Best practices for selection and application of firefighting foam

The Main School of Fire Service, Faculty of Civil Safety Engineering, 52/54 Slowackiego St., 01-629 Warsaw, Poland

^* Corresponding author: jrakowska@sgsp.edu.pl

Abstract

The article provides studies concerning the selection for the usage of firefighting foam in the aspect of human, property, environmental safety and sustainable development. Foam concentrates are products of the chemical industry, which, due to the type of raw materials, technology, usage method and waste disposal involved, are an important element of the industrial and environmental safety. Considering the range of extinguishing concentrates available on the market, with their different scope and performance effectiveness, it is necessary to responsibly plan purchases of required extinguishing agents. For testing all types of firefighting foam agent: synthetic, aqueous film forming, protein, fluoroprotein and fluoroprotein film forming concentrates were used. The standard test method ISO 7203-1:2011 for low-expansion foams used for the control, extinction and inhibition of reignition of fires of water-immiscible liquids was applied. The use of an appropriately selected and properly concentrated firefighting foam to extinguish a fire allows decreasing the duration of the fire and its consequences for the environment. The amount of used extinguishing agents will be substantially smaller. In the article the impact of considered use of firefighting foams on their effectiveness and potential dangers resulting from an inappropriate choice was shown.