FLOW TECHNOLOGIES Feature Story

Changing How Fires Are Fought

FoamPro® has improved the way fires are fought by decreasing the amount of water necessary to control a fire while rapidly decreasing the time required to cool a fire.  The FoamPro proportioner has proven itself an effective tool in a variety of contexts including forest fires in California, industrial environments like oil refineries, and residential environments. 

Fighting Fires With Foam

FoamPro proportioners, made by Hypro®, part of Pentair’s Flow Technologies business, have changed the way fires are fought.  Three times less water usage, faster knockdown, reduced property damage, improved firefighter safety, and healthier environmental practices are just a few of the benefits FoamPro provides compared to the traditional practice of using water alone in fighting fires.  

The technology used in FoamPro was first developed by Hypro at the request of the California Department of Forestry.  The technology was originally designed to measure chemicals and inject them into water for agricultural uses.  The resulting direct injection foam proportioning technology was adapted for use in fighting fires beginning in 1989.

While Class A foam has proven to be three to four times more effective than water alone in putting out fires, difficulties with early technologies limited its effectiveness in the field because  of limitations in the then available proportioning technologies. As a result, Hypro pioneered and perfected direct injection proportioning dramatically increasing the foam solution accuracy and ease-of-use, allowing firefighters to take advantage of its superior firefighting qualities, including quicker knockdown of fires and lower water usage.  FoamPro has also received  U.S. government patents for a newly developed High-Flow Foam Proportioning System that addresses many of the initial challenges using proportioners.

The FoamPro unit is mounted on all sizes and types of fire trucks, ranging from those used for forest fires to fire apparatus used to fight fires at industrial sites such as oil refineries. The proportioner measures water flow using microprocessors and electronic equipment.  Foam is then injected into the water stream at very precise percentages based on the context and type of fire; once set by the operator, operation is hands free. The proportioner unit takes on the responsibility of the technological complexity, allowing the operator and firefighters to focus on bringing the fire under control. “It’s very easy to use. You basically push a button and it takes control of proportioning requirements. It’s a flow-based system, so it changes automatically if the water flow changes,” said Mike Dupay, Marketing Manager for FoamPro.

FoamPro Called to Serve After 9/11

A few weeks after the disaster of 9/11, the New York City Fire Department requested use of the FoamPro product to cool the remaining smoldering rubble. Hypro personnel brought demonstration units to the site and spent five days around-the-clock helping at Ground Zero, treating more than 4 million gallons of water for ladder trucks. One of the proportioner units used at Ground Zero is currently on display in the Hypro lobby as part of a memorial to those who lost their lives on 9/11.

Systems in Place around the World

FoamPro systems perform in the harshest conditions on fire grounds around the globe.  FoamPro customers include not only fire departments but also landmarks such as Camp David and the Kennedy Space Center. FoamPro also serves numerous international markets including Europe, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, China, South Korea, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Africa, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

About FoamPro

FoamPro is one of many product lines offered by Hypro, a leading provider of the highest quality fluid handling products, systems and accessories. Hypro serves the agricultural, turf, car wash, pressure cleaning, fire service, marine and industrial markets, while seeking to identify and address new product and market opportunities where its capabilities and products can add value. Hypro markets products through  well-established distribution channels and direct to OEMs; and strives to add value to customers’ products by providing them with world-class, quality solutions for their specific needs.