Cupertino's first fire "engine"
A soda-acid fire extinguisher hand-crafted by blacksmith Charlie Baer, on display in the Cupertino Fire Station lobby with other early fire equipment.
Off-site exhibit at Cupertino Fire Station, 20215 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Cupertino, CA 95014.
On display at the fire station lobby along with other early fire equipment. Blacksmith Charlie Baer hand crafted a large soda fire extinguisher that would be towed behind a horse or automobile. The center tank contained the soda and the outer tanks contained the acid that would react and create the foam that would put out a fire. The soda-acid extinguisher was patented in the USA in 1880 by Almon M. Granger (US patent number 233,235). His extinguisher design used the reaction between sodium bicarbonate solution and sulfuric acid to expel pressurized water onto a fire. Once the acid was mixed with the bicarbonate solution, carbon dioxide gas was expelled through a hose to smother a fire.
Later on in 1904 Aleksandr Loran in Russia invented the chemical foam extinguisher which could be used in the same kind of tanks. The main tank contained a solution of sodium bicarbonate in water. The outer tanks contained a solution of aluminium sulphate. When the solutions were mixed, the two liquids reacted to create a frothy foam, and carbon dioxide gas. The gas expelled the foam through a hose in the form of a jet. Licorice-root extracts and similar compounds were sometimes used as additives to stabilize the foam by reinforcing the bubble-walls. This extinguisher did not have very much capacity, especially for a whole house or store on fire. But, is was better than nothing and worked well if the citizens could get to a small fire before it became big.