Compressed Air Foam Systems (CAFS) GUIDELINE Version 1.0 Date: 28 April, 2017 PROCEDURAL Publication ID: 3058 Copyright © 2017, Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council Limited All rights reserved. Copyright in this publication is subject to the operation of the Copyright Act 1968 and its subsequent amendments. Any material contained in this document can be reproduced, providing the source is acknowledged and it is not used for any commercialisation purpose whatsoever without the permission of the copyright owner. Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council Limited (ABN 52 060 049 327) Level 1, 340 Albert Street East Melbourne, Victoria 3002 Telephone: 03 9419 2388 Facsimile: 03 9419 2389 [email protected] afac.com.au Disclaimer This document has been developed from consultation and research between the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council Limited (AFAC), its members and stakeholders. It is intended to address matters relevant to fire, land management and emergency services across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region. The information in this document is for general purposes only, and is not intended to be used by the general public or untrained persons. Use of this document by AFAC Member agencies, organisations and public bodies does not derogate from their statutory obligations. It is important that individuals, agencies, organisations and public bodies make their own enquiries as to the currency of this document and its suitability to their own particular circumstances prior to its use. AFAC does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or relevance of this document or the information contained in it, or any liability caused directly or indirectly by any error or omission or actions taken by any person in reliance upon it. You should seek advice from the appropriate fire or emergency services agencies and obtain independent legal advice before using this document or the information contained herein. Citation Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council 2016. Compressed Air Foam Systems (CAFS) (AFAC Publication No. 3058). AFAC, Melbourne, Australia. Review period This AFAC guideline should be reviewed by the doctrine owner come 1 May, 2022. Contents Acknowledgements 1 Purpose 1 Scope 1 Statement of engagement 1 Audience 1 Definitions, acronyms and key terms 2 Introduction 3 AFAC’s guideline 4 Supporting discussion 9 Acknowledgements Statement of We acknowledge the technical support provided by engagement Country Fire Authority Victoria, NSW Rural Fire Service, Tasmania Fire Service and New Zealand Fire Service. This guideline was developed using member agency Thank you also the members of the AFAC Urban CAFS learning and training resources, as provided by Operations Group and Fleet Technical Group for their the AFAC Urban Operations Group members. Technical oversight and contributions to this publication. support was provided by Country Fire Authority Victoria, NSW Rural Fire Service and Tasmania Fire Service. This guideline was peer reviewed by members of the AFAC Source of authority Fleet Technical Group and Urban Operations Group. Approved by AFAC Council, 28 April, 2017. Audience This guideline is intended for use by AFAC members, Purpose notably Australian and New Zealand emergency service agencies and operational personnel. Guidelines are a preferred or advisable course of action. Member agencies are expected to be aware of guidelines and to have considered how they best apply to relevant circumstances faced by the agency. Guidelines are addressed to AFAC member agencies, and agency personnel should refer to their agency operating procedures for further information. Scope This guideline details the overarching operational and good-practice principles that member agencies should consider when planning and responding to incidents that may require the use of compressed air foam systems (CAFS). This guideline does not provide detailed equipment or appliance options, specifications in relation to CAFS and is best used in conjunction with agency specific operational doctrine. It is recognised that individual agencies may have equivalent doctrine / protocols available to operators when achieving the required outcomes for CAFS use. For that reason, strict compliance with guidelines is not mandatory (except where indicated) in specific aspects, provided that any other method used results in an equivalent to or higher standard of operational outcome than a CAFS baseline. COMPRESSED AIR FOAM SYSTEMS (CAFS) 1 Firefighting foam: a process that includes these Definitions, acronyms outcomes; water + foam concentrate = foam solution; foam solution + air + agitation / scrubbing = finished foam NAF and key terms (natural