Fire-Brake foam
1993
additive that turns water into fire-fighting foam
The debut for Canadian chemist Ted Schaefer's fire-fighting chemical was during Sydney's bushfire emergency in the summer of 1993/94 - much earlier than expected. 3M Specialty Chemical Products factory at St Marys in Sydney was suddenly cranking out tonnes of Fire-Brake months ahead of schedule, to deal with the devastating bushfires of that summer.
Schaefer began working on the chemical for 3M in Canada, where forest fires destroy 50% of commercial timber production each year. He transferred to Australia in the late 1980s to complete the work and make the product suitable for Australian conditions.
When one part of Fire-Brake is added to 99 parts of water it makes a foam that slows evaporation and increases the dowsing or smothering effect of the water by five times. This saves property and increases the effectiveness of bushfire tankers.
Fire-Brake was so successful that demand in Australia, New Zealand and Canada skyrocketed.
Who Did It?
Key Organisations
3M Specialty Chemical Products : all aspects of innovation
Key People
Ted Schaefer : chemist/inventor
Further Reading
'Stay in Touch',
Ed David Dale & Malcolm Knox,
Sydney Morning Herald, 31 July 1996
Links
3M
Australia - fire fighting
NSW Fire Brigades
NSW Rural Fire Service
NSW State Emergency Service
Related Innovations
Passport Security
|
