During a fire last week, we completely depleted what was left in a foam tank on Engine 6 (Class A foam) and in two Pro/pak foam systems (A/B foam). It is our duty to return the apparatus to service after each run, so we started looking for the Class A foam to refill the tank with.
In our search of the station, we found the following:
495 gallons of one brand of Class A foam in 55-gallon drums;
30 gallons of another brand of Class A foam;
25 gallons of another brand of Class A foam;
15 gallons of still another Class A foam;
55 gallons of one brand of universal A/B foam; and
10 gallons of another brand of universal foam.
In total, that's 565 gallons of Class A foam and 65 gallons of A/B foam. What were we thinking when we bought foam? I couldn't tell you, but I know we're not the only department that does this. Departments across the United States buy gobs of stuff they think they need when the stuff is sitting somewhere in a station not being used. It was purchased "just in case" and then quickly forgotten about. So, the next time you prepare to buy something, make sure you don't already have 630 gallons of it already sitting around.
