Fire brigade training facility

• US 20030121672A1
• Filed: 11/12/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Armin Spaniol, George Aslanian, Jakob Spiegel, Richard Bell, Robert Giguere, Sasha Honsl
• Original Assignee: Armin Spaniol, George Aslanian, Jakob Spiegel, Richard Bell, Robert Giguere, Sasha Honsl
• Inventors: Bell, Richard, Spaniol, Armin, Giguere, Robert, Aslanian, George, Honsl, Sasha, Spiegel, Jakob
• Application Number:
  US10/181,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20030121672A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 169/5
• CPC Class Codes: A62C 99/0081 Training methods or equipment for fire-fighting

Abstract

The invention relates to a fire drill and training facility with at least one fire room in which at least one simulation fire, in particular for an item of furniture, an installed object, a piece of equipment or the like is arranged, with a flame generation device actively connected to at least the simulation fire, a smoke generation device with at least one outlet in the fire room, a ventilation device at least for the fire room, an emergency shutdown device at least for the flame generation device and smoke generation device, a parameter determination means and a control and evaluation device actively connected to the flame generation device, smoke generation device, ventilation device, emergency shutdown device and the parameter determination means, in which the parameter determination means comprises a plurality of sensors for determining the behaviour of the fire drill and training facility, in particular the operational functioning of the flame generation device, smoke generation device, ventilation device and the emergency shutdown device, the potential exposure to danger of each trainee present in the fire room and the condition and performance of each trainee, and the control and evaluation device controls the fire drill and training facility, in particular the flame generation device, smoke generation device, ventilation device and the emergency shutdown device, depending on data collected, stored and/or calculated over time by the parameter collection means, and also evaluates each trainee

Claims

1. Fire drill and training facility with at least one fire room (2, 13, 16) in which at least one simulation fire (3, 14, 17) is arranged,

a flame generation device (25, 26, 27, 41, 42) actively connected to at least the simulation fire (3, 14, 17),

a smoke generation device (5, 20, 43) with at least one outlet in the fire room (2, 13, 16), a ventilation device (8, 9, 33, 34) for the fire room (2, 13, 16),

an emergency shutdown device (10, 40) at least for the flame generation device (25, 26, 27) and smoke generation device (5),

a parameter determination means (6, 6a-6g, 6'"'"'c, 7a-7d, 23, 24, 29, 31, 32a-32c) and a control and evaluation device (30) actively connected to the flame generation device (25, 26, 27), smoke generation device (5), ventilation device (8, 9, 33, 34), emergency fire extinguishing device (10, 40) and the parameter determination means (6, 6a-6g, 6'"'"'c, 7a-7d, 23, 24, 29, 31, 32a-32c), characterised in that the parameter determination means comprises a plurality of sensors (6, 6a-6g, 6'"'"'c, 7a-7d, 23, 24, 29, 31, 32a-32c) for determining the behaviour of the fire drill and training facility, including the behaviour of the operational functioning of the flame generation device (25, 26, 27, 41, 42), smoke generation device (5, 20, 43), ventilation device (8, 9, 33 34) and the emergency fire extinguishing device (10, 40), for determining the potential exposure to danger of each trainee (12) present in the fire room (2, 13, 16) and for determining the condition and performance of each trainee (12), and the control and evaluation device (30) controls the fire drill and training facility, the flame generation device (25, 26, 27, 41, 42), the smoke generation device (5, 20, 43), the ventilation device (8, 9, 33 34) and the emergency fire extinguishing device (10, 40) depending on data collected, stored and/or calculated over time by the parameter determination means (6, 6a-6g, 6'"'"'c, 7a-7d, 23, 24, 29, 31, 32a-32c), and also evaluates each trainee (12) as regards his/her exposure to potential danger, condition and performance.

2. Fire drill and training facility according to claim 1, characterised in that the sensors comprise at least one temperature sensor (6, 6a-6g, 6'"'"'c) in the wall regions around the simulation fire (3, 14, 17) and in the simulation fire (3, 14, 17) or fire dummies themselves (3, 14, 17),

at least one liquid sensor (24) for determining an amount of liquid and/or a liquid flow rate, in particular of water,

at least one gas sensor (7a-7d) for determining an amount of gas as well as a gas flow rate, in particular of oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and/or propane, as well as at least one visibility sensor and/or at least one fire extinguishing sensor (23).

3. Fire drill and training facility according to claim 2, characterised in that

a fire extinguishing sensor (23) comprises at least one temperature sensor, a water or gas sensor, and a visibility sensor.

4. Fire drill and training facility according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that

the sensors comprise at least one position sensor (29, 31, 32a-32c) for determining the position of each trainee (12) in the fire room (2, 13, 16) and/or

at least one sensor for determining the condition, such as the physiological condition, of each trainee, in particular the body temperature, heartbeat frequency, blood pressure, debree of sweating, blood oxygen level and/or posture.

5. Fire drill and training facility according to claim 4, characterised in that

the position sensor comprises a plurality of elements (29) arranged in the form of a regular grid in the floor (28) of the fire room (2, 13, 16).

