Fire fighting water hoses could be replaced with electric wands
Add to My Stories What do you get when you cross Harry Potter with Red Adair?According to scientists at Harvard University, it could be the firefighter of tomorrow.Wands that shoot electricity into fires might largely extinguish the need for the trusty water hose, say the researchers. 
Researcher Ludovico Cademartiri believes firemen could use the wands in the future, allowing them to work from safer distances than their predecessors, such as famed oil-well fighter Paul Red Adair.The devices could also part flames, allowing the emergency services to enter burning buildings and trapped occupants to escape them.Other possibilities include electric ceiling sprinklers for use in buildings, primed to spark into action at the first sign of a fire.It is thought that an electric current makes the particles of soot in a flame move. This creates a flow of gas which weakens the flame and, if the current is large enough, can even make it die out. However, Dr Cademartiri suggested even a much weaker current than the one tested would have firefighting properties. He said his teams findings had shown that by applying large electric fields we can suppress flames very rapidly. He adde! d: Were very excited about the results of this relatively unexplored area of research. Dr Cademartiri told the conference that using electricity would cause less damage than covering properties and peoples possessions with water or foam.The research is in its early stages, and so the wands are still several years away from mass production.Even then, fire hoses would not be made redundant as the electrical technique is expected to work best in enclosed spaces. Traditional techniques would still be preferred for forest fires and other large blazes.
Old hat? Electric beams shot from hand-held wands could replace the fireman's hose, researchers believe The bright idea exploits a scientific phenomenon first noticed 200 years ago that electricity can affect the shape of flames, making them bend, twist, flicker and even die out.Scientists connected a 600-watt amplifier to a wizard-style wand and used it to shoot beams of electricity at a flame more than a foot high.The fire was snuffed out almost instantly, an American Chemical Society conference heard on Sunday.
Researcher Ludovico Cademartiri believes firemen could use the wands in the future, allowing them to work from safer distances than their predecessors, such as famed oil-well fighter Paul Red Adair.The devices could also part flames, allowing the emergency services to enter burning buildings and trapped occupants to escape them.Other possibilities include electric ceiling sprinklers for use in buildings, primed to spark into action at the first sign of a fire.It is thought that an electric current makes the particles of soot in a flame move. This creates a flow of gas which weakens the flame and, if the current is large enough, can even make it die out. However, Dr Cademartiri suggested even a much weaker current than the one tested would have firefighting properties. He said his teams findings had shown that by applying large electric fields we can suppress flames very rapidly. He adde! d: Were very excited about the results of this relatively unexplored area of research. Dr Cademartiri told the conference that using electricity would cause less damage than covering properties and peoples possessions with water or foam.The research is in its early stages, and so the wands are still several years away from mass production.Even then, fire hoses would not be made redundant as the electrical technique is expected to work best in enclosed spaces. Traditional techniques would still be preferred for forest fires and other large blazes.
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