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Posted: Mar 1, 2019

Foam, Foam Concentrate, and Delivery

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Fama Forum | BY GREGG GESKE
 

The A’s and B’s of Foam, Foam Concentrate, and Delivery Systems

Members of the Fire Apparatus Manufacturers’ Association (FAMA) are committed to enhancing the quality of the fire apparatus industry and emergency service community through the manufacture and sale of safe, efficient fire apparatus and equipment.

Fire Apparatus Manufactures Association logo

As part of this goal, we are here to help fire departments select the apparatus and capabilities that will work for their needs.

ALL FOAM IS THE SAME, RIGHT?

Not true! Class A foam is now used by many fire departments in the United States and Canada. However, with such well-documented safety benefits as faster knockdown time, fewer rekindles, smoke reduction, quicker cooling, and a reduction in water damage, some departments are refraining from use because of misunderstandings. Worse yet, some aren’t specifying Class A foam systems on their new apparatus.

On occasion I’ve asked a fire officer, “Do you use Class A or Class B foam in your department?” Many times, I’ve been told that the department uses Class A only to find out the label on the side of their buckets reads “AFFF” (a Class B agent).

CLASS B FOAM

It is important to understand that Class A and B foams function very differently. Class B foams are mainly used on two-dimensional hydrocarbon (petroleum-based) and polar solvent (alcohol-based) fires. Class B foam concentrates are available in both polar and nonpolar formulations. Polar concentrate formulations can be applied to both hydrocarbon and polar solvent fuels. Nonpolar concentrates can be applied to hydrocarbons only. Class B foam works by creating a skin/film over the surface of the combustible or flammable liquid, separating the fuel from the air. The fuel must be contained or diked for the film to form.

CLASS A FOAM

Class A foams, on the other hand, are used on three-dimensional fires of ordinary combustibles and are technically known as synthetic detergent hydrocarbon surfactants. A key component of these foams is their surfactant properties. Surfactants enhance water as an extinguishing agent in two ways. First, they reduce the surface tension of the water. This provides more surface area for better heat absorption and allows the water to penetrate farther into Class A fuels. Second, surfactants are attracted to carbon. This holds the water in contact with Class A fuels longer, providing better extinguishment and protection of exposures. It also pulls the carbon particulates out of the smoke, reducing available fuel to ignite and improving visibility.

One of my favorite demonstrations of Class A foam’s effectiveness is to place two separate drops of water onto a piece of corrugated cardboard placed flat on a table. Place a drop of foam (or even dish soap) into the first droplet of water, and the solution imme

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Posted: Mar 1, 2019

Listen and Empower

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Editor’s Opinion | Chris Mc Loone
 

Listen and Empower

We’re getting close to showtime. FDIC International 2019 is just around the corner and, as usual, we are starting to see news start to trickle in about what new introductions we should expect to see at the show.

Chris Mc Loone

One meeting I look forward to every year during the show is with our Editorial Advisory Board. Not only is it nice to see everyone—some of whom I only see once or twice a year beyond FDIC—but it is also great to hear what they have seen as they have traveled around the country. It’s a great way for us to hear what fire departments in all areas of the country are doing with their rigs and their equipment so we can, in turn, present it to you. In many ways, our board members are our eyes and ears around the country. Although I get out on the road a bit during the year, having a network that is out there far more than I am is critically important.


I recently had a chance to meet up with a few of our board members at the FDSOA’s Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium. Robert Tutterow presented, Ricky Riley presented and participated in a panel discussion, and Rich Marinucci is the FDSOA’s executive director. While I was there, I sat in on the panel discussion on fleet management that Riley participated in. At the end of the session, the moderator asked the panelists if they had any words of wisdom. The advice Riley provided I feel is worth sharing.

First, listen. Listen to the personnel who are riding the fire apparatus. We’ve heard this advice many times, but how many of us do it? When it’s a member with only two or three years on the job, do we take their suggestions seriously? The people riding the trucks are the most important people to listen to—no matter how long they’ve been on the job. New members bring a new set of eyes. The crews know the rigs better than anyone else. They know every nuance. I visited a city near me a few years ago to discuss a new pumper order. They also offered to let me see one of their newest tillers as well. I asked the firefighter who showed me around the rig if the crew there liked it. Generally, he said, they liked it, but there were a few areas they would change if they could. Access to the tiller cab was one area and returning to cabs with raised roofs was another. The city had only taken delivery of a few new tillers, with more on the way. They modified the order to accommodate the suggested changes. The department listened to the men and women riding the trucks—the ones who have to use them day in and day out.

The second piece of advice was to empower. Two words that will send any firefighter into orbit—in a good way—are: “Good job.” When a chief, captain, lieutenant, or senior firefighter tell

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Posted: Mar 1, 2019

Listen and Empower

1903FA_006-007

 
 
Editor’s Opinion | Chris Mc Loone
 

Listen and Empower

We’re getting close to showtime. FDIC International 2019 is just around the corner and, as usual, we are starting to see news start to trickle in about what new introductions we should expect to see at the show.

Chris Mc Loone

One meeting I look forward to every year during the show is with our Editorial Advisory Board. Not only is it nice to see everyone—some of whom I only see once or twice a year beyond FDIC—but it is also great to hear what they have seen as they have traveled around the country. It’s a great way for us to hear what fire departments in all areas of the country are doing with their rigs and their equipment so we can, in turn, present it to you. In many ways, our board members are our eyes and ears around the country. Although I get out on the road a bit during the year, having a network that is out there far more than I am is critically important.


