Fire flapper (tool)

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Four steel flappers ready for action in Denmark

A flapper is a wildland firefighting tool also called a swatter or a beater. It is sometimes called a branddasker, which is a Danish word literally meaning "fire slapper".

It is built with a long handle and a series of lamellas, which allows firefighters to stand well back from hot grass fires while literally swatting out the flames or glows with the thick flap. When the flapper hits the ground oxygen supply to the fire is stopped and the fire has been extinguished. Where groundcover is short, the flapper can be dragged along the fire edge to smother the fire.

The lamellas or constructed in either rubber or steel, though practically any other fire proof material could be used.

Due to its small size it is unfit for use against a blazing forest fire or large burning fields. The tool's design makes it only suitable for minor flames or glows within a limited area. For fire fighting in larger areas it is much more convenient to take out hoses from a fire engine and spray selected areas. Alternatively a water cannon from a water tender can be used.

The flappers technique has been developed from using a wet green pine bough to swat the fire known as "wet sacking" a fire.