Read the full article by Marina Schauffler (Maine Morning Star)
This article is the first in a series, A Fire Hose of ‘Forever Chemicals,’ which can be seen in entirety here.
During 21 years working as a municipal firefighter, ‘I had hyper-exposure’ to foam, recalled Jim Graves, director of training at the Maine Fire Service Institute. Graves entered the fire service at age 17 and was later sent to ‘foam firefighting school,’ a week-long training in the selection and use of these chemical fire-suppression agents.
Fires are classified by the material ignited, and only Class A fires — involving wood, cloth, rubber and some plastics — respond well to water. Class A foam is typically used on structural fires because it penetrates into materials to quell flames quickly. Class B or aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF, called ‘A triple-F’) targets flammable and combustible fuel fires, which water can spread.”…