The Waldoboro and Jefferson fire departments have been learning about the fire extinguishing qualities of foam in a dual-departmental effort, that officers say, is the first after many years.
Waldoboro resident Dawn Burns donated a dilapidated house on the back of her property on the Chapel Rd. to both departments for a live structure fire exercise that took place Sept 9.
On Aug. 27, Jefferson Fire and Rescue joined the Waldoboro Fire Dept. in a live burn exercise, learning the extinguishing properties of Class B foam on an automobile fire. Waldoboro Fire Chief Paul Smeltzer said his department toured the Jefferson Fire and Rescue facilities and learned about foam properties and techniques from books, which they then applied to the car fire.
Jefferson firefighters then toured the Waldoboro Fire Dept. facilities and learned about Class A foam in preparation for the structure fire at Burns’ house.
The training, which involved some in-house course work, also covered the parameters of Class A foam, which firefighters used on the structure fire exercise in Waldoboro last week.
The house in the back portion of the Burns property was falling apart: shingles had fallen off, the wood was rotten and the windows were smashed. Next door to the house is a lean-to, which Burns has been using to shelter her horses.
Before firefighters began the exercise, Burns expressed her doubts about whether firefighters would be able to keep it from burning down. The lean-to was located a mere three feet from the house. Burns also said the wood is old and dry and feared it might catch fire from the radiant heat billowing from the house, once on fire.
Burns watched all of the nighttime activity from her outdoor horse pen, standing with her two horses. She said she wanted her horses to see what was happening. If they were in the barn, she said the horses might panic on smelling smoke and hearing the sounds of radio traffic, hoses spraying water, the sounds of machinery and chatter of firefighters and emergency medical service personnel.
Waldoboro EMS stood by in case firefighters would need rehabilitation services or to be available in the case of potential medical emergencies.
Firefighters drafted water from a pond located on the property. Several fire engines, pumper trucks, and a ladder truck were used in the exercise. Residents from neighboring houses stood back in the field to watch the activity from a safe distance.
Waldoboro firefighter Dale Smith, who was acting as the incident commander at the scene, said crews were attacking two fires. They were simulating a “room and contents” drill, where an attack team assesses the contents of a room and contains the fire while a back-up team feeds hose and stands by to help out.
Training officers from Jefferson and Waldoboro said they traditionally use foam as a backup and for clean up to ensure any smoldering areas are extinguished. Jefferson Fire Chief Sheridan Bond said the use of foam saves time.
Firefighters put the foam extinguishing capabilities to the test in their efforts to save the lean-to. Walter Morris, Jefferson Assistant Fire Chief and Training Officer, used a thermal imaging camera to determine the hottest spots on scene.
He found the areas where firefighters had not applied foam reached upwards of 1200 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas the outside walls of the lean-to, which firefighters had doused with the Class A foam, never got above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Smeltzer said radiant heat from the blazing house was heating up a nearby engine. When he told firefighters to attack flames on the house located nearest the engine using foam, it cooled the truck down rapidly, he said.
People might cringe at the price for foam, but according to Bond, it’s worth paying for. He said Class A foam costs $25 per gallon. They then mix the foam with water, the proportions of which vary depending on its applications.
It is expensive, Bond said, but where it saves time, water and effort, the foam actually saves money in the long run, particularly when used on fully involved structure fires.
According to information gleaned from wikipedia.com, Class A foam was developed in the 1980s for fighting wildfires. Class B foam was developed for flammable liquids. Fire departments need the special foam to contain potential Boiling Liquid Evaporating Vapor Explosions (BLEVE).
“This is great,” Smeltzer said. “We can all read about it, but this hands-on experience is an incredible opportunity for these firefighters.”
Smeltzer said his first goal coming on as a new fire chief was to ensure department training and to keep firefighters in the department interested.
“I can’t believe we saved that building,” he said, turning to face the blazing skeleton next to a lean-to where steam rose into the night sky.
Chief Bond said the two departments have a lot in common and for the first time are working and training together. Morris and Smeltzer brought the two departments together for the training.
Smeltzer plans for his department to train with the Warren Fire Dept. to learn about ethanol.
The Warren Fire Dept. covered the town of Waldoboro for the duration of the exercise. Firefighters from the Whitefield Fire Dept., eager to help out, covered the town of Jefferson.
