Hear from some of the people that have used them!
Feedback from a true fire incident...
On July 18th, 2004 I was Engine Boss on Prescott Patrol 71, a Type 6 wildland engine as a part of a Strike Team. We were
working on the Foothill Fire in Santa Clarita California. On that afternoon we were sent into the Fairoaks Subdivision
for structure protection as the fire was making rapid progress though the brush and sizeable runs up canyons and drainages.
The Fairoaks subdivision lay adjacent to a heavily fueled canyon. The Strike Team was deployed to the structures along the canyon’s
edge to begin triage. Engines placed themselves every four or five houses, with Patrol 71 located at a house sitting on a
drainage that led down into the canyon. This seemed a likely breach point into the community, as the fire would make its
run up that drainage.
The time available for evaluation and implementation before the flame front hit was only ten to fifteen minutes. Based on
several prior days of extreme fire behavior, it seemed likely that we would have to pull out at some point. Establishing a
protection system we could leave behind seemed a wise option. A swimming pool located in the backyard was used as a water source
with a Mini-Striker pumping to a series of Monsoon sprinklers.
The time frames involved allowed us to assemble four sprinklers, but only establish water to two of them before the fire made
its run to our position. Those two sprinklers were directly behind our first structure. Our intent had been to establish the
next two sprinklers at the house next door. The fire’s run up the canyon and our drainage forced us to fall back to a position
between the pool and the house, where the engineer had placed a 1.75” hoseline.
The whole flame front event lasted less than five minutes. Flames lengths were 20-30 foot. Behind the first home, the flames
fell 10-20 foot short of contacting the home itself. The adjacent home without sprinklers had direct flame impingement that we
were only able to mitigate using the 1.75” line. My firefighter and I attributed the decreased fire behavior at the first home
to the presence of the two Monsoon sprinklers. With just a few minutes of lead-time, the sprinklers were able to make
a huge difference.
In eleven years of wildland firefighting, this was the most intense flame front I have found myself in front of.
Witnessing the impact of the Monsoon sprinklers made me a believer in the effectiveness of sprinkler systems and the use
of structure protection trailers. Used in conjunction with a portable pump and a static water supply, I finally believe
that sprinklers can increase the likelihood of a structure surviving a flame front in the event that the engine company
has to withdraw from the area.
E. Conrad Jackson
Firefighter, Engine Boss, Prescott Fire Department
The monsoon structure protection sprinklers are durable, easy to use, and very effective. The two structure
protection kits (10 sprinklers) that we carry on our type 3 engine have proven to be a very useful and effective
tool for saving structures from wildfire."
Ted H., Engine Captain
Blacktimber Wildland Services
Guys,
I just want to let you know how impressed I am with these sprinklers. Seeing is believing! I knew they were a stong
unit before I bought them, but now that I have them I'm really impressed. Anyway, I now have them set up around my
cabin and know that these are going to be key to saving my place in the event of a wildfire (or should I say when
we get a fire). They were a piece of cake to set up too. When I tested my system, not only did I I get complete
coverage on my property, I also watered my neighbors' houses! Thanks for everything.
Matt F., Resident - Groom Creek, AZ
Posted on a message board regarding a fire project in Alberta...
I just came across your sprinkler project and thought that I'd add information on a product from the US that
I have used with success. Advanced Fire Technologies [www.aftmonsoon.com] has a line of specialized
sprinklers for structure protection. They are relatively expensive, but they work. One of their models is set up on
"spider legs" so you can either place it on the ground or on an up to 12 pitch roof. The sprinklers are built using
46cm nipples that you can add to to get the height you need dependent on fuel height (I've used them built up to 2
meters). My preference is to put one on the roof and one at each corner on the ground to get maximum coverage.
Bob M., BLM