Chris Matula/AP Martin County, Fla. firefighter John Bartlett demonstrates his new fire retardant gel, "Barricade," made from the same material as disposable diapers, at his home in Tequesta, Fla., Friday, April 23. Bartlett got the idea for the non-flammable liquid when he noticed baby diapers didn't burn.

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) - A soggy, stinking baby diaper is helping save everything from homes to utility poles from wildfires.

A fire-resistant gel - developed by a firefighter who noticed a disposable diaper was the only thing that survived uncharred in a house fire - is being touted by experts and businesses as the greatest invention in firefighting since the hose and pump.

Barricade gel is made from the same super-absorbent polymers found in baby diapers. They act as tiny, mega-absorbent sponges that can hold off flames for up to 30 hours and even put out a fire, says John Bartlett, founder of Barricade International and a Palm Beach County firefighter.

And he's not just blowing smoke. Already the gel is being used by the Los Angeles fire department, the U.S. military and Florida Power & Light Co., one of the nation's largest utilities.

The gel - which looks like shaving cream and can be applied with a hose - was credited with saving several homes during last year's blazes in Flagler County Florida and recent wildfires in Port St. Lucie.

"It's impressive stuff,'' said Bill Kramer, a professor of fire science at the University of Cincinnati and fire chief of Deerfield Township, Ohio.

"I've seen a lot of new products,'' he said, launching into a litany of foams and other items. "This is the only one that gives the fire chief a quantum leap to put lasting protection on a burning structure.''

The gel can be washed off after the fire threat is gone.

And it all began with a diaper.

Bartlett, 45, said he was rummaging through charred trash from a house fire when he happened on something slimy and white. It was the diaper, the only thing that hadn't burned in a huge pile of garbage.

A year later, he talked to a chemist and began experimenting.

He soon realized a powder wouldn't stick like a gel or a foam. He set up shop with his father, Bill, himself a retired firefighter, and fellow firefighter Bruce Hill. They worked in a cramped garage without air conditioning.

After five years, countless planks of plywood burned in the back yard and 60 formulations, they believe they've got it.

The company has developed a $189 home protection kit that includes an attachment for garden hoses. There is also a ''Ghostbusters''-style backpack that allows firefighters to carry the gel with them.

The company is cultivating corporate and government customers and hopes to market to homeowners and the industry.

Earlier this month, Barricade was credited with saving homes in Port St. Lucie. FPL publicly praised the invention, saying it saved about 100 utility poles. Then the phones began to ring.

Strangers pulled into the Bartletts' driveway looking for gel. They sold 500 one-gallon jugs at $35 each in the past 10 days, Bill Bartlett said yesterday.

Patrick Dennison of FPL says the utility has bought hundreds of gallons.

"You can put it on metal, you can put it on wood, you can put it on grass around a transformer,'' Dennison says. "It's a proven product for us, and I think we're going to do real well with it.''

Bartlett is still with the Fire Department. The county is now considering using his invention.

"This is probably the most important work I can do in the future as a firefighter - letting the fire service know this new technology is out there," he said.