Does fluorine-free foam offer equivalent performance and effectiveness on hydrocarbon fires?
Answer
Fluorine-free foams have generally demonstrated a different level of performance with regard to AFFF.
The lack of aqueous film-forming capability makes achieving initial fire suppression more difficult and affects resistance to re-ignition. This performance difference also depends on the type of flammable liquid or hydrocarbons to be extinguished.
However, many fluorine-free foams have demonstrated fire performance levels and effectiveness on kerosene that meet the minimum standards used to assess AFFF foams.
In practice, when using fluorine-free foam, the ability to achieve quick, complete and lasting suppression largely depends on the firefighters' capacity to create and maintain a uniform foam blanket.
In contrast, AFFF foams, with their aqueous film-forming properties, maintain better effectiveness even when the foam blanket is imperfect or degrades during the operation.
As a result, foam application methods and firefighter training are to be considered as critical when using fluorine-free foam than when using AFFF foam.