Stream fire towers are designed to handle wildfires that spread close to residential areas by taking advantage of wind direction.
Manufactured by Canadian company Wildfire Innovations Inc, RainStream is a steel tower system that can be extended and placed horizontally on an integrated tow truck when not in use. The system can be towed to a deployment point such as the outskirts of town near a wildfire using a one-ton pickup truck, New Atlas reported on November 12.
When reaching the destination, the 4 balancing legs of the trailer are opened, retracting the tower on the trailer upright, then extending to a maximum height of 30.5 m. The crew on the ground pulls the hose from the diesel pump to the fire hydrant, river, lake or water source.
After starting the pump, RainStream begins spraying water from the top of the tower in small drops that resemble raindrops. The spray head can be adjusted to rotate 360 degrees when spraying or only spray in one direction. In both cases, the water formed a mist that drifted and enveloped the fire, helping to wet and cool trees and houses in an area of 3.25 – 8 hectares depending on wind direction. Installation takes less than 40 minutes for a group of two, or 20 minutes for a group of four. A full tank of diesel can keep the system running for 40 hours.
“The usual operating procedure is to place a RainStream cluster near a residential area or critical infrastructure to create a wall of water, providing protective fog. However, it can be placed in any location anytime and anywhere to support firefighting efforts,” said Wildfire Innovations CEO Rolf Wenzel.
According to Wenzel, the company began manufacturing the fire tower this year and will deliver it to customers next spring. Another version of the RainStream tower can be installed in wilderness lodges, oil refineries… and activated remotely when needed.