Shingle With Integral Fire Suppression System

Forest fires, a natural part ofmany ecosystems, can have dire social and economic consequences.  This was especially evident in recent yearswhen wildfires in the western part of the United States created incalculableamounts of damage.  While many of thesefires are fought by professional firefighters, due to lack of availablepersonnel, homeowners themselves often pickup a garden hose to protect theirroofs from falling embers.  This ofcourse places the homeowner at risk since they must remain outside continuouslyuntil the threat of fire has passed, even through the night and for days on endif necessary.  Additionally, thehomeowner can only cover a small portion of the total roof at one time.  Finally, the water pressure may be reduceddue to other nearby fire fighting activities, and the homeowner can only covereven a smaller area of roof. 

To combat such disasters, inventorand U.S. Navy veteran Christopher Lee Hackerhas developed a clever innovation that enables residences to be protected fromwildfires, adjacent structure fires, and similar disasters while affording amethod to clean the roof as well.

The Shingle with Integral Fire SuppressionSystem utilizes a plurality of specially-formed shingles, end caps andridge vent units designed to deliver a dispersing water spray. The shingles andridge vent units would be provided in sectional pieces that interconnecttogether along the necessary length. The end cap units provide plumbingconnections thereto connected shingle units and a central water supply linewithin the structure. The system would completely soak the roof and end wallareas of the structure and make it very difficult for ignition from an externalsource to take place. The water supply can be a municipal water supply, a reservoir,a well or the like and is envisioned to be remotely connectedto a control valve at grade level. The system can be used to clean the roof of dirtand debris at any time and may offer relief andprotection from chemical, biological, and/or radiological (CBR) attacks byrinsing off contaminates.  The use of theinvention provides a quick means of preventing nearby forest fires, wild fires,structure fires or any type of fires from igniting roofs in a manner that issafe and efficient.