Fire Engines Photos

Hey Marcel could you please tell me what purpose this truck serves? with thanks from Tiger.


Added by Tiger on 09 May 2011.

Hi Tiger,
This unit is a compact fire tender. It can fight fires with the One Seven foam system (sort of CAFS). Behind this vehicle they have a low pressure Rosenbauer Fox pump on a trailer. Very useful vehicle in the small inner-city. It can transport 6 fire fighters.

Added by Marcel on 09 May 2011.

Marcel, Tiger:

The One-Seven is indeed a self-contained CAFS installation. With a 750 liter tank, a six minute 125 LPM compressed air foam line can handle a fairly serious fire, such as a residential one-room or a fully involved car fire. It can of course also be used for the initial attack on any larger problem while the trailer pump is being hooked up and engaged.

Added by Rob Johnson on 26 November 2017.

Some fire services are now actually reducing the water tanks on their newest full size pumpers because these have a CAF system. Vienna is a good example.

This means they can carry more other equipment in the locker space that is freed up.

CAFS utilization has been proven to reduce fire extinguishment time by between 40% and 60% in structure fires for the same water flow rate.

As a result, only about half the water is needed, compared to a standard high pressure hose reel.

The One Seven system is named for the fact that their CAFS increases the volume of foam to 7 liters for every liter of water - but this does not mean it is seven times as effective in real world situations!

But it does prove to be two or three times faster than a high pressure reel - as well as having significantly greater reach, so firefighters can stay further back in a cooler part of the burning structure.

Added by Rob Johnson on 24 January 2019.

Comment removed at request of Commentor

Surprising then that brigades such as Paris, Berlin and Vienna - among scores of others - have standardized this equipment and use it frequently on exactly the types of fires you describe.

Perhaps they have a different SOP?

Added by Rob Johnson on 01 February 2019.

Andy:

Following on your comment about CAFs use in interior firefighting in Europe, I have just read a report by the VFDB, which is the official German Fire Research Authority.

Knowing that CAF is widely used in Germany - as well as many other countries - for structural firefighting, I thought I should get some facts.

This 77 page report addresses all aspects of CAF usage at structure fires in great detail, and includes a section covering the flashover risk you mention.

It specifically concludes that CAFS actually reduces the risk of flashover. The tactics are to open a doorway a few inches, apply foam to the ceiling, close it again, and then repeat if necessary before fully opening the door.

There is nothing to indicate that CA foam at normal nozzle pressure of 7 to 10 AT is not sufficient to be effective with an air ratio between 1:1 and 2:1 and a solution at around 0.3%.

In addition, US research by NFPA has concluded that deployment of CAFS reduces complete extinguishing times in enclosed rooms with identical fuel loads and internal temperatures by half, with less water damage and less exertion by the personnel involved.

Added by Rob Johnson on 03 February 2019.

Interesting also that BMT - who built this unit - has recently supplied 26 DAF pumpers to one of the Dutch regional fire services. Built by Ziegler, these have no high pressure circuit on the pump, and the dual hose reels are both designed to supply CA foam, which can in addition be delivered through a conventional 45 mm outlet.

It appears that in this fire brigade the high pressure reel is being replaced entirely by CAFS for interior firefighting, and they are not alone...

Added by Rob Johnson on 04 February 2019.

I learned recently that the switch to CAF for interior firefighting in the Netherlands - and the discontinuation of high pressure water hose reels - was the result of studies following the deaths of three firefighters who were caught in a backdraft, after attempting to extinguish a confined space interior structure fire using high pressure hosereels.

I have also discovered an alternative CAFS SOP which is widely deployed in Germany. This involves smashing a small hole in the door, or punching out the lock, and applying foam without first opening the door at all. This is a creative "home made" alternative to using a Fognail or Cobra Cold Cutter...

Added by Rob Johnson on 05 March 2019.

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