STUART, FL. - The NEWS - 07/98-"...A wooden box sat Wednesday inside a ring of fire, flames lapping at its sides. Despite the flames, the roughly 3-foot-long simulated home..wasn't even singed. Even a direct blast from a 3,000-degree propane torch failed to ignite the ramshackle model. That's because it had been coated with a fire-blocking gel called Barricade....the product, which adheres to whatever it's sprayed on, is made of polymers that absorb water and hold it....non toxic and biodegradable..."Basically we've created sticky water", said Bruce Hill, company VP. Hill is also a Palm Beach County Florida Fire Rescue district chief".

BARRICADE is a new product specifically developed to aid in controlling and extinguishing fires and in protecting structures threatened by fire. When added to water, BARRICADE forms a unique fire blocking gel. It absorbs hundreds of times its weight in water and retards evaporation. These characteristics give BARRICADE tremendous abilities for fire fighting. As BARRICADE is sprayed onto an exposed surface, millions of tiny gel particles filled with water is being stacked one on top of the other. This stacking behavior is similar to that of Class A and AFFF foam except BARRICADE "bubblets" are water filled whereas foam bubbles are filled with air. Barricade, which feels like cold cream, can be applied with a standard garden hose, costs $189 for the start-up kit. One-gallon refills cost $35, five-gallon refills $130. A gallon covers about 1,000 sq. ft. with the average home taking three to five gallons.
Barricadej@aol.com - 800-201-3927.
Home Office Mall has not yet had the opportunity to test this product, but we thought readers should definitely know about it.