or nozzle aspirated); and foam Solution + injected air + agitation / scrubbing CAF (compressed air foam) In this guideline, the following terms have specific meanings. Scrubbing: the mixing and agitation of foam solution Aeration: the process of mixing foam solution with air and air in the hose or mixing chamber to create an even, (also known as aspiration). uniform bubble structure. This enables a consistent CAF to be delivered at the nozzle. Class A CAF is simply a Class A foam solution that has compressed air introduced to Class A foam: a surfactant (essentially, a very high aspirate the solution. At the point of air injection, CAF strength detergent) intended for fires involving Class A is manufactured and then discharged through the hose fuels. These fuels are solid combustible materials such lay, refining and scrubbing the CAF, and finishing it off as wood, paper, fabrics, some plastics, rubber and most with even consistency. CAF can also be delivered from kinds of rubbish. Class A foam can be used for bushfires, appliance monitors (an inline scrubbing / mixing chamber grass fires, structure fires (using defensive tactics and system may be built into the system to scrub and refine not to be utilised for internal attack), vehicle fires, tyre the CAF prior to monitor discharge). fires, deep-seated fires and peat and coal fires. Finished Class A foam can also be used to protect exposures from radiant heat, flame impingement and ember attack; build containment lines and the creation of defendable space for low intensity grass and bushfires; and extinguish small Class B hydrocarbon spill fires involving fuels such as petrol and diesel. Class B foam: foam intended for fires involving Class B liquid fuels. Class B fuels are classified as water non-miscible – fuels that don’t mix with water (e.g., hydrocarbon fuel, including petrol, kerosene and diesel) – and water miscible – polar solvent fuels that do mix with water (e.g., alcohols and ethanol). Compressed air foam systems (CAFS): a system that creates high-energy finished foam by injecting air into a mixed Class A foam solution. Foam solution: a mixture of liquid foam concentrate and water. Finished foam: the bubble blanket that the foam solution produces. COMPRESSED AIR FOAM SYSTEMS (CAFS) 2 Introduction What is Class A CAF? Compressed air foam (CAF) is a type of high-energy low- expansion foam. Like all fire-fighting foams, it consists An awareness of CAFS procedures assists in the support of water, foam concentrate and air. What sets it apart of agency personnel and first responders, and in from other firefighting foams is the manner in which it is the efficient and safe use of CAFS whilst mobilising generated. appropriately skilled and equipped resources under the Instead of drawing air into the foam solution via a foam direction of the control agency. aeration tube attached to the nozzle (NAF), compressed air is forced into the solution prior to the nozzle, typically at the pump discharge. This creates a high-energy foam system that uses the Class A concentrate and water more CAFS, a global context efficiently, and allows for a range of foam consistencies to be appropriately applied. Historically, foam has long been added to water to enhance its extinguishing abilities. In the 1930s and 1940s, both the Royal Navy and the United States Navy used CAFS on flammable liquid fires. In the 1960s, low- pressure CAFS was used in car-wash applications. In the 1970s, a Texas Forestry worker, Mark Cummins, developed a Class A CAFS that operated via compressed air cylinders, patenting this in 1982. By the mid-1980s, systems similar to those we have today were developed with rotary vane air compressors, centrifugal pumps and foam proportioning valves. CAFS-enabled appliances are now in widespread use throughout Australia and the world. Vic, QLD, TAS, NSW, SA and ACT all have a level of CAF capability currently being built upon. Many countries in Europe use CAF as an integral part of their approach to firefighting. In the USA, CAF technology has been at the forefront of wild land firefighting for decades, and many brigades are adopting the systems for both urban and interface use with excellent results. Print quality questionable. Any possibility on getting a higher resolution version? COMPRESSED AIR FOAM SYSTEMS (CAFS) 3 • Always flush system and lines after use with AFAC’s guideline freshwater. • Use hand and verbal signals to pump operator to determine when water, foam solution or CAFS is required. • Never point a CAFS branch or monitor at anyone. How does CAF work? • Wear P2 dust masks and suitable eye protection at all times when applying CAFS. A CAF system comprises a traditional centrifugal pump, • CAFS is not to be used for internal structure attack. an A class