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Messages From The
MSVFA Chair:
Ethanol Hazards
and Safety Concerns
June
2008
Welcome
Minnesota Firefighters
The MSVFA would like to welcome you to this website. Our purpose is to
inform you and to offer benefits to you as they become available by
businesses in the Great State of Minnesota.
One
item of paramount concern top the MSVFA is the increasing use of ethanol in
our vehicles. With this emerging fuel fast becoming a staple of our
fuel alternatives we need to, as volunteers ask each and every
department that you serve on to quickly bring you the training that is
necessary to fight ethanol spills and fires. As I write this column
many firefighters in Minnesota believe that you can spray our old
reliable class A or class B foam on these types of fires and they will
go out. Quite the opposite is the case and in most cases will only
serve to slow the spread an ethanol fire.
Emergency
responders need to understand that standard firefighting foams will not
control gasoline blends containing more than 10 percent concentrations
of polar solvents. These blends will require use of alcohol
resistant
foam. The foam that has to be utilized is AR-AFFF which is a foam
agent that successfully passed the UL162 tests against both E10 and
E85/95 and is considerably different than the foam we all have at the
fire hall and on our trucks.
Alcohol-Resistant
Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AR-AFFF) which is used at 1%, 3% or 6%
concentration to extinguish fires in hydrocarbon fuels. AR-AFFF foam is
used to extinguish hydrocarbon and polar-solvent (water-miscible)
fires, fires from a mixture of these fuels, and oxygenated motor fuels.
It is suitable for use with foam compatible dry powder extinguishing
agents.
AR-AFFF
concentrate with a special biosynthesized polymer. This polymer is
designed to fulfill two functions. The first is to form a protective
membrane between the fuel and the foam as it contacts the water
miscible fuel, making extinguishing possible. The second function is
to make the foam more stable and heat resistant, resulting in better
burn back resistance and seal ability compared to conventional AFFFs.
Some
firefighters have already trained for this type of fire, most have not
and to insure the safety of the firefighters, (you & all others) is
imperative that this training happen quickly to reduce the possibility
of an accident(s).
Keeping
pace with the new alternatives will be a challenge for all
firefighters, as we move away from fossil fuels to other renewable and
reusable methods. As fuel prices continue to rise don’t be
surprised
if you find a few garage ethanol stills in your service area such as
the type shown on this website http://www.efuel100.com/.
With
the right foam in the right system and the right training, we may learn
to deal with ethanol as just another typical work day hazmat challenge.
The MSVFA will be happy to assist you in obtaining materials and resources to give to your firefighters this valuable information to keep YOU safe!!!
Free Ethanol Training Materials
http://www.ethanolresponse.com/resources.html
God Bless and stay safe!
Calvin
Larson
MSVFA Chair
msvfachair@msvfa.org
Printable version - click here
Previous Messages - Archive
March 5th 2008 - Message
Summary - Great Opportunities
November 5th 2007 - Message
September 5th 2007 - Message
Summary - Comments on the need for the MSVFA
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