Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Another Ethanol Problem: FireFrom
Chris Blank of the Associated Press: The nation's drive to use
more alternative fuel carries a danger many communities have
been slow to recognize: Ethanol fires are harder to put out than
gasoline ones and require a special type of firefighting
foam.Read the rest here. Many fire departments around the
country don't have the foam, don't have enough of it, or are not
well-trained in how to apply it, firefighting experts say. It is
also more expensive than conventional foam. "It is not unusual
to find a fire department that is still just prepared to deal
with traditional flammable liquids," said Ed Plaugher, director
of national programs for the International Association of Fire
Chiefs. The problem is that water doesn't put out ethanol fires,
and the foam that has been used since the 1960s to smother
ordinary gasoline blazes doesn't work well against the grain-
alcohol fuel. Wrecks involving ordinary cars and trucks are not
the major concern. They carr