I recently had a chance to meet up with a few of our board members at the FDSOA’s Apparatus Specification and Maintenance Symposium. Robert Tutterow presented, Ricky Riley presented and participated in a panel discussion, and Rich Marinucci is the FDSOA’s executive director. While I was there, I sat in on the panel discussion on fleet management that Riley participated in. At the end of the session, the moderator asked the panelists if they had any words of wisdom. The advice Riley provided I feel is worth sharing.

First, listen. Listen to the personnel who are riding the fire apparatus. We’ve heard this advice many times, but how many of us do it? When it’s a member with only two or three years on the job, do we take their suggestions seriously? The people riding the trucks are the most important people to listen to—no matter how long they’ve been on the job. New members bring a new set of eyes. The crews know the rigs better than anyone else. They know every nuance. I visited a city near me a few years ago to discuss a new pumper order. They also offered to let me see one of their newest tillers as well. I asked the firefighter who showed me around the rig if the crew there liked it. Generally, he said, they liked it, but there were a few areas they would change if they could. Access to the tiller cab was one area and returning to cabs with raised roofs was another. The city had only taken delivery of a few new tillers, with more on the way. They modified the order to accommodate the suggested changes. The department listened to the men and women riding the trucks—the ones who have to use them day in and day out.

The second piece of advice was to empower. Two words that will send any firefighter into orbit—in a good way—are: “Good job.” When a chief, captain, lieutenant, or senior firefighter tell

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Video: Peachland (BC) Fire and Rescue Service E-ONE Rescue-Pumper
Video: Peachland (BC) Fire and Rescue Service E-ONE Rescue-Pumper
Posted: Mar 1, 2019

Video: Peachland (BC) Fire and Rescue Service E-ONE Rescue-Pumper


The Peachland Fire and Rescue Service wanted a fire truck with a short wheelbase, lots of water capacity and a really good cramp angle. They got that and more in their E-ONE Rear Mount Custom Rescue Pumper. "We're not a big department but we felt like we were treated like the bigger cities that buy three or four trucks at a time," said Chief Dennis Craig. Learn more in this episode of Truck Talk

Truck Type: Custom Pumper
Dealer: Associated Fire
Dealer Phone: (888) 320-3303
Email Address: ian@associatedfiresafety.com
Shop Order: 141502

Body: Extruded Aluminum
Chassis: Typhoon X long cab with 67.5″ CA
Engine: Cummins L9 450HP
Tank: 770 Gallon Water Tank with 30 gallon cell for Class A foam
Pump: Hale RSD/RGA 6000 LPM single stage pump
Axle: Single

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Posted: Mar 1, 2019

Montgomery County (MD) Replaces Two-Bay Firehouse with Four-Bay One-Story Fire Station

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Montgomery County (MD) Replaces Two-Bay Firehouse with Four-Bay One-Story Fire Station

BY ALAN M. PETRILLO


The Montgomery County (MD) Fire & Rescue Service has 39 stations housing both career and volunteer fire companies that cover 507 square miles and a million residents.

When Maryland decided to create a grade-separated interchange at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road in Silver Spring—two major north-south and east-west roads—the department’s 1950s two-bay, back-in fire station would have been landlocked with no road access, which meant it needed to find a new location for a new station.

The Montgomery County (MD) Fire & Rescue Service’s Glenmont Station 18 in Silver Spring was designed by Hughes Group Architects in the traditional style to complement the character of homes in the area. (Photos 1-8 courtesy of Hughes Group Architects.)

1 The Montgomery County (MD) Fire & Rescue Service’s Glenmont Station 18 in Silver Spring was designed by Hughes Group Architects in the traditional style to complement the character of homes in the area. (Photos 1-8 courtesy of Hughes Group Architects.)

The Fire & Rescue Service had to use a temporary station while a new facility was being built at the southwest corner of Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road, a site that allowed Hughes Group Architects to design a 22,564-square-foot, one-story fire station with four double-deep, drive-through apparatus bays.

APPARATUS BAYS

Don Scheuerman Jr., section chief of the Montgomery County Division of Building Design and Construction in its Department of General Services, says it was important that the design of the new station incorporate drive-through apparatus bays. “The new station feeds out onto Georgia Avenue, which is a major artery, so we didn’t want fire apparatus out there making K turns in the middle of the street and holding up traffic,” Scheuerman says. Another criterion that Montgomery County wanted in the new station was bifold doors instead of roll-up doors on all apparatus bays. “Bifold doors open very quickly and also have better visibility for the apparatus driver,” he points out. “They are a much safer door in that they reduce the number of accidents where the vehicle strikes the bottom of a roll-up door when exiting the station before the roll-up is fully opened. And, it’s also been shown that bifold doors have a greater longevity of use and have fewer maintenance issues.”

Scott Goldstein, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service chief, agrees on the use of bifold doors in the new station. “The bifold doors are well worth the extra cost when compared with roll-up doors,” Goldstein says. “About the only concern is that you need an additional four feet of bumper space for a bifold door, which makes the engine room a little bit longer. Our apparatus bays are 84 feet long.”

FIREFIGHTER AREAS

Goldstein says that Glenmont Station 18 has a large, separate, and dedicated turnout gear room, something that Montg

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