JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – 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. Many fire
departments around the country don't have the foam, don't have
enough of it or aren't well-trained in how to apply it,
firefighting experts say. It's 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. Accidents
involving ordinary cars and trucks aren't the major concern.
They carry modest amounts of fuel, and it's typically a low-
concentration, 10 percent blend of ethanol an