Tarpaulin for Fire Safety Preventing Outdoor Fires from Spreading

Wildfires are an annual threat in many parts of the world. With climate change leading to hotter, drier conditions each year, the risk of uncontrolled fires destroying homes and land increases. While preventing all fires is impossible, steps can be taken to reduce fire spread using low-cost materials. One such method is using the Clear Tarpaulin.

Why is Tarpaulin Important for Fire Safety?

Tarpaulin plays a key role in fire safety for a few important reasons:

Contains embers and floating sparks:

Wildfires often spread not through towering flames, but from small embers and sparks that can travel far ahead of the fire front on gusting winds. Embers weighing just a gram can sustain combustion for many minutes as they blow around. Tarpaulin barriers prevent these tiny glowing chunks of wood from igniting new fires beyond the containment area.

Stops radiation and airflow:

In addition to direct contact, wildfires can spread through radiated heat and warm updrafts. Tarpaulin blocks these modes of transmission. By forming an air pocket, tarpaulin tarps do not allow hot air under the tarp to escape and ignite flanking fuels.

Resists ignition from flames:

Unlike natural materials like wood, grass, or leaf litter, tarpaulin won't readily ignite from direct flame contact. Its heavy-duty materials withstand considerable heat without bursting into flames themselves. Even if flames touch the tarp, it won't continue burning afterward.

Provides time for response:

By acting as a temporary blind to fire spread, tarpaulin gives firefighters more time to respond to a fire before it jumps their containment lines. This can make a critical difference in stopping small fires before they grow out of control.

How Does Tarpaulin Help Stop the Spread of Fire?

Tarpaulin helps stop the spread of fire through a few key mechanisms:

Acts as a Fire Barrier

Tarpaulin creates a physical barrier that flames, embers, and sparks cannot penetrate or pass through. Even high winds won't displace a properly installed Tarpaulin, keeping the barrier intact. The solid sheet of material breaks the necessary line of flammable fuels and contacts needed for fire to jump to new fuel sources.

Resists Heat and Flames

While tarpaulin may reach high temperatures, its material composition allows it to withstand heat without catching fire, melting, or burning through. Most tarpaulins are made from coated polyester fabrics that have a heat deflection temperature of over 500°F. At these temperatures, the materials maintain their solid shape and physical barrier attributes.

Prevents Ember Ignition

One of the main contributors to wildfire spread is the ignition of spot fires by micro-embers lofted ahead of the fire front by convection columns and wind. These embers can be as small as a grain of rice but are hot enough to sustain combustion for minutes. Tarpaulin acts as a barrier, preventing these glowing chunks of wood from accessing fresh fuels to ignite—any embers landing on the tarp self-extinguish.

Stops Radiant Heat Transfer

In addition to direct flame contact, some wildfires can spread through lower-intensity heat transfer mechanisms like radiation and convection. Tarpaulin's air gap helps insulate underneath surfaces from warming and igniting via radiant heat waves. Its non-porous fabric also disrupts convective air currents carrying heat aloft.

Common Uses of Tarpaulin for Fire Safety

There are several common applications where tarpaulin shows its effectiveness in improving fire safety:

Containing Outdoor Burn Piles

A ubiquitous practice, but one that can spread fires if not contained, is disposing of yard waste and debris via outdoor burning. Laying heavy-duty tarpaulin around the three-sided perimeter of the burn pile helps confine any floating embers, sparks, or small flames that could potentially escape the pile during high winds or incomplete burning.

Protecting Structures During Prescribed Burns

Government and private land managers frequently use low-intensity prescribed burns as a tool for fuel reduction and restoring fire-adapted landscapes. Tarpaulin can dramatically increase the safety of these controlled burns by completely covering structures, fences, and other properties located near the planned burn block.

Along Fire Breaks in Wildland-Urban Interface

In wildfire-prone regions, tarpaulin is sometimes used to strengthen existing fuel breaks and fire lines. Stretched as a continuous barrier and anchored securely, it can help relief crews control low- to moderate-intensity wildfires advancing along these designated paths toward populated areas.

During Wildland Fire Suppression

Firefighting squads may lay out waterproof tarp barriers as a last defensive line against encroaching wildfire flames. This gives crews more flexibility to focus resources elsewhere with the assurance of an additional layer of containment if needed. Tarps are also used under burning snags to control falling embers.

Blocking Flank and Head Fires

For larger fires, aviation crews may use tarpaulin drops from helicopters or planes to catch embers from flank or headfires spreading in dangerous conditions. The tarps combined with water drops can help pin down these spread vectors.