Universal Stationary/Mobile NoFoam Unit (USNOFU) for Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Vehicles
Abstract
Fire-fighting guidelines and polices require regular discharge checks on all Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicles to ensure that each vehicle s onboard foam distribution system is functioning properly. These regular foam distribution system checks use a fire-fighting agent called aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) and generate significant amounts of AFFF wastewater. Despite its wide use and effectiveness, AFFF poses an environmental concern and raises questions about its long-term continued use because of high biological oxygen demand (BOD), high chemical oxygen demand (COD), and its extreme foaming capability. Also, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has expressed concern in regard to perofluorooctyl sulfonate (PFOS). PFOS is an active ingredient that makes AFFF an effective fire-fighting agent, but it has been classified as persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT). As a result, the AFFF wastewater resulting from foam distribution system checks can cause environmental hazard or damage. Besides the environmental concerns of AFFF wastewater discharges into the environment, the extreme foaming capacity of AFFF makes the recovery and treatment of spent AFFF difficult. In some regions, Department of Defense (DoD) activities are no longer allowed to discharge AFFF wastewater to industrial waste treatment plant facilities because of the potential for plant upsets. Hence, the costs for hazardous waste handling and the collection and disposal of AFFF wastewater are burdensome and disposal is a liability. Because of these environmental concerns and the prohibitive disposal and treatment costs of AFFF wastewaters, some activity fire departments are not performing the required regular discharge checks. This failure to perform the required checks is jeopardizing and, in some cases, prohibiting the fire fighters from meeting their mission requirements.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA607051
Entities
People
- Rance T. Kudo
Organizations
- Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command