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| Staff Sgt. Clinton Manus, 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron firefighter, speak with his leadership while transferring fire retardant from a foam trailer at the 407th Air Expeditionary Group, Jan. 6, 2016. The unit switched all the fire retardant foam in their inventory as part of an Air Force-wide initiative to use more environmentally friendly foam. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Benjamin Wilson)(Released) |
(UNDISCLOSED LOCATION)
01.07.2017
Story by Master Sgt. Benjamin Wilson
407th Air Expeditionary Group
Firefighters from the 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron upgraded their inventory of aqueous film forming foam to a more environmentally friendly version of the fire retardant, Jan. 6 at the 407th Air Expeditionary Group.
The switch was part of an Air Force-wide initiative, according to Tech. Sgt. Nathan Darke, 407th ECES B-shift battalion fire chief.
This swap has brought the 407th ECES fire stations into compliance with the new Air Force standards, which are intended to keep base assets and people safe while being better stewards of the environment.
“The old foam was near the end of its life-cycle, so it was a good time to replace it,” he said.
The unit replaced more than 2,100 gallons of the foam concentrate in six crash vehicles and a foam trailer, which are used to extinguish aircraft and fuels fires.
Before adding the new mixture, the vehicles and trailer were triple-washed to remove any residual waste. The old foam concentrate and residual waste were then put into containers and shipped to a contractor to be properly disposed of, said Darke.
Aqueous film forming foam concentrate is mixed with water and air to form the foam mixture needed to fight the volatile fires created by jet fuel, according to Tech. Sgt. Jason Demoss, 407th ECES assistant chief of firefighting operations.
This swap has brought the 407th ECES fire stations into compliance with the new Air Force standards, which are intended to keep base assets and people safe while being better stewards of the environment.
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