Fire Behavior Unit VII Final Project

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Columbia Southern University *

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FIR 2303

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Mechanical Engineering

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Dec 6, 2023

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Unit VII Final Project: Wetting Agents in The Fire Service James R Smith Columbia Southern University FIRE 2303-19.01.02-6A23-S1: Fire Behavior and Combustion Paul Hasenmeier 07/19/2023

Unit VII Final Project Abstract This paper will explore the use of wetting agents used in firefighting. Many people in the fire service have their thoughts on ways to extinguish a fire. Some believe that water alone is sufficient in all building fires, while others believe that there should be added wetting agents to sufficiently extinguish building fires. There have been many studies conducted in reference to this topic. In this paper we will review the effects of water only versus the effects of water with an added wetting agent such as a foam mixture and the differentiating types of foams available. There is also the factor of cost that must be factored by each fire district and their decision on how to combat building fires for their fire districts. Water Only Water being used as a suppressing agent goes back to the first days of firefighting. Water remains the primary suppressing agent for firefighting. Some of the reasons for this is that water is readily available for no cost, it is non-flammable, easily transported by fire apparatus, and it is non-toxic unlike many other suppressing agents. One of the considerations with water is its ineffectiveness on other classes of fire outside of class A fires. Water continues to be the most versatile and used firefighting agent in the fire service. With the fire in the apartment complex, water would be a viable and practical option for this fire attack as it has proven to be beneficial in cooling rooms of super-heated gases and with the extinguishment of household furnishings.

Enhanced Water: Aqueous Foams The use of enhanced water options in the fire service usually centers around the use of Aqueous Foams. These additives to water come in various types such as AFFF, Protein, Fluor protein, and expansion foams. Traditionally the fire service has utilized firefighting foams for class B fires. With studies over the past several years it has been noted that adding foam for building fires can help with the extinguishment and overhaul portions of the fire. It is also to be noted that research has shown that a foam mixture provides the firefighters to place more extinguishing agent to the base of the fire. When it comes to building fires the appropriate foam to use would be foam specifically designed for class A or class A/B fires. This also provides an issue for some fire departments as the cost of outfitting their units with the appropriate foams can be very expensive. When looking at the fire at the apartment complex there are many factors to review. First, what is the availability of class A or class A/B foam on the first arriving units and is this foam in totes or is this foam readily to be pumped from an on-board foam tank. With research I have conducted on my own, it would have been more beneficial to begin the fire attack of the apartment with a foam concentrate if the concentrate was readily available. If the foam was available, but we needed to setup a foam system to produce the product, I would have made a transition to the foam line as soon as feasible for interior crews. The reasoning for the transition is that the foam would provide firefighters with a wetting agent that would soak deeper into the products that were burning.

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Conclusion In conclusion, after reviewing the use of water only and Aqueous Foams for fire extinguishment, I have determined that both are sufficient in extinguishing building fires. It is to be noted that some of the points to consider when choosing an extinguishing agent, the cost effectiveness for the fire district and the readily availability of the two. While water has no cost and foam additives can have high cost to the fire district. Also water is readily available on all fire apparatus and can be put into service quickly, while foam lines can be readily available if the fire district specified their apparatus for this function, but most apparatus have to build foam lines making this option not a top priority for fire attack, while most fire districts use foam lines for overhaul operations to ensure the extinguishment of the fire.

References Gann, Richard (2013). Principles Of Fire Behavior And Combustion Avsec, Robert (2016). 5 Reasons to Fight Fire With Foam https://www.firerescue1.com/fire-products/suppression-equipment/articles/5-reasons-to-fight- fire-with-foam-YeBYwuSWESVwNV8X/ Brown, Patrick (2021). The Right Foam for the Job https://www.fireengineering.com/firefighting/the-right-foam-for-the-job/#gref National Foam (2019). Is It Foam or Is It a Wetting Agent https://nationalfoam.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/NFTB150-Is-It-Foam-or-Is-It-a-Wetting- Agent.pdf