MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. -- Disposal diapers are designed to provide a protective barrier for a baby's behind. Now the same substance used in those diapers can be used to provide a protective barrier around a home against a raging fire.
The substance, called Barricade, is baby diaper gel and was discovered by John Bartlett, a firefighter from Palm Beach County, Fla., who noticed a disposable diaper was the only thing that survived in a house fire, according to Nathan Beber, MCLB Barstow firefighter and technical representative.
"Barricade gel was discovered in 1994, and since then the fire-resistant gel has taken off," said Beber.
The gel is currently being used by the Los Angeles Fire Department, U. S. military and Florida Power and Light Company, one of the nation's largest utility companies, according to an article by Firehouse.com.
Base firefighters recently tested the Barricade gel to see firsthand if the substance does what it advertises. Beber and fellow firefighters constructed two shelters, coating one with Barricade and the other with "Knockdown," a Class A foam firefighters normally use to protect homes from fires.
The conditions were ideal for the test in that the winds picked up as soon as the structures were set afire, blowing the flames toward the Barricade-protected shed. After approximately five minutes the structure sprayed with Knockdown completely burned, leaving nothing more than a smoldering pile of burned wood. Whereas the structure coated with Barricade held on for at least another 10 minutes.
"I'm sold," said MCLB assistant fire chief, Steve Mulcare, after watching the gel-coated building resist the flames. "This stuff is amazing," he added.
"This gel can be useful to us at the Tees and Trees golf course, at the Mojave River bottom where foliage can create a fire hazard," said MCLB Fire Chief Robert Wyman.
"The gel works really well and is relatively inexpensive," said Beber. "The gel was designed to adhere to the outside surface of the home. It is sprayed on the windows, under the eaves and on the roof to protect it from radiant heat."
Spraying the substance on the windows of a home protects the interior of a home from igniting due to the intense heat - radiant heat - from passing through the glass, according to Beber.
One of the most important advantages of using the gel is that it offers better resistance to fires, and because it holds up longer than the Knockdown firefighters are allowed more time to protect other homes from going up in flames.
"With the Knockdown, firefighters have to baby-sit a home to keep it from burning completely," said Beber.
Wild land fires, where wind gusts can cause flames to move through a neighborhood quickly, are California's biggest danger. Falling embers from the flames on rooftops made of wood shingles, or radiant heat, is what causes a home to go up in flames, according to Beber.
Barricade has been tested in temperatures of up to 3,500 degrees and still managed to hold off the flames. One 1.25-gallon jug of the gel, when applied resembles shaving cream, can coat 500 to 700 square feet.
Though it is not on the market yet, Barricade can be purchased in two types of kits, a homeowner's kit and a firefighter kit. One comes with an attachment for applications with a simple garden hose and the other has the firefighters' attachment.
For more information about Barricade go to the manufacture's Web site at www.barricadegel.com.