New FDSA Bulletins Highlight AFFF Container Capacities and FAA’s Shift Toward Safer Firefighting Foams

by Americas - Featured NewsFeatured NewsFire Suppression

The latest Fire Dept Service Announcement (FDSA) bulletins have highlighted the standardised amounts of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) delivery systems and the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) latest guidelines allowing dual agent use.

Airports will be using AFFF and F3 foams as they convert fully to F3s.

Bulletin #79 provided clarity on AFFF container capacities:

  • 5 Gallon Pails are standardized to hold 5 gallons of AFFF.
  • Fire apparatuses are equipped with 30 gallons.
  • Foam trailers, vital for rapid responses, carry 500 gallons.
  • Specialized ARFFs (Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting vehicles) contain 600 to 1,500 gallons based on their class.
  • Aircraft hangars are prepped with a massive 1,200 gallons of AFFF.

Bulletin #80 highlighted the different foam tank cell sizes for ARFF delivery systems, with capacities ranging from 100 gallons for Class 1 ARFFs to between 3,000 and 4,000 gallons for Class 5 ARFFs.

Significantly, five years ago the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) had announced back in September 2018 the move toward fluorine-free foams at airport fire departments would be occurring soon.

The FAA, following up on that sentiment, issued a new Cert 139 on firefighting foam in September 2023, which announced one PFAS-free product on the new Qualified Products List (QPL).

Despite these advancements, the current Cert 139 stipulates that dual-agent use will persist at airports, posing ongoing risks of PFAS water contamination in nearby communities.

Highlighting the urgency of this matter, the Department of Defense recently decreed the cessation of fluorinated AFFF procurement containing PFAS concentrations over one part per billion after October 1, 2023.

Contrastingly, US fire departments remain unregulated in their use of AFFF and can change to F3 foams at any time.

These bulletins underscore the ongoing endeavours to balance effective fire suppression with the paramount need for environmental conservation.

Fire Department Service Announcement: Bulletin #76

by AmericasFeatured NewsFire Suppression

The Fire Department Service Announcement (FDSA) Bulletin #76 looks at impactful incidents of AFFF use

During the last several years, there have been numerous incidents using AFFF. Some of these events have been a catalyst for changes in several states and the fire service.

YearIncident / LocationLengthGallons of AFFFIssues  
2019ATC Transformer Madison, WI1 day54A PFAS containing “fluorine-free” foam and 4 gallons of a de-listed MilSpec AFFF from Truax Air National Guard Base were used.  
2019ITC Deer Park Houston, TX3 days130,00020M gallons of wastewater were collected.  
2020Colonial Pipeline Huntersville, NCMonthsUnknownFoam was used on gas leaks as a vapor suppression agent.  
2020USS Bonhomme Richard San Diego, CA5 daysUnknownAmphibious assault ship undergoing repairs while the fire suppression system “was not operational…”  
2021Chemtool Rockton, IL9 days3,200AR-AFFF was used initially and then switched to a non-fluorine  foam when it ‘became available.’  
2021Lithium Battery Warehouse Morris, IL27  daysNonePurple K was ineffective. Then, 28 tons of dry Portland cement was used to smother the fire. Flare-ups occurred for 28 days.  
2021Sugar Camp Coal Mine Macedonia, ILMonths46,000The fire and foam use was unreported until a citizen advised Illinois EPA.  
2022Tyco / Johnson Controls / ChemDesign Warehouse Menominee, MI14 daysUnknown5.5M gallons of firewater waste captured. 36,000 tons of fire debris material was transported offsite to landfills in Michigan and Wisconsin.  

Case studies are being worked up.