2025 Spring Meeting and 21st Global Congress on Process Safety
(122b) Fluorine Free Fire Fighting Foam; What Is It and How/Why Does It Matter to Your Facility!
Aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) has long been the standard for extinguishing liquid fuel fires. While extremely effective, the same chemical that makes it work so well is also a forever chemical. All AFFFs contain PFAS, which has been associated with health effects, and is thereby becoming increasingly restricted in its ability to be used with many states and countries having banned it. As these changes have taken place manufacturers are developing the next generation of firefighting foams to fill the place of AFFF, known as Synthetic Fluorine Free Foam (SFFF). The rigorous testing on these new foams has led to many new available products, all being reviewed and tested to receive a Greenscreen certification for acceptability for use.
What has been largely discovered is that there is no one “drop-in replacement” foam, each requires an understanding of the original use of the foam and potential modifications such as outlet changes for fixed systems or orifice changes in proportioners. All this results in new foams, designed to a UL listing assuring its effectiveness, receiving a Greenscreen certification for safety of use, to be implemented in your facility.
3 Attendee Takeaways
- A high-level overview of available products, Greenscreen certifications, and designing to the UL listing.
- Selecting the best product based on the application.
- Retrofit component issues (foam compatibility and systems flushing/cleaning)