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Catching up with technology

News - Spring Hill

Written by Chase Jordan

Wednesday, 15 April 2009 08:00

Firefighters practice putting out a fire using a mixture of foam and water at an abandoned house on Friday. The method is expected to improve firefighters’ experience in putting out fires. (Photo by Chase Jordan)

Wayne Roach has been fighting fires and saving lives for more than 10 years.

As a captain for Johnson County Fire District No. 2, Roach spends time helping people in his community.

“It’s one of the biggest things I can do,” Roach said. “I give back to the people in my community.”

He also helped others miles away from the district he covers. In June 2007, he was deployed to Coffeyville to help during the floods.

On Friday, Roach and his fellow firefighters joined departments from Lawrence and to learn a new technique for putting out fires. Roach said the experience was unreal.

The new technique was using Compressed Air Foam Systems. Jeff Johnson, fire chief for Johnson County Fire District No. 2, said CAFS are four times more effective than water. The system consists of a mixture of foam, water and air.

“It extinguishes fires faster with less water damage and grabs smoke particles in the air,” Johnson said. “It scrubs the atmosphere, improves visibility and drops the temperature.”

On Thursday, a camera with a thermal measuring device was used inside an abandoned house near the Sycamore Ridge Golf Course that was used for the training. A ceiling temperature originally read 900 degrees. After CAFS was used, the temperature dropped to 150 degrees.

“The whole concept of CAFS is nothing like traditional fire fighting,” Johnson said.

He said the department will start using CAFS this week, even though the technology has been around since the 1930s. The system was used in the United States in the 1970s to combat wild forest fires.

The department began studying the latest trends and technology about 18 months ago when the fleet needed to be replaced. The new fire trucks required training.

“Before it was plain water, putting the wet stuff on the red stuff.” Johnson said. “Now we’re putting the white stuff on the red stuff.”

The six-day training was conducted by trainers from Pierce Manufacturing, including Clarence Grady, an application manager for pumps and foam equipment. A small fire using wood pallets and other chemicals was made in the house. Johnson said the foam technique will be applied to bigger fires in May and June.

Johnson considers Grady the godfather of CAFS. Grady was involved in the research of CAFS during the 1970s and 1980s.

“Plain water has a number of limitations,” Grady said. “Water beads up and falls off things.”

Grady said the technology can save water, which is precious in rural areas where water is mostly stored in a tank.

“Three gallons of foam are used for every one gallon of water,” he said.

Grady said CAFS has been around for a while, but new developments are allowing departments to use the system.

“Worldwide, we’re in the same boat,” Grady said.

The new method not only puts out fires faster, but it will also help save the lives of firefighters.

“It’s a lot easier, and crews do not get stressed out as fast,” Grady said.

With 13 years under his belt, Roach knows firsthand how heavy a water line can be. The foam equipment makes the line 60 percent lighter. A 2 ½ to 3-inch line usually requires two to three to use with standard water operations.

“This is the future,” Roach said. “This is how we combat fire from now on.”

Roach said the fire and heat aren’t the main cause of fatalities of firefighters, but instead, it’s problems such as cardiac arrest.

“It’s about working smarter, not harder,” Roach said.

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