Wind control device deployment

Wind-control device (WCD) is an 8" X 6" portable window-covering curtain with four, 3/8", 15-foot fireproof ropes attached. The curtain consists of fireproof material to withstand the high temperatures of the fire. The objective of deploying the WCD is to eliminate the impact of wind on fire by covering the window through which wind enters into the fire apartment. The burn experiments demonstrated that once the WCD was deployed and covered the window completely, the flow path of smoke and heat was interrupted, the velocities and temperatures in the flow path decreased, and the wind-driven condition stopped. The firefighters were then faced with the residual fire and stored energy (hot gases and hot walls, ceiling and floor) and fuels (smoke and remaining furnishings or interior finish) in the structure.

Click on the video above that demonstrates the efficacy of this tactic. In this video, before the deployment of WCD, the wind is blowtorching the fire that can be seen from the living room window on the other side of the building. As soon as the firefighters deploy the curtain on the window where wind is a factor, the flames died down because the wind-driven effect was eliminated.