Spanish company Auxquimia S.A has been awarded a contract to supply London Fire Brigade (LFB) with firefighting foam for the next two and a half years.
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| (L-r)Javier Castro (Auxquimia) AC James Knighton (LFB) Antonio Acuna (Auxquimia) Ray Dawber (Auxquimia) |
Auxquimia S.A will now supply the service with its polyfoam 3/3 AFFF-AR foam. The foam has been described as class IA in hydrocarbons and class IB in polar solvents.
It will be used on the fire service’s frontline pumping appliances and emergency response units. The company will also supply LFB with SF-60 High Expansion and TF-136 training foam, both described as fluorine-free foam concentrates.
The solution was chosen to extinguish both class A and class B fires as well as having a relatively low environmental impact, Auxquimia S.A said.
Tests were carried out on its foam by independent organisation, Bureau Veritas, as part of a mini tender controlled under a Firebuy process.
A spokesman said: “Because Auxquimia S.A training foam is fluorine free, and has very low impact on the environment due to low Chemical Oxygen Demand and Biochemical Oxygen Demand levels, this has allowed LFB to engage with the environmental agency, with the outcome being that they will now be allowed to start retraining fire fighters in the use of foam as a media to extinguish fires on several of their sites, something which has not been allowed for a number of years.”
In addition to emergency stocks in Spain and Auxquimia S.A has now UK stock to service both standard and emergency 24-hour requirements.
Managing director Antonio Acuna said: “It is a great privilege for Auxquimia S.A to be awarded the contract to supply LFB with their foam requirements. We are looking forward to building a lasting relationship with the Brigade. "
The company has been producing fire fighting and training foam concentrates for the last 35 years, and currently supplies to major petrochemical companies, airports, military bases, and fire brigades across Europe.