SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY, Calif. — The San Bernardino County Fire Department is testing a new firefighting system that uses sound waves, rather than water, to put out flames.
Developers say the technology is grounded in science, not science fiction. Created by Sonic Fire Tech, the system uses infrared sensors to detect a fire and then deploy sound waves designed to disrupt the flames, KGO reported.
“They use infrared technology to detect flames that starts off a trigger to start the sound waves,” Ryan Remington, a developer with Sonic Fire Tech said. “We vibrate the oxygen at a rate the fire can’t consume it and breaks the chemical reaction.”
San Bernardino County Fire hosted a live demonstration at the end of March of an emerging fire suppression system that uses sound waves to detect and stop flames without water or chemicals.
Developed by former NASA acoustics engineers, the technology is designed to create a protective zone that can prevent ignition in milliseconds while reducing the collateral damage often associated with traditional suppression methods.
The technology could help detect and stop fires early, reducing damage in wildfire-prone areas and inside homes and businesses. The department said it is already being incorporated into some newly built homes in Altadena following the Eaton Fire.
