REDUCING THE FIRE HAZARD OF PEATLANDS, METHODS AND FIRE-FIGHTING EQUIPMENT TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF THEIR EXTINGUISHING

Abstract

The article describes that peat has been used for energy and agricultural needs for a long time in several countries of the world. According to statistics from the International Peat Society (IPS), world peat reserves are over 400 million ha, of which more than 305 million ha are under development. In Ukraine, more than 2,500 peat deposits with an average depth of 1.4 m have been identified. Of these, about 81% of producing peat is used as fuel, and 19% is for agricultural purposes. However, every year hundreds of thousands cubic meters of peat deposits suffered from fires. Statistics of peat fires remains disappointing in the world in recent years. A similar situation is observed in Ukraine. Peat fires most often occur in places of peat extraction, as a rule, due to improper handling, from lightning discharges or spontaneous combustion. Peat fires often cover large areas and are difficult to extinguish, especially when a peat layer of considerable thickness burns. Peat can burn in all directions, regardless of the direction and strength of the wind, and under the soil it burns even with moderate rain and snowfall.

The existing methods for preventing fires in peat-forest ecosystems are analyzed and, on this basis, methods for improving and developing new ones are proposed.

One of the most effective means of preventing peat fires is to limit the spread of fire due to dug ditches and wide ditches along forests. Another way of protection is the flooding of drained peatlands. The most effective method of extinguishing is to ditch the territory with enclosing ditches. It is necessary to dig up to mineral soil or groundwater. The fire is extinguished by digging the burning peat and pouring it with plenty of water. Modeling the enclosing ditches, taking into account the moisture content of the litter and peat bogs, wind, and ambient temperature, makes it possible to determine their optimal sizes and location to increase the efficiency of the quenching process.

Increasing the efficiency of extinguishing peat fires by improving the design of the fire barrel allows improving the supply of fire extinguishing substances to the combustible layer when extinguishing fires at a depth of 2 to 7 meters. Extinguishing is carried out throughout the deployment depth and ensures safe working conditions for firefighters during the elimination of deep fires.

Improvement of existing fire extinguishing wetting solutions and the development of new ones allows achieving fire extinguishing and penetrating properties and increasing the extinguishing efficiency at depths of up to 7 meters