Bubbles Redouble
CAFS will appeal to anyone dealing with emergency response situations, including ranchers. Crockett Nash, safety supervisor for the Flying D Ranch in Gallatin Gateway, Mont., finds it very useful to protect the 113,000 acres he oversees.
Military in Hawaii training with CAFS. Photo courtesy of Intelagard.
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"We border national forest, state land and a wilderness area," Nash says. "There are 16 homes for employees and owners, as well as an entire ecosystem including plants and large animals. We often find ourselves without help during the height of the fire season.
"We rely heavily on the use of foam fire suppressant to protect buildings and areas not accessible by fire trucks. When our crews are the first ones on the scene of a fire, we have a good chance of shutting it down before it is large enough to be a threat to lives and property."
The military also finds itself using CAFS, which Fire Chief Scotty L. Freeman, of the U.S. Army Garrison in Hawaii, first saw demonstrated at the Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Conference in Reno, Nev. After returning to Oahu, Hawaii, where the fire season lasts all year, he decided to test CAF units on his ATVs.
"We decided to purchase some backpack units and a skid unit for our flatbed truck. We did some prescribed burns using the ATVs and skid unit and were completely successful," Freeman says. "Our backpack units have proven to be effective firefighting units when our firefighters are dropped into remote areas to treat small hot spots and unattended campfires left by hikers and campers."
Freeman believes the units are an essential part of the wildland firefighting tool kit, saving thousands of dollars in wildfire damage and reducing both overtime and fatigue for crews. "Additionally, the safety of our crews has been enhanced by the reduction of rekindles after treatment as well as providing a safe haven when necessary," he adds.
After reviewing the material safety data sheets, the garrison's environmental branch approved the use of CAFS at all of the installations. Freeman plans to retool the group's firefighting units on the island of Hawaii to provide the same level of protection to that installation.
The use of CAFS continues to grow throughout the wildland firefighting community. From traditional structure fire departments to military installations, from homeowners to ranchers, its benefits continue to impress — all while saving property and lives in the interface.
Back in 1997, the Department of Energy received a mandate from Congress to develop improved technologies to fight terrorism, including finding more effective ways to decontaminate areas following an attack that used biological and chemical agents. Fast-forward a few years to the development of quaternary ammonium complex, or QAC, which can be deployed using CAFS.
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Firefighters come in contact with many toxic substances. Dumping bleach on your fellow crew members or spraying them with a hose are not the most effective decon methods. With CAFS-deployed decontaminants available, there is no reason for anyone to leave the scene and cross-contaminate a personal vehicle or fire engine. Such systems have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and are considered environmentally friendly. They even have been used to clean up areas contaminated with anthrax.
Because CAFS can be used for decon, the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program will cover the purchase of this equipment for successful grant applicants. Don't you want your department working smarter and safer?
Sandy Williams is chair of the Wildfire Editorial Advisory Board. The author thanks Intelagard for its assistance with this article.
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