The effect of fire fighting foams on the environment and fire extinguishing (original) (raw)

Extinguishing foams are commonly used for extinguishing the fire of flammable liquids, whereby their insulating, choking and quenching effects are exploited. The purpose of this paper is to consider and compare foams currently used in Slovak fire departments, with respect mainly to their high extinguishing ef fect (capability of faster aborted burning on a large surf ace at low foam consumption), but also their impact on the environment in each stage of their life cycle. Fire fighting foams are commonly used to reduce the spreading and extinguishing of Class B fires and to prevent re ignition. These foams can be used t o prevent ignition of flammable liquids and in certain conditions for extinguishing Class A fires. Foams can be used in combination with other extinctive substances, mainly gaseous and powders ones. Modern fire fighting foams can be considered to be ve ry good in terms of physical characteristics, but in recent years, the REACH legislation draws attention to their eco...