Eugene Bourakov and Martti Vallila HeliBlanket LLC, California, USA

 Wildfire facts and statistics  Traditional firefighting techniques  The enabling technology: nano-modified incombustible material  HeliBlanket - proposed method for extinguishing large scale fires  Technological challenges of HeliBlanket  Summary 2 of 10

3 of 10  The wild fire is dangerous due to its rapid spread and ability to quickly cover vast areas.  Hot and dry weather with strong wind gusts turns wild fires into hazardous natural disasters.  Once a small fire begins, it can spread at a rate of up to 15 mph, consuming everything in its path.  For the decade the average number of wild fires in the United States was 78,550 effecting an area of about 7,000,000 acres and causing millions of dollars in damage annually.  According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) the average number of fire related deaths is about 4,000 each year.

4 of 10 Each side of the triangle represents one of the three ingredients of fire – heat, fuel, and oxygen. When there is not enough heat generated to sustain the process, when the fuel is exhausted, removed, or isolated, or when the oxygen supply is limited, then a side of the triangle is broken and the fire is suppressed.

5 of 10  Commonly used wildfire extinguishing techniques involve fire area localization to prevent fire spreading, and subsequent isolation to allow localized area to be burned out.  The most intense firefighting techniques are applied only when fires threaten residential areas, hazardous industrial facilities, and such.  Use of water is a common technique to extinguish fires by cooling them down. Also, when water is heated to its boiling point, it converts to water vapor which dilutes the oxygen in the air with water vapor. This oxygen removal can also be done with foam.

6 of 10  The fire blanket is a fabric (cloth) made of nano-modified carbon fiber with high strength-to-weight ratio incombustible material.  The properties of carbon fiber such as high tensile strength, low weight, and low thermal expansion make it popular in aerospace, civil engineering, and the military.  Carbon fiber heat resistance allows withstanding of temperatures up to several thousand degrees Celsius.  When woven into fabric from tiny filament yarn, carbon fiber can be considered as an “incombustible silk”.

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8  Delivery and unfolding techniques involving coordinated flight of several heavy helicopters  Stitching and folding techniques for large size fire blankets  Anchoring fire blanket to the ground  Attachment and release of fire blanket from helicopters  Fire blanket reusability  Delivery and unfolding techniques involving coordinated flight of several heavy helicopters  Stitching and folding techniques for large size fire blankets  Anchoring fire blanket to the ground  Attachment and release of fire blanket from helicopters  Fire blanket reusability 8 of 10

 Modern level of technology makes unconventional wild fire extinguishing techniques possible.  HeliBlanket is applicable to industrial and residential fire incidents.  HeliBlanket may also be employed as fire protection technique by covering important localized structures such as historical architectural buildings, industrial structures, nuclear power stations etc.  Russian Patent # issued on April 6, The US Patent pending.  Modern level of technology makes unconventional wild fire extinguishing techniques possible.  HeliBlanket is applicable to industrial and residential fire incidents.  HeliBlanket may also be employed as fire protection technique by covering important localized structures such as historical architectural buildings, industrial structures, nuclear power stations etc.  Russian Patent # issued on April 6, The US Patent pending. 9 of 10

Eugene Bourakov (831) Eugene Bourakov (831) of 10

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