When, why and where would anybody need water to be wetter than it already is? you wouldn't think so....would you?
Well here is an important need to have 'wetter' water at times, because it saves lives!!
Yup, in the world of closely compacted living spaces, lack of water and a constant risk of fire, the wetter the water the better in combating the fire.
But before we get int that, we need to discuss the different types of fires you get. This is important for the firefighters and their relative tools, as the incorrect tool would prove to be a disaster.
I use the example of throwing water on a fire that consists of oil only....that would just spread the fire and not help at all.
Different types of fire
- Class A: These are fires that consist of regular combustible items such as wood, paper, plastic and other solid items that would burn. Think of throwing a match into your dustbin....well the stuff in there that would burn!
- Class B: These are combustible liquids. Petrol, greases, tars, oils, paints (oil based) , gases and alcohols. Though cooking oils and fat are not part of this group
- Class C: When live electrical apparatus are involved. Apparently this group doesn't really exist?!?!
- Class D: Fires involving combustible metals
- Class K:* This is the group where cooking oils and deep fryer fats are involved
So for the case here, where we are discussing wetter water, we are dealing with the Class A and B fires that would use an 'extra wet' water in order to control the fire, since the other classes require a special type of extinguisher to work....like CO2 or powder.
I'm sure you've heard of the wetting agents in firefighting, it is commonly referred to as FOAM.
Firefighting foams have been in commercial use for over a 100 years now, and for the first 2 classes of fires, it is a wonderful resource to have.
It has multiple benefits to any firefighting team.
These include:
- Stretching the limited supply of water further. Think of a firetruck or plane that doesn't have a stream of water available to it. The further the water goes the better.
- Controls the extinguishing time and lessons it
- Stops the fire from starting up again after it has been extinguished
- Separates the fuel from the oxygen and the fuel surface
- Cools the fuel surface
- Prevents the vapours from releasing
Mixed in with water at a concentrate of from around 0.1% to 3 % (depending on whether class A or B fires), this makes the solution quite cost effective and useful to those fighting the fires.
Making water WETTER
This foam concentrate in fact increases the effectiveness of the water by 10x therefore making it 10 times wetter than in its natural form.
It will spread quickly over the object it falls on, whether a liquid or solid, and will allow it to get to use as soon as it's deployed onto the fire affected area.
Enough needs to be deployed so as to get into the cavities that would be hot and burning, and is able to do so because it is not too thick to fill those cavities.
The foam is often referred to as "wet water" (LOL).
So now you know, there is something that is more than just wet....it is wetter! And using this concentrate has saved many lives over the decades of use.
+99 points for the propeller heads on this one!