An opportunity, not a crisis

Foam has been the main extinguishing agent of choice for flammable liquid fires for more than 100 years, but the tank storage industry is now at a crossroads with its usage there is growing concern about the long term environmental and health effects of one specific family of chemicals that has been used extensively in firefighting foam for more than 50 years. These are fluorosurfactants, sometimes known as PFAS (per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances).  They are extremely persistent and are often referred to as ‘forever chemicals.’ PFAS chemicals have properties that have helped to provide excellent firefighting capability. In particular, their ability to ensure that fuel is not taken up in the bubble structure has allowed forceful application techniques. Increasing pressure, including regulatory controls, to transition to different new generation foams without PFAS has driven end-users to  adopt  realistic, pragmatic approach and accept that the change away from  PFAS containing foams is inevitable. Consequently, the focus must be on developing optimised systems for using fluorine free types. It is this approach that has been adopted by LASTFIRE, an international...