278 billion dollars. These figures include the following:
- Property Loss $11.7 billion
- Net Cost of Insurance Coverage $16.2 billion
- Cost of Fire Departments $28.3 billion
- Building costs for fire protection $41.3 billion
- Monetary Value of Donated Time from volunteer Firefighters $52-99 billion
- Monetary Equivalent for Deaths and Injuries due to Fire $41.9 billion
*Statistics for 2004 courtesy of The US Fire Administration
What NFPA has to say about the Economics of Fire
From the Conclusion of NFPA Fire Loss Report for 2008:...the conclusion that fire has a tremendous impact on the way the U.S. uses its scarce resources is indisputable.
It also is clear that we have a dual interest in reducing U.S. fire losses – which include human losses that are among the highest per capita in the industrial world – and in seeking ways to achieve equivalent fire safety at lower costs, since the growth in total cost of fire has been led not by the fire losses but by the other cost components.
This provides a clear indication of need for product innovations or other programs (e.g., educational) that can improve fire safety at the same or lower costs. It also shows the need for improved methods (e.g., models) for calculating fire performance and costs, so the implications of different choices can be considered and judged more comprehensively.
FireDrake Epilogue to NFPA Report
After attending the nation’s largest fire training and safety trade show in Indianapolis, it is apparent that the Mobile Monitor’sä mission statement is in line with what the NFPA reports are demanding. Better innovation to improve safety, put fires out quickly and reduce the human casualties.
When a firefighter dies, there are far reaching consequences to that loss. If you look at a spiral graph like this one, you can see the impact is tragic. We need to make fighting a fire less dangerous by putting equipment on the front-line, attack the fire with quick mobility and control it before anyone can be hurt or killed.
In Iraq, remote controlled vehicles roam stretches of empty road in front of our military’s convoy to ensure that roadside bombs and car bombs are not a threat to our soldiers, why aren’t we treating our firefighters in exactly the same manner? Why does a firefighter, who like a soldier is fighting against something that is highly unpredictable and has factors relating to it where the human mind could not ascertain the true risk of the situation?
The Mobile Monitor is to firefighters what the remote controlled bomb-sweeping vehicle is to the Military or what the remote control unit is to the Bomb Squad in a police force. It is a tool that saves human lives and prevents property loss because of the ability to deploy quickly and give the firefighters a safe distance away from the fire or other hazardous situation.
Tactics - Typical approach to fighting fire
Major suppression efforts involving flammable fuels are typically managed by multiple large teams of firefighters advancing into the direct fire area to secure fuel sources.
Remote application of fire and chemical suppressant material is the safest way to attack and suppress fires and hazardous material incidents. For now, there are few things that put distance between the firefighter and the hazardous conditions unless the fire can be attacked from the air.
The current methods for ground attack, with the exception of a fixed deluge system, involve firefighters and/or HAZMAT personnel going into harm’s way to place master stream devices that deliver fire suppressants.
The primary threats include burns, asphyxiation, injuries received from BLEVE (boiling liquid expanding vapor explosions), and exposure to poisonous fumes, gas or debris. All are potentially life ending or career ending situations, not to mention expensive to all of those interested parties not directly involved.
The Mobile Monitor will create a much more significant safety zone for firefighters and other First Responders by producing a major increase in the standoff distance for front-line personnel, thereby reducing the risk of injuries and deaths.
The Product - Quick Recap of Description and Function
The Mobile Monitor (MM) prototype is a remotely controlled device that closely resembles an M-1 Abram’s battle tank. It is a tracked or wheeled vehicle that has a main turret housing a monitor-style combination nozzle that is precisely controlled for azimuth, elevation, and spray pattern. In the basic prototype design it has options such as various GPM (gallons per minute) ratings and is designed for ease of operation. It is able to load and unload itself from a transport vehicle and also optional components that can change its primary function depending upon customer requirements. All components are chosen for durability and are considered off-the-shelf items for ease of manufacturing.
The nozzle, a field proven design manufactured by Elkhart Brass, is mounted on an electrically driven chassis that can be fitted with either tracks or tires and is capable of pulling 2 ½ “ fire hose approximately 1000 feet as detailed in the Dynamic Test Report 4-25-08, attached.
Made from mostly conventional metals it is rugged and reliable and able to put up its own protective water curtain for protection from an intense heat source and provides a master suppression stream as the situation requires and has advanced repositioning capability as needed. The electronics and optional optics housed in the unit are hermetically sealed to ensure function even under the worst of circumstances.
The Mobile Monitor is capable of applying water, firefighting foam, Thermo-Gel and other chemicals and fluids. Some available options will include visual and/or thermal (infra-red) cameras that will provide a live feed to a monitor at the operator’s position. Other sensors and chemical “sniffers” can be mounted and removed rapidly for expanded use in haz-mat situations, and a hydro-generator can be attached quickly to the main inlet port to maintain battery charge when applying fire suppression fluids for extended periods of time. This remote control platform may also be used for such things as mobile lighting and other military tasks yet to be identified. The Mobile Monitormay also be used for recon (reconnaissance) and mass decon (decontamination) in a haz-mat event. It may be fitted with a self-contained tank for chemicals of all kinds and other uses include remote washing of hazardous or contaminated environments, nuclear decommissioning operations, or other confined area operations. It is uniquely important when structural collapse is a danger or there is another uncontrolled source of heat that would endanger human lives.
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© 2011 Firedrake Industries, LLC.