Palm Beach County Fire Rescue SOG 410-02 PDF

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Standard Operating Guideline SOG 410-02 Use of Firefighting Foam Issue Date: 08/17/20...

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Standard Operating Guideline SOG 410-02 Use of Firefighting Foam Issue Date: 08/17/2021 Effective Date: 08/31/2021 PURPOSE: To insure proper utilization of fire suppression foam products in firefighting and training operations. AUTHORITY:  Fire Rescue Administrator  NFPA 11, NFPA 18, NFPA 1901, NFPA 1500 SCOPE: This standard operating guideline shall apply to all Emergency Operations Personnel and Reserves. ATTACHMENTS: Attachment A: Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Driver Operator Manual Attachment B: FireAde Class A Foam Attachment C: FireAde 2000 AFFF Attachment D: FireAde 2000 AR-AFFF Attachment E: Chemguard AFFF PROCEDURE: These guidelines provide a basic framework for most incidents. 1. Supply a. Only Fire Rescue approved foam concentrates and foam application equipment shall be carried on fire apparatus. b. Fire Rescue carries 4 types of foam: i. FireAde 2000 Class A Foam Concentrate 0.1%-1%, which shall be carried on: 1. Brush Truck/Wildland Apparatus ii. FireAde 2000 AFFF (Aqueous Film-Forming Foam) 3%/Wetting Agent, which shall be carried on: 1. Engines (Onboard foam tank and recommend to carry 10 gallons of extra foam) 2. Aerials (Onboard foam tank and recommend to carry 10 gallons of extra foam) 3. Tenders (50-gallon foam tanks and recommended to carry 30 gallons of extra foam) iii. FireAde 2000 AR-AFFF (Alcohol-Resistant Aqueous Film Forming Foam) 3% x 3%, which shall be carried on: 1. Foam 68 (the foam trailer at station 68, carries 500 gallons) iv. Chemguard 3% AFFF (Aqueous Film-Forming Foam), which shall be carried on: 1. Airport Crash units SOG 410-02 Use of Firefighting Foam Page 1 of 4  c. Each Battalion Headquarters should stock an adequate supply of foam containers for restocking their units. d. During high brush fire activity periods, additional quantities of FireAde 2000 AFFF Class A Foam 0.1%-1% and FireAde 2000 AFFF 3%/Wetting Agent shall be stocked and distributed by Support Services to ensure an uninterrupted supply. 2. Use a. All firefighting foam concentrates and equipment shall be utilized in accordance with all applicable standards and manufacturer recommendations and instructions. b. Unless otherwise specifically directed by the Incident Commander (IC) or stated in the application rates below, 0.25% foam shall be utilized on ALL fires to enhance the effectiveness of fire suppression. c. Firefighting foam is a valuable tool for extinguishing the following fires: i. Class A ii. Class B iii. Aircraft related d. Class A fires shall include: i. Wildland ii. Ordinary combustible materials iii. Vehicles e. Class B fires or spills (Flammable Liquid) shall include: i. Non-polar solvents (Hydrocarbons) 1. Examples: a. Gasoline b. Kerosene c. Crude Oil d. Diesel ii. Polar solvents 1. Examples: a. Ethanol b. Gasoline with 10% or more Ethanol/solvent additives (E10, E15, E85) c. Alcohol f. Do not use foam on electrical fires, foam is comprised of water and can increase conductivity. g. Any foam proportioning system must be flushed after each use. h. All foam is to be used on emergency incidents only. Foam shall NOT be used for training purposes (per Operational Memorandum #20-006) i. Training Foam is available through the Driver Training Coordinator at the Chief W. Brice Fire Rescue Complex. j. Efforts should be made to keep foam runoff from entering into storm drains or natural water sources. 3. Application Rates a. FireAde 2000 Class A Foam Concentrate 01%-1%: i. Class A Fires: SOG 410-02 Use of Firefighting Foam Page 2 of 4  1. 0.1%-1% Wildland. b. Application Rates FireAde 2000 AFFF: i. Class A fires: 1. 0.25%-0.5% Wildland 2. 0.25%-0.5% Ordinary combustible materials. 3. 1.0% Vehicles ii. Class B fires or spills: 1. Non-polar solvents (Hydrocarbons) a. Wetting Agent 0.5%-1.0% b. Liquid Foam Concentrate 3%-6% for 10-20 minutes 2. Polar solvents a. Liquid Foam Concentrate 6% for 20-30 minutes c. Application Rates FireAde 2000 AR-AFFF 3% x 3%: i. Class B fires or spills: 1. Non-polar solvents (Hydrocarbons) a. Liquid Foam Concentrate 3% 2. Polar solvents a. Liquid Foam Concentrate 3% d. Application Rates Chemguard 3% AFFF: i. Aircraft related fires or spills: 1. Liquid Foam Concentrate 3% 4. Mixing a. Do not mix different types or brands of foam (i.e., Chemguard and FireAde). b. The 2 types of FireAde foams are compatible with each other if accidently mixed. c. On Board Foam Proportioning Systems i. When applicable, on-board foam proportioning systems should be used as the primary means of delivering foam. ii. On-board foam proportioning systems shall be flushed after each use in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and as outlined in the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Driver Operator Manual (SOG 410-02 Attachment A). d. Foam Eductor i. The Company Officer or Driver Operator may choose to use a foam eductor. ii. Foam eductors used by Fire Rescue are rated at 95 g.p.m. and require an inlet pressure of 200 psi to operate. iii. When using a 1¾” hose line attach an automatic fog nozzle flowing 95 g.p.m. iv. When using 1¾” Hi Combat hose, the nozzle must not be more than 300’ from the foam eductor. v. When using 1¾” Ponn Conquest hose, the nozzle must not be more than 250’ from the foam eductor. e. Batch mixing i. Batch mixing of foam can be accomplished by adding concentrate directly into a water tank of an apparatus. SOG 410-02 Use of Firefighting Foam Page 3 of 4  ii. Typically, batch mixing is used in Wildland fires but may be useful in the event of a failure of the on-board foam proportioning systems and foam eductor. iii. When batch mixing, always add the foam concentrate to a full tank of water as this shall reduce the amount of sudsing. iv. Do not batch mix foam until ready for use. v. For batch mixing FireAde 2000 AFFF in a 750-gallon water tank, add approximately 2 gallons of foam concentrate (1.875 gallons) to produce a foam solution of 0.25%. vi. When foam pumping operations are complete and before the fire apparatus is placed back into service, the water tank, discharges and fire pump need to be completely flushed of all foam solution until clear water flows from all discharges. f. Handling i. Foam concentrate can cause serious eye damage and may cause allergic skin reactions. Avoid contact with skin and eyes. ii. When handling foam concentrate, personnel shall wear proper PPE, to include: protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection, and half mask. Supersession History 1. SOG #1605, issued 03/01/2009 2. SOG #1605, issued 06/01/2012 3. SOG #1605, issued 08/23/2016 4. SOG 410-02, clerical 05/01/2018 5. SOG 410-02, issued 05/21/2018 6. SOG 410-02, revised 08/17/2021 SOG 410-02 Use of Firefighting Foam Page 4 of 4