In-Class and Hands-On Application Course Offered at No Cost to Fire Departments, Fire Management Organizations
Clayton, MO 11 July 2023 – Perimeter Solutions (NYSE: PRM), a leading global manufacturer of high-quality firefighting products and lubricant additives, is conducting training sessions on the use of Class A and Class B foam application for fire departments and other interested fire management organizations around the United States. The four-hour “Know Your Foam” training course is offered at no cost and includes in-class instruction and hands-on application to train firefighters on the proper use of firefighting foam.
“Right now, there is a knowledge gap among firefighters about the use of foam and the advantages it introduces to firefighting when compared with exclusively using water to battle a fire,” says Norbe Puroll, who leads the Know Your Foam program for Perimeter Solutions. “During this session we demonstrate how to apply firefighting foam using proper techniques. Foam improves the overall effectiveness of water: it lowers the fire’s heat more rapidly and reduces the chance of fire rekindling. Quicker extinguishment time helps lower the chance of a firefighter injury, creates less water damage, and improves the chance of saving any potentially trapped residents. This also reduces fuel cost and decreases the wear and tear on trucks that are no longer required to remain onsite as long.”
According to Puroll, the Los Angeles County Fire Department Palmdale Study showed that it took 73 gallons of water to put out a specific type of Class A fire. With the addition of foam, the amount of water required fell to 44 gallons; and using compressed air foam further reduced the amount of water needed to just 16 gallons. Tests on cooling time showed that it took six minutes on average for water to bring down the temperature of a fire from 600° F to 200° F. Once foam was added, the same temperature reduction was achieved in one minute and 45 seconds. This significantly increases survivable space for firefighters and occupants.
During the Know Your Foam session, attendees learn how these advantages cut on-scene time for firefighters in half and they receive instruction on how to use a manual eductor and foam injection systems. The session covers how foam is used with their existing equipment and advises on proper in-house maintenance to ensure equipment is always ready. Instructors also share tips and tricks they have learned from decades of experience using firefighting foam.
Know Your Foam attendees also benefit from a tutorial on the proper use of suppressant agents, including Class A, Class B, wet water, air/ground applied retardants, and gels. The use of newer fluorine-free Class B foams is also addressed. This is gaining interest among fire management organizations that are required to use MIL-SPEC products. In 2021, the US Federal Aviation Administration issued a Certification Alert to airport authorities and operators, removing the mandate to use fluorinated foams, and authorizing the use of fluorine-free products that are included within the Department of Defense Qualified Products List (QPL). The first fluorine-free foams are expected to be added to the QPL database in the coming months.
“We need to reinforce good foam application tactics as the way you suppress flames with Class B fluorine-free foams when used on flammable liquids. Firefighters who completed foam training even as recently as two years ago will learn something new by attending a Know Your Foam session,” adds Puroll.
If you are interested in learning more about Perimeter Solutions’ Know Your Foam training and scheduling a session for your team, contact Puroll at [email protected].
About Perimeter Solutions
Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Perimeter Solutions (NYSE: PRM) is a premier global solutions provider, producing high-quality firefighting products and lubricant additives. The company develops products that impact critically important issues of life – issues where there often is no room for error and the job doesn’t offer second chances. At Perimeter, we characterize the solutions we develop as ‘Trusted Solutions that Save’ – because it underscores what we are trying to accomplish for our customers and the world at large. Perimeter Solutions produces major brands known throughout the world like PHOS-CHEK® and FIRE-TROL® retardant, foam concentrates and gel products; AUXQUIMIA® and SOLBERG® firefighting foam concentrates; and BIOGEMA® extinguishing agents and retardants. For more info on how we use our experience, responsibility, and integrity to deliver trusted solutions that help improve firefighting performance, visit: www.perimeter-solutions.com.
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