Education and demonstration – Occupation – Fire fighting
Patent
1999-09-21
2000-12-05
Rimell, Sam
Education and demonstration
Occupation
Fire fighting
496178, 40406, 40428, G09B 1900
Patent
active
061558370
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a flame simulator for use in fire drills, smoke rescue and breathing apparatus training, and readiness exercises.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
More and more workplaces are being required by the authorities to have emergency teams available at all times with a view toward maintenance of health, milieu and security (HMS). These stand-by units must have training and practice, and increasingly tight restrictions on the discharge of contaminating substances into the environment limits the opportunities for realistic fire drills, as permission is no longer granted to the same extent as previously to ignite a fire and cause pollution with smoke discharge. Consequently, the pedagogical value of a fire drill is often diminished due to a lack of realism, when fire-fighting or evacuation training must be theoretical, out of consideration for fire and explosion risks and insufficient smoke discharge permits, or due to the fact that training must take place in locations other than the workplace--a factor reducing the value of the exercise.
Thus, there is a clear need for new pedagogical material for fire drills which will permit tactical fire drills to be conducted at the relevant workplace under safe and nonpolluting conditions, using appropriate communications and extinguishing agents.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The goal of the present invention is to provide a simulator for use during these types of exercises.
This is achieved according to the present invention with the aid of a device for simulation of fire for use during fire drills and similar exercises, comprising one or more chambers, each of which is connected to one or more tubular tongue-shaped members, hereafter referred to as "air tubes," made of a flexible, preferably substantially gas-tight fabric, wherein the air tubes may be supplied with air through the chamber to which they are connected, and wherein means are provided on the device to cause the air tubes to swing from side to side.
By using the device according to the present invention, it is possible to practice fire-extinguishing and evacuation drills with harmless, cool and fluorescent flame-simulating fabric tubes which will move as realistically as possible like tongues of fire, are capable of discharging smoke, and may be "extinguished" and "reignited" like real flames.
The present device may be transported in a packed state and is positioned at a place where it is desired to indicate that a fire is burning during a fire drill, for example, to show that a door, corridor, or similar opening is blocked by flames; this provides an entirely different degree of realism than hanging a note or sign on the wall with the inscription "fire. "
U.S. Pat. No. 2,561,016 shows an inflatable sign having a ballast chamber at the bottom thereof for temporary signalling in connection with road work, etc. When this sign is inflated, however, it stands stationary and cannot give the illusion of flames.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,824,388 and 3,180,043 describe devices where a plurality of streamers made of a flexible material are secured at one end thereof, and where air is blown up from underneath to cause the streamers to be blown upwards and to flap in the air stream, thereby giving a convincing representation of flames. The "flames" created here, however, will be very sensitive to wind and will require the supply of a relatively large quantity of air in order to produce sufficiently large "flames." For the same reason, they will not tolerate extinguishing agents.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described with the aid of the attached figures, wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a lateral view of the embodiment of the present device,
FIG. 2 shows a transected bird's eye view of the device shown in FIG. 1, and
FIG. 3 shows the section A--A in FIG. 2,
FIG. 4 shows a bird's eye view of an alternative embodiment,
FIG. 5 shows a transected bird's eye view of the base member for the embodiment according to FIG. 4, and
FIG. 6 shows a transected, l
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patent: 3742189 (1973-06-01), Conroy et al.
patent: 4965707 (1990-10-01), Butterfield
patent: 5186675 (1993-02-01), Stoddard
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