Jeremy Casey from the FAA Airport Technology Research & Development (ATR) branch attended a test at Dallas Fort Worth Fire Research Training Center on June 18-20, 2024. This test was of a surrogate fluid for replacing fluorine-free foam (F3) concentrates during output- and input-based proportioner testing. The results showed that surrogate fluid can simulate the increased viscosity of the F3 concentrates. Each fluid must be matched with the foam it represents. However, due to issues with the truck used in testing, it was not determined if the F3 concentrates could be replaced in output-based testing. This testing event provided an opportunity to learn about new techniques to check the proportioning rate on airport rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicles.

Jeremy Casey | Jeremy.P.Casey@faa.gov