A suspension and control head apparatus for an aerial firefighting bucket comprising: a rigid frame member having an upper cargo attachment portion that is removably connectable to a cargo hook of a hover capable aircraft, the frame member including lower spaced apart cable attachment portions that are removably connectable to support cables that support the bucket; the frame member defining bilateral opposite sides, one side being a solenoid side and the opposite side being a reel side; a solenoid mounted on the solenoid side, the solenoid being coupled to an electrical source and a switch that energizes and deenergizes the solenoid; a spring-loaded reel rotatably mounted on the reel side, the reel having wound thereon a cable when the reel is in a relaxed or nearly relaxed state, the cable having a stop member, wherein the solenoid and the reel are adjacent to each other on the opposite sides; a latch that interferes with the stop member when the latch is in a latched position and the latch being moveable to a released position in which the latch releases the stop member; a linkage that communicates from the solenoid side to the reel side, the linkage on the solenoid side being connected to the solenoid, the linkage on the reel side being connected to the latch, and the solenoid being operable to release the latch to be moved to the released position when the solenoid is energized; and wherein with the stop member being released, the cable may be unwound from the reel against the spring bias of the reel with application of a downward force on the cable.
A valve mountable to a bottom of a container around an opening, such as an aerial firefighting bucket, and has a hub and telescoping arms extending radially from the hub. The telescoping arms are connected to the hub and to the bottom of the container. Hence, they radiate from the hub to a periphery around the opening. The hub may be raised and lowered with respect to the opening. When raised the telescoping arms extend and when lowered the telescoping arms contract. A valve flap is connected to the telescoping arms and covers the opening when the hub is lowered to inhibit liquid flow out of the opening and exposes part of the opening as the hub is raised to allow liquid to flow past the valve flap.
F16K 1/00 - Lift valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces
B64D 1/16 - Dropping or releasing powdered, liquid or gaseous matter, e.g. for fire-fighting
An aerial firefighting bucket assembly supported by a harness and includes an open bucket body with a bottom having an opening. A flexible tubular dump valve extends from the opening and has a free end defining a discharge port with a sealing lip defining two opposite lip portions. Pulleys or other roller mechanisms are mounted on one or the other of the lip portions, and end stops are mounted to the opposite lip portion such that each pulley faces an end stop. Flexible support lines from a control mechanism each pass through one pulley and terminate on the corresponding end stop. The lines when tensioned are drawn through the pulley and draw the corresponding end stop towards the pulley to bring the lip portions into sealing contact. The lines when slackened allow the lip portions to be forced apart for dumping water from the bucket.
B64D 1/16 - Dropping or releasing powdered, liquid or gaseous matter, e.g. for fire-fighting
A62C 3/02 - Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places for area conflagrations, e.g. forest fires, subterranean fires
F16K 7/00 - Diaphragm cut-off apparatus, e.g. with a member deformed, but not moved bodily, to close the passage
F16K 13/00 - Other constructional types of cut-off apparatusArrangements for cutting-off
A collapsible containment berm having a floor and a peripheral sidewall, a plurality of brace assemblies integrally carried on an external surface of the sidewall and on an adjacent underside surface of the floor, each brace assembly comprising a rigid sidewall support member connected to the external surface of the sidewall and oriented upright when deployed, a rigid buttress member having a first end and an opposite second end, and hingedly connected to an upper end of the sidewall support member that allows the buttress member to arc toward or away from the sidewall, a rigid floor member hingedly connected at the third end to the other end of the buttress member, and a sleeve connected to the underside of the floor and adapted to receive the floor member. The floor member slides in and out of the sleeve and moves the buttress member in and out of a bracing position with respect to the sidewall.
A filter apparatus for treating hydrocarbon contaminated water comprising a housing defining an internal cavity and having an inlet and an outlet; a separating member that separates the internal cavity into a first treatment zone and a second treatment zone, wherein the first treatment zone is in fluid communication with the inlet and the second treatment zone is in fluid communication with the outlet, the separating member having one or more holes therethrough for fluid flow from the first treatment zone to the second treatment zone; at least one distribution tube within the second treatment zone having an end enclosing at least one of the holes to accept liquid flowing through the hole, the distribution tube further having perforations along its length for distributing liquid into the second treatment zone; a filtration barrier within the first treatment zone for removing particulate matter from the liquid flowing therethrough; and a particulate filtration media within the second treatment zone, surrounding the distribution tube, comprising at least one polymer for removing hydrocarbons from the water flowing through the second treatment zone prior to exiting the outlet.
An overfill indicator for a flexible collapsible liquid storage tank made of a liquid impervious fabric and having a floor and a top wall with a vent therein, the overfill indicator comprising a connector portion adapted to removably connecting to the vent of the tank, an indicator movably mounted to the connector portion, the indicator being moveable between a resting position and a visually noticeable alert position, a base portion located on the inside of the tank and on the floor thereof and aligned with the vent, and a linkage connecting the base to the indicator such that the indicator is moved from the resting position to the alert position as the top wall of the tank reaches a threshold distance from the floor as the tank is filled with liquid, wherein said threshold distance coincides with the tank having reached a desired liquid capacity.
7.
