Lawton airport will change the foam it uses to fight aviation fires

Lawton Fire Department will change the type of foam it uses to fight fuel fires, most notably, those associated with aircraft.

Members of the Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport’s governing board gave the go-ahead for that change Tuesday, reacting to concerns from firefighters about the AFFF (aqueous film forming foam) used at Fire Station No. 2. That fire station, on the northern edge of the airport, is home to the specially trained firefighters who respond to aviation emergencies.

Airport Director Barbara McNally said the fire department has been using AFFF for at least 25 years, but discussions have begun about discontinuing its use because of the toxic nature of the foam. Research indicates that chemicals in the mix don’t break down easily and essentially remain in the soil and blood “forever,” McNally said. While existing regulations allow the foam to be used for real fires and emergencies with flammable liquid, it cannot be used for training purposes, she said.

That’s why firefighters have been researching alternatives to the foam, with the first option abandoned because that chemical turns to gel inside fire lines. Firefighters are focused on a new chemical, at least one that is new to the U.S.

Deputy Fire Chief Brent Baggett said while the foam is new here, it has been used successfully in Europe and Canada for at least 20 years. There are some issues with that new chemical, including the fact it is more costly than AFFF. And, there will be a cost for conversion, to include cleaning the AFFF from fire lines.

Baggett said Lawton Fire Department has about 800 gallons of the AFFF on hand, explaining the department purchased the chemical in bulk and stored it. It’s not used often and the nature of its use — fuel fires — means it is mostly used at the airport’s fire station, but even that station rarely uses it, Baggett said.

There are other issues, to include the fact there is only one source in the U.S.

“It’s exclusive,” Baggett said, adding that efforts are under way to expand the availability of the foam, to include opening a manufacturing facility in this country.

But its frequency of use is an argument in its favor.

“It lasts forever,” Baggett said.

Fire Chief Jared Williams said while fire departments haven’t been ordered to transition to a new foam, Lawton Fire Department is “trying to get ahead of the curve” in taking that step now.

McNally said airport officials want to do their due diligence, in terms of converting to the new foam and handling the cleanup. Both are costs that belong to the airport, and discussions are under way to determine definitively if Lawton will use the new foam and the cost of that conversion (officials say a rough estimate is $75,000 to $100,000). Those details will be analyzed by the Lawton Metropolitan Area Airport Authority’s development committee, which will make a recommendation to the full board, a decision McNally and Baggett expect in the next few months.

“As soon as you come up with funding,” Baggett said.

McNally said conversion is an issue every airport in the country is facing.

“I’ll bring back a recommendation,” she said, adding she expects the topic to come up when the FAA does its annual inspection of the airport.