SPECULATIVE SCIENCE



Can you literally fight fire with fire, or is this just a metaphor? What's the best example of this metaphor working in real life? R Cooper, Twickenham uk Fire can be used to fight forest fires, albeit with a certain amount of risk. A controlled burn of a strip of forest will create a barrier to an oncoming forest fire as it will use up all the available fuel. There is, however, always the risk that the "controlled burn" goes out of control and starts a new inferno as happened in Australia recently. Pete, Sheffield England I would suggest that the principle of vaccination as pioneered by Edward Jenner is a prime of example of this idea. By injecting a small dose of a virus, the body becomes able to tackle it when it is contracted naturally. Max Wurr, Middlesex, UK Using controlled fires to stop larger bush fires is standard practice here in Oz. If you are unlucky enough to be in the path of a wide grass fire or bush fire front,from which there is no escape, set fire to a patch of grass or bush in time to be able to step into it as the fire front, which only lasts for a few minutes, passes. Richard Hines, Perth, Australia I've always taken "fire" to mean gunfire here - so a real-life example of this working would be any gun battle or firefight. Jonathan Weakling, Hemel Hempstead This is best illustrated in the John Wayne movie "Hellfighters", which is a fictionalized biography of the renowned oilfield firefighter, Red Adair. Crudely put - pun intended - when presented with a blazing oilwell, strap a whacking great parcel of explosive wrapped in asbestos to the end of a crane; keeping water hoses trained on it (to keep it cool), position it at the base of the fire; leap from cab of crane and run like hell; detonate by remote control. The force of the explosion sucks oxygen from the surrounding area, (hopefully) extinguishing fire. Now all you've got to do is cap the well before it ignites again; so save that celebratory cigar for later. Mark Power, Dublin In arid parts of Western America "controlled fires" are made BEFORE there is an uncontrolled fire partially to reduce the fuel available for the later but also because brush and forest fires are part of the natural ecology. Some species of flowers. for example, will not grow unless their seed is heated by a fire. More important, on the chaperral covered hill outside Los Angeles, where I live, unless periodic fires occur, grasses will be overwhelmed by the chaperral and cedar. David Dreaming Bear, Horsethief Canyon, California USA If someone is shouting at you or generally being verbally agressive, do exactly the same back. This will stop them shouting which would be the aim of 'fire fighting fire'. It will however lead to one of two outcomes:stunned silence or they will hit you. They will stop shouting though. Sophie J Richmond, Newcastle England My Dad used to always say "Fight fire with fire!"... And that's why he was sacked from the Fire Brigade. (Thanks to Harry Hill) Michael Johnson, Neston UK In the Little House on The Prairie books, the Ingalls family save their house from an oncoming prairie fire by burning a ring of grass round their house. When the fire arrives, it just sweeps round the house, leaving it intact. Claire Hall, Ware UK There is an American fellow called Red Adair who pioneered the use of fire (explosions) to fight fire on oil wells. It seems that he would isolate the burning area and then cause a massive explosion right over it. The explosion would use up all of the oxygen available for combustion in an instant, and the original fire would expire as it had nothing to feed on. Matt, Brighton UK



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