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DISPENSING INCENDIARY SPHERES
An apparatus for dispensing incendiary spheres comprising a hopper operable to store discrete unitary unprimed spheres; a feed mechanism cooperating with the hopper to extract unprimed spheres from the hopper; a rotary sphere delivery mechanism rotating in a first direction and having at least one pocket defined therein, the at least one pocket being adapted to capture a sphere, wherein the feed mechanism cooperates with the rotary sphere delivery mechanism to load an unprimed sphere into the at least one pocket; a rotary injector mechanism rotating in an opposing second direction and having at least one injector needle, wherein the rotary injector mechanism and the rotary sphere delivery mechanism are synchronized such that the at least one injector needle pierces an unprimed sphere within the at least one pocket as the at least one pocket and the at least one injector needle rotate past each other; a source of reactant in fluid communication with the at least one injector needle, wherein the rotary injector mechanism delivers an amount of reactant to the at least one injector upon the at least one injector piercing the sphere to start a delayed exothermic reaction within the sphere thereby priming the sphere; and a motor to drive the rotary sphere delivery mechanism and the rotary injector mechanism.
B64D 1/00 - Dropping, ejecting, releasing or receiving articles, liquids, or the like, in flight
A62C 3/02 - Fire prevention, containment or extinguishing specially adapted for particular objects or places for area conflagrations, e.g. forest fires, subterranean fires
B64D 1/04 - Dropping, ejecting, or releasing articles the articles being explosive, e.g. bombs
Valves having an inner assembly comprising: a base plate spaced apart from a top plate to define therebetween an open side, the base plate defining an outlet; an outer assembly comprising solid side walls and being movable relative to the inner assembly between open and closed positions, an upper portion of the solid side walls seal with the top plate only when the outer assembly is in the closed position, a lower portion of the solid side walls seal with the base plate only when the outer assembly is in the closed position, wherein the open position allows flow through the valve via the open side portion and the outlet of the outer assembly; and an actuator mounted to the inner assembly and connected to the outer assembly to move the outer assembly between the open and closed positions in response to electrical control signals.
F16K 1/00 - Lift valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces
B64D 1/16 - Dropping or releasing powdered, liquid or gaseous matter, e.g. for fire-fighting
B66C 3/00 - Load-engaging elements or devices attached to lifting or lowering gear of cranes or adapted for connection therewith and intended primarily for transmitting lifting forces to loose materialsGrabs
F16K 1/32 - Lift valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces Details
F16K 3/02 - Gate valves or sliding valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closing members having a sliding movement along the seat for opening and closing with flat sealing facesPackings therefor
F16K 31/04 - Operating meansReleasing devices electricOperating meansReleasing devices magnetic using a motor
F16K 39/02 - Devices for relieving the pressure on the sealing faces for lift valves
9.
FLEXIBLE LIQUID TRANSPORT TANK WITH SURGE DAMPENING BAFFLES
Flexible tanks for transporting liquids comprising a flexible bladder to contain liquid, several transverse surge dampening baffles inside the bladder, each baffle comprising several flexible panels, each having a base connected to the inside of the bladder and aligned along a plane transverse to the bladder and an unsupported terminal end opposite the base and adapted to converge with the unsupported portions of adjacent panels in a manner that defines a barrier to fluid flow across the transverse baffle when the bladder is filled; and a connector for interconnecting the terminal ends of the panels. There may be provided a flexible outer bladder of an abrasion resistant material that is adapted to removably receive the inner bladder. There may be provided longitudinal baffles situated between adjacent transverse baffles that define longitudinal compartments with restricted fluid flow there between for dampening lateral fluid surges.
An apparatus and method for launching incendiary projectiles is provided. The apparatus includes a support adapted to being mounted to a vehicle, a pneumatic launcher connected to the support and operable to launch a projectile that has been delivered to the launcher, a gas delivery system operable to deliver a volume of pressurized gas to the launcher for launching the projectile, a projectile delivery system operable to deliver projectiles to the launcher, an injector cooperating operable to receive projectiles from the projectile delivery system and to inject the projectiles with an amount of reactant suitable to produce a delayed exothermic reaction with the incendiary material to prime the projectile, and thereafter convey the primed projectile to the launcher; and a controller operable to operable to regulate the launching of the projectiles.
F42B 12/44 - Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect for dispensing materialsProjectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect for producing chemical or physical reactionProjectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect for signalling of incendiary type
F23G 7/10 - Methods or apparatus, e.g. incinerators, specially adapted for combustion of specific waste or low grade fuels, e.g. chemicals of field or garden waste
13.
APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DISPENSING INCENDIARY PROJECTILES
An apparatus and method for dispensing incendiary projectiles is provided. The apparatus includes an injector for injecting the projectiles with a reactant at a dispensing rate, and a controller operable to control the dispensing rate. The controller is operable to control solenoids of a dispenser gate and a shuttle motor, and to prevent jam conditions of the apparatus. The apparatus can detect and automatically correct jam conditions that do occur. The apparatus can count the number of incendiary projectiles dispensed during a current operation and during the lifetime of the apparatus. The apparatus is dimensioned to minimize the number of incendiary projectiles purged from the apparatus after an operator has indicated to stop dispensing.
F42B 12/02 - Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect
F42B 12/44 - Projectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect for dispensing materialsProjectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect for producing chemical or physical reactionProjectiles, missiles or mines characterised by the warhead, the intended effect, or the material characterised by the warhead or the intended effect for signalling of incendiary type
F42B 33/04 - Fitting or extracting primers in or from fuzes or charges
F42C 15/38 - Arming-means in fuzesSafety means for preventing premature detonation of fuzes or charges wherein arming is effected by chemical action
