McQueeney VFD tests new foam truck

One of the things that determines the effectiveness of a rural fire department is its ability to secure the water needed to fight a fire in a remote location. The McQueeney Volunteer Fire Department now needs less water than ever to fight a structure fire because the department has recently obtained a new $252,000 Pierce Contender pumping truck fitted with a compressed air foam system (CAFS).

The fire-retarding foam is created by a concentrated soap similar to dish or laundry detergent that extends the fire-quenching ability of water three to five times by breaking its surface tension.

To burn, a fire requires air, fuel and heat, which firefighters refer to as the “fire triangle.” A CAFS system attacks all three sides of the triangle at the same time by blanketing the fuel and limiting its access to oxygen, and sticks to ceilings, walls or other structures to aid in reducing heat. The foam also shields whatever is burning from radiant heat. The compressed air that propels the foam also increases the reach of a fire nozzle and lightens the weight of the fire hose, aiding firefighters in their work.

McQueeney VFD Safety Officer Clyde Weikert, on hand at the county volunteer training field for a demonstration of the new system Wednesday night, said the foam system is the latest in a progression of techniques for extinguishing wood-based blazes.

“It’s been changing little by little. They went from water to soap in the water, and now to foam,” Weikert said. “This CAFS system will make a 900-gallon water tank three to five times better.”

The difference is an important one in areas far from municipal water systems, Weikert said.

“When you’re out in the county, if you’re lucky, you got one hydrant when you pull up,” Weikert explained. “Out here, you need all the efficiencies you can get.”

McQueeney VFD Chief Tim Bogisch set up a training evolution designed to show volunteers how the nozzle would work and how the product reacts at different soap/water ratios.

“With the compressed air, there’s quite a bit of kick when you open the line,” Bogisch told the firefighters from McQueeney, Marion and New Berlin. “One other thing to be aware of is because of the compressed air, the foam splatters a lot and picks up a lot more debris.”

Bogisch said the product that makes the foam is similar to laundry soap. Because it mixes with water, less water is carried in the hose, making it lighter, and less water is required to knock down a blaze. The soap is biodegradable, and depending upon its mixture ratio with water, can be mixed for different jobs.

A wetter mixture might work better on a horizontal surface, while one that has less water will cling better to vertical or inverted surfaces. A dryer foam has a consistency more like shaving cream and will stay where it is sprayed for up to two hours. On the side of a building, it could protect from exposure to fire from nearby structures or grass and brush. Sprayed in a sheet on the ground, it provides an excellent fire break, Bogisch said.

He said system is not a common one in volunteer fire departments. McQueeney decided to take the high-tech route four years ago when faced with the prospect of replacing a 24-year-old pumper. The system is electronically controlled.

“It’s push-button simple to operate,” Bogisch said. “The biggest difference is getting familiar with how the nozzle reacts.”

The foam travels farther from a hose nozzle, meaning firefighters who may still get close to a building, at least won’t always have to fight a blaze from the inside.

“It makes it safer for us,” Bogisch said.

The price of the foam is reasonable for what it does, Bogisch said.

“The cost isn’t too bad. We use a .3 percent ratio, meaning we use about three gallons of foam for every 1,000 gallons of water,” Bogisch said. “At an average house fire, we’d probably use $50 worth of foam. It cuts our on-scene time in half, and could give us the ability to save a house here and there — especially on weekends, when more volunteers are available. If we can save even one house we otherwise might not have, that’s a pretty good price.”
By Ron Maloney, The Seguin Gazette-Enterprise