The Impacts of Using Compressed-Air Foam System in Place of Water on Some Fireground Tactical Operations
Abstract
Since its development, compressed-air foam systems (CAFS) have changed how fire is extinguished and how firefighters should operate. Initially used in wildland firefighting to conserve water, CAFS can stretch the limited water supply available for firefighting. Recently, many urban fire departments have adapted CAFS for structural firefighting. Because of the differences between a wildland and an urban fire, the success of CAFS in the former type of fire cannot guarantee its successful operation in the latter. We review studies comparing fire attack lines using CAFS and water. The studies included in this review are statistically-based and repeatable. Anecdotal evidence is excluded because of their inability to be repeated and studied in a statistically meaningful manner. The comparison was carried out with respect to CAFS’ impacts on relevant tactical priorities on fireground (RECEO). While CAFS does not change the priorities on fireground, some tactics to achieve the objectives are changed by using CAFS in place of water. We found that a CAFS line can improve maneuverability of the attack line and, in turn, increase the safety of personnel on fireground compared to water. For extinguishing fire in controlled burn experiments, a CAFS line is at least as efficient as a water line. In many cases, CAFS can be as much as 4-5 times more efficient than water. Despite the clear advantage of CAFS, especially in exposure protection and extinguishment, there are some aspects that need further studies. For example, the interference of CAFS with fire investigation is unclear and needs further research.Keywords : compressed-air foam system, fire suppression, interior fire operations, firefighter safetyReferences
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Boston Fire Department. (1993). Compressed air foam for structural fire fighting: A field test, Boston, Massachusetts. Massachusetts: United States Fire Administration.
Brooks N. (2005). CAFS - Straight answers for the beginner or the experienced user. Fire Apparatus Magazine, Jan, 2005.
Bunting T. (2017). Siege of Jerusalem. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved Mar 15, 2018, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Siege-of-Jerusalem-70
Cavette C. (2005). Bubbles beat water. Fire Chief, 12, 2005.
Clark W. (1995). Fighting fire with water. Fire Engineering, 148(9).
Colletti D. (2008). The Power of CAFS. Retrieved December 24, 2018, from https://www.firerescuemagazine.com/articles/print/volume-3/issue-11/firefighting-operations/the-power-of-cafs.html
De Vries H. (2007). Heat Stress. Fire Chief, 70, 51-60.
Dicus C., Turner D. (n.d.). Utilizing Compressed Air Foam Systems (CAFS). Retrieved March 15, 2018, from Available from https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/22413365/utilizing-compressed-air-foam-systems-cafs
Dillon, M., Garland L. (2005) Ancient Rome: From the Early Republic to the Assassination of Julius Caesar. New York: Taylor & Francis.
FireRescue1. (2008). Fireground tactical priorities: RECEO VS, Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://www.firerescue1.com/firefighter-training/articles/426027-Fireground-tactical-priorities-
RECEO-VS/.
Foam task group. (1993). Foam vs Fire, Class A Foam for wildland fires. 2nd ed., Idaho: National Wildfire Coordinating group.
Geraci, B. (2006). CAFS And Its Impact In Fire Scene Investigations. Firehouse, Retrieved August 10, 2018, from https://www.firehouse.com/prevention-investigation/article/10498903/cafs-and-its-impact-in-fire-scene-investigations (accessed August 10, 2018).
Gorbett, G.E., Meacham, B.J., Wood, C.B., & Dembsey, N.A. (2015). Use of damage in fire investigation: a review of fire patterns analysis, research and future direction. Fire Science Reviews, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40038-015-0008-4
Grant, C.C. (2012). Project on “Capabilities and limitations of compressed air foam systems (CAFS) for structural firefighting” workshop summary. Massachusetts: The Fire Protection Research Foundation.
Gustavb. (2006). Wikimedia Commons: Fire triangle; GFDL License or CC-BY-SA-3.0, Retrieved March 15, 2018, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fire_triangle.svg
Haynes H., Molis J. L. (2017). United States Firefighter Injuries - 2016. Massachusetts: National Fire Protection Association.
Heck M.G. (2012), Increasing Fire Suppression Effectiveness with the Use of Class A Foam or Compressed Air Foam Systems. Ohio: Ohio Fire Executive Program.
In a conversation with College of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Phuket, Thailand. 3rd firefighter class (17-20 July 2017).
International Association of Fire Chiefs. (2015). National Safety Culture Change Initiative (FA-342). U.S. Fire Administration.
Jerrard J. (2012). Study To Investigate the Use of CAFS in Structure Fires. Fire Rescue Magazine, 7(3).
Kerber, S. (2014). Top 20 Tactical Considerations from Firefighter Research, Retrieved Dec 20, 2018, from https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/Membership/member-sections/Metro-Chiefs/Urban-Fire-Forum/2014/S-Kerber-NFPAUFF--Top-20.ashx?la=en
Lambert K. (2013). Compartment Fire Behaviour Training: why does water extinguish fire?. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from http://www.cfbt-be.com/images/artikelen/artikel_15_ENG.pdf
LaPolla J.A., Morano A.L., Luchsinger V.P. (2012). Compressed Air Foam Fire Grounds Evolution Tests. California: California Polytechnic State University.
Madrzykowski, D. (2013). Fire Dynamics: The Science of Fire Fighting. International Fire Service Journal of Leadership and Management, 7, 7-15
Mitchell S. (2013). Comparing class A compressed Air Foam Systems (CAFS) against plain water suppression in live fire gas cooling experiments for interior structural firefighting. California: California Polytechnic State University.
Nave C.R. (2017). Surface Tension. Hyperphysics. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/surten.html
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2016). Fire Dynamics. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://www.nist.gov/%3Cfront%3E/fire-dynamics.
Quintiere J.G. (2016). Principles of Fire Behavior. 2nd ed. Florida: CRC Press.
Silvernail J. (2014). Applying the ‘Principles of Modern Fire Attack’ to the Objectives of the Fire Service. Retrieved Dec 20, 2018, from https://modernfirebehavior.com/applying-the-principles-of-modern-fire-attack-to-the-objectives-of-the-fire-service/
South Brunswick Fire Service (2017). Standard Operating Guidelines. Retrieved Dec 20, 2018, from https://kpvfc.org/download/46/general/1068/kpvfc-sogs-revised-2017.pdf
Stern J., Routley J.G. (1996). Class A Foam for Structural Firefighting. Department of Homeland Security, USA.
Stidham J. (2014). Wikimedia commons: New Foam aids firefighters; public domain. Retrieved March 15, 2018, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_foam_aids_firefighters_140310-F-SX095-482.jpg
Weinschenk C.G., Madrzykowski D.M., Stakes K., Willi J.M. (2017). Examination of Compressed Air Foam (CAF) for Interior Fire Fighting. Tech Note NIST TN - 1927 2017. Maryland; National Institute of Standards and Technology.
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Published
2019-03-20
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Scientific Article