6. Fire drill and training facility according to claim 4 or 5, characterised in that

the position sensor and/or the sensor for determining the condition of each trainee comprises a satellite system and/or a transmitter/receiver system including at least one transmitter (31) carried by each trainee (12), and at least one receiver (32a-32c), in the fire room (2, 13, 15).

7. Fire drill and training facility according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that

the output data of the sensors (6, 6a-6g, 6'"'"'c, 7a-7d, 23, 24, 29, 31, 32a-32c), in particular the output data of the sensors for determining the condition as well as output of each trainee (12), can be compared at least in part with previously stored reference values for assessing each trainee (12), in particular as regards stress level, ability to react, efficiency and fire extinguishing performance, as determined by the choice of fire extinguishing agent, fire extinguisher nozzle, orientation of the extinguisher nozzle, alignment of the extinguisher nozzle, position of the fire extinguisher nozzle or extinguishing time, and such data can be displayed.

8. Fire drill and training facility according to one of the preceding claims, characterised by at least one light generator, a sound generator, a smell generator and/or a movement mechanism actively connected to the control and evaluation device (30), in particular for the controlled output of previously received sequences depending on at least some of the data, such as flame state, flame propagation and room temperature, collected by the sensors (6, 6a-6g, 6'"'"'c, 7a-7d, 23, 24, 29, 31, 32a-32c).

9. Fire drill and training facility according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that

the ventilation device (8, 9, 33 34) comprises at least one combustion waste air fan, such as in the form of a fire gas wall-mounted fan and/or fire gas ceiling-mounted fan, together with volume flow regulator, preferably with the interconnection of a frequency mixer and/or frequency converter, an air extraction unit, ventilation ducts and/or shafts, filters and flaps, which can be controlled via the control and evaluation device (3).

10. Fire drill and training facility according to claim 9, characterised in that the ventilation device (8, 9, 3334) comprises heat recovery means.

11. Fire drill and training facility according to claim 9 or 10, characterised in that

a means, such as in the form of perforated metal sheet outlets, for generating substantially laminar flows, preferably with a speed of less than 1.5 m/sec in the vicinity of the floor of the fire room (2, 13, 16), is arranged in the region of each air inlet in the fire room (2, 13, 16).

12. Fire drill and training facility according to one of claims 9 to 11, characterised in that in the region of each cold air inlet smoke can be fed in, in particular using a propellant such as nitrogen or the like, in order to prolong the presence of hot smoke, in particular hot smoke generated by the smoke generation device.

13. Fire drill and training facility according to one of claims 9 to 12, characterised in that the ventilation device (8, 9, 33 34) comprises a time switch and/or an air duct thermostat, in particular for maintaining a minimum temperature in the fire drill and training facility, preferably above 5°

C., controlled via the control and evaluation device (30).

14. Fire drill and training facility according to one of claims 9 to 13, characterised in that at least one gas sensor is arranged in the air ducts and is actively connected to the control and evaluation device (30).

15. Fire drill and training facility according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that

the ventilation device (8, 9, 33 34) and/or the smoke generation device (5) is/are self cleaning.

16. Fire drill and training facility according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that

several fire rooms (2, 13, 16) are provided that are preferably centrally ventilated and/or aerated.

17. Fire drill and training facility according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that

the control and evaluation device (30) comprises at least one processor, a memory, an operating unit such as a keyboard, a computer mouse and/or a portable hand-held device (35), and a display unit such as a screen (1).

18. Fire drill and training facility according to claim 17, characterised in that several processing units are provided that are coupled locally or to one another, and that operate independently of one another or in co-operation with one another.

19. Fire drill and training facility according to claim 17 or 18, characterised in that

the display unit and the operating unit are designed at least in part integrally, and preferably have a touch-sensitive screen.

20. Fire drill and training facility according to one of claims 17 to 19, characterised in that the hand-held device at least partly comprises the display unit.

21. Fire drill and training facility according to one of claims 17 to 20, characterised in that the display unit (1) comprises a plurality of display regions (1a-1e) for the optional monitoring of a trainee, possibly in several fire rooms (2, 13, 16), display of processed and/or non-processed sensor output data, display of desired parameters, and display of previously stored model procedures, preferably in each case in a display region (1a-1e).

22. Fire drill and training facility according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that

the components of the fire drill and training facility communicate in a digital or analogue manner via electrical and/or electromagnetic signals with the control and evaluation unit itself.

23. Fire drill and training facility according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that

faults or interferences can be localised and displayed automatically by the display unit, preferably acoustically and/or optically, in particular in the basic layout of the fire drill and training facility.

24. Fire drill and training facility according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that

steps for the diagnosis and/or rectification of a detected fault or a detected interference can be displayed, preferably acoustically and/or optically, on the display unit, and/or when previously determined threshold values of selected sensor output data are reached, a procedure can automatically be initiated by the control and display unit, in particular for terminating a training exercise, preferably by the emergency shutdown device.