Is on-site Fire performance testing necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of an extinguishing agent at an airport?
Answer
The legal provisions set in the Aerodrome regulation or in ICAO documents neither require nor recommend conducting on-site fire performance tests under airport condition (to be distinguished from on-site tests for verifying the compatibility of foam concentrate with the vehicles).
However, when selecting a foam concentrate, best practices should be adopted to ensure that the conditions under which the foam's performance was previously assessed (such as dosage, foam quality, and testing temperatures) match the conditions encountered at the airport or provide an acceptable level of performance.
If needed, especially when operating in temperatures that differ significantly from those experienced during the tests, it is recommended to consult the foam manufacturer for more information about the impact of temperatures on the foam performance.
Additional tests at a testing center may also be considered, or, ultimately, on-site tests if replicating the airport's specific conditions elsewhere proves too difficult.