Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
John Hollenhorst reportingA Salt Lake City company will get nationwide exposure tomorrow night on The Discovery Channel with an idea that might sound far-fetched but seems technically quite feasible: a giant blanket to protect homes from wildfires.
Try to imagine that this box is your house. Now suppose there's a wildfire coming right at it. Could fabric protect your house from a firestorm? Can it stand up to a 2,400 degree forest fire?
Heat is what fires up the folks at Chapman Innovations. For years the company has sold heat-resistant clothing, like body suits, long underwear and gloves. One customer is Top Fuel drag racer, Larry Dixon.
Bob Goulet, COO of Chapman Innovations, said, "Larry was in a big accident, big fire, and walked away, and went home for dinner."
The fabric is called Carbon X. It's so heat resistant it won't catch fire or melt, even in, say, a factory where sparks and molten metal are flying.
"It is a comfortable fabric for those situations. But I'm not telling you you're going to be cool," Goulet said.
A relatively thin piece of fabric stands up to heat amazingly well. We put a 2,400 degree butane torch on it. In a few seconds, it melts the penny. You could feel a little heat on the palm of your hand, but it's not painful.
Which brings us to the subject of wildfires, like those that roared through neighborhoods in California a few months ago. Suppose you could take a giant security blanket made of Carbon X and drop it over your house.
Goulet said, "When they said a fire was coming, you would install your cover, and then you'd leave."
This mini demonstration was inspired by a full-size experiment that will be televised Wednesday night on The Discovery Channel program "Smash Lab".
Tyler Thatcher, President of Chapman Innovations, says, "People like insurance companies or other entities that have a vested interest in the survivability of homes in high risk areas have shown interest."
With propane jets simulating a 2,400 degree wildfire, the house remains unburned. The Carbon X security blanket could be dropped from a helicopter or deployed from preinstalled rollers surrounding the house.
"We estimate it's $15,000 for a fully deployable cover for a 3,000 square foot house, which, when you look at the total value of the house, is pretty trivial," Goulet said.
So far, the company hasn't sold any home protection systems, but it's ready to start rolling them out if the market develops.
