District switches to safer foam

As of January 2024, the Point Roberts fire department has switched to PFAS-free firefighting foam. It is one of the first fire district in the county to do so, according to fire chief Christopher Carleton.

Firefighting foams form a ‘blanket’ over liquid fuels and flames that acts as a barrier preventing flammable vapors from escaping which helps both to extinguish the fire and to prevent additional ignition. Fluorine-free foam do not contain PFAS and use the same mechanism in knocking down flames.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are lab-made chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Some of these chemicals have been in commercial use since the 1940s. PFAS are very stable, do not break down easily and can stay in the environment and the human body for a very long time. They have been called the ‘Forever chemicals’ and can be found in non-stick cookware, ski wax, Scotchguard, coatings for paper and cardboard food packaging and elsewhere.

The chemicals have been associated with elevated risks of cancer, immune responses, metabolic syndromes, developmental issues, and reproductive effects. These chemicals are classified as potential endocrine disruptors. In other words, very nasty stuff. PFAS has been found in drinking water, rain falling over the Great Lakes, snow in the Antarctic – it is thought to be present in the blood of almost every American.

“We had all the systems flushed out of the trucks last November and then we switched out to PFAS- and PFOS-free foams since then,” Carleton told commissioners at their regular meeting in June. Asked by commissioner Norm Katz when firefighters use the foam, the chief replied, “We use them on all fires. It gives us better fire suppression plus it helps not having fires re-kindle.”