Heavy Foam Cover, Any Time Any Place
EQUIPMENT INNOVATIONS
Photos by 3M
A simple system has put foam capability on every one of Hayward’s pumpers.
For less than $1,000 each, the Hayward (Calif.) Fire Department has equipped eight pumpers to deliver large-volume foam protection to any fire or hazardous material spill within 15 seconds of arriving at an incident. With the conversion, made a year and a half ago, each of the pumpers can deliver “crash truck” foam volumes to any fire or spill that’s within 150 feet of the apparatus.
This allows us to provide quick response to any flammable liquid incident in the city, whether it be a major bulk storage fire or a tanker rollover on a freeway. Each engine is equipped to deliver 350 gpm of 3%/6% foam for 1 ¼ minutes. The city’s other two engine companies, assigned to Hayward Municipal Airport protection and backup, were already equipped to deliver up to 300 gpm of foam from builtin foam tanks. Three pumpers in reserve also are equipped to deliver master-stream foam.
Our original need for foam suppression was at the airport. The fire department, along with the National Guard, provided joint crash, fire, and rescue service as long as several National Guard C-130 aircraft were stationed there. When the huge transports moved elsewhere, our need for bulk foam capability at the airport lessened. Only small corporate jets and multipleand single-engine aircraft use the field now.
On the other hand, the industrial part of the city was growing rapidly along a corridor that skirts the southern and western edges of the city. Gradually we were being called to fight large fires involving flammable liquids, whether hydrocarbon fuels or alcohol-based polar solvents, away from where our foam rigs were stationed near the airport. The calls were going to single-company stations equipped only to deliver 60 gpm of foam from handlines. In most cases, we required outside help; in one situation, we had nearly 20 companies operating at a fire—all our own equipment and engines from half a dozen surrounding communities.
As we were studying the problem, one of the chemical companies located at the southeastern edge of the city asked for a permit to build above-ground storage tanks for flammable liquids. Our fire code prohibits above-ground storage without specialized, builtin protection. As a condition of the permit, the chemical company eventually not only provided a built-in system, but also paid to equip all our pumpers to deliver firefighting foam in quantity. Experience had proven that installing a foam delivery system on only the one pumper in the industry’s district wouldn’t be adequate.
We researched available systems, including the possibility of installing built-in tanks and retrofitting all our pumpers with foam pumps and the necessary controls, but settled on the simple addition of a self-educting foam nozzle with pickup tube and a 15-gallon, portable foam concentrate container, also known as a drum kit.
The drum kit includes the polyvinyl chloride container, tube, and foam controller. The pickup tube is always inserted in the drum, ready to deliver. When volume foam is required, the turret pipe operator spins on the foam nozzle, opens the foam controller valve, and delivers foam. With two five-gallon pails of aqueous film-forming foam/alcohol-type concentrate (AFFF/ATC) to supplement the 15gallon drum, the engine delivers foam at 350 gpm for 1 ¼ minutes, pulling water from the engine’s 500-gallon booster tank.
The drum kit and five-gallon pails sit up by the booster reels, and the flexible pickup tubes reach ground level so additional cans of foam concentrate can be brought in for continued foam delivery once hose lines are laid from fixed water supplies. We selected 350-gpm nozzles over those with larger capacities to maintain effectiveness yet gain application time from our limited water volume. This allows us to deliver the proper extingushing medium for 1 ¼ minutes at roadside incidents such as tanker rollovers or fires.
Strategic set-up
This rather simple system allowed us to adapt our existing equipment without retrofitting our pumpers with built-in tanks, piping, wiring, and additional control systems. We’re still mainly oriented toward structural firefighting, so we preferred not to go to a builtin system that would change the type of hose loads we normally require. We can still use our largebore automatic nozzles on the turret pipes for exposure protection and large-volume fire knockdown. In short, we greatly increased our capability and efficiency without changing our strategic set-up for structural firefighting.
Our department also standardized its foam supply by purchasing only AFFF/ATC 3%/6% foam concentrate. We chose the 3%/6% formulation for its ability to handle both polar and nonpolar fires. Using a single formulation throughout the system eliminates some of the problems we encountered in the past as a result of mixing two or three kinds of foam. A multiuse foam product also eliminates sizeup delays that arise from confusion as to what type of flammable liquid is burning, what type of foam is compatible, and what proportions of foam and water are proper.
All valve settings on foam rigs are set for 6% proportioning as a standard procedure. The foam percentage valve on the nozzle is held at the 6% setting by a plastic wrap. This eliminates indecision and other delays while trying to determine whether the substance spilled or burning is alcohol or a hydrocarbon. We have many locations in the city where hydrocarbons are stored next to polar solvents, and the storage configurations change from day to day. If it’s determined that the product is a hydrocarbon, the incident commander can order the operators to break the seal and meter down to 3%.
In a large incident, all other pumpers arrive with a minimum of 25 gallons of foam, and we have bulk storage already loaded on a utility truck that can respond to the incident.
We also believe in training with foam, even though it might appear expensive. We believe firefighters should know what it’s like to deliver foam and should practice the techniques for various types of fires and spills.
Each company comes into the fire department’s training center once a year and goes through the foam system, practicing handline operation, use of eductors, and operating procedures. The firefighters go through the exercises without foam, then run the same exercises with it.
We dedicate 15 gallons of foam concentrate per year for each company on each shift to train with. This assists us in replacing our foam concentrate on a five-year cycle to ensure it’s fresh, even though its shelf life is indefinite.
We believe this is an example of how our department continues to meet its mission of providing upto-date fire suppression equipment and technology consistent with the changing needs of our community. In this instance, we’re confident we have acquired a costeffective and efficient system for delivering master stream protection to all types of flammable liquid fires and spills without major expenditures.
