Drafting & Foam Operations training for VFDs

During a multi-agency training session at Swedes Park, Lieutenant Rodger Turner of the Crystal Beach Volunteer Fire Department detailed the vital mechanics of rural water supply and foam application techniques. Drawing on over three decades of firefighting experience—including 21 years with the Deer Park Volunteer Fire Department and 25 years on Dow Chemical’s industrial emergency response team—Turner highlighted how local departments coordinate when standard municipal fire hydrants aren’t readily accessible.

Mastering the Water Shuttle and Drafting Operations

When fighting fires on the peninsula, firefighters face unique infrastructure constraints. Local regulations prohibit fire engines from directly pumping off municipal hydrants; hydrants may only be used to fill supply tanks. To maintain a continuous water stream at the fire ground, departments establish a water shuttle operation utilizing portable drop tanks and mobile water tenders (tankers).

During water shuttle operations, firefighters rapidly deploy a portable folding drop tank—such as the 1,650-gallon training tank used during the drill—while the primary pumper engine drafts water directly out of this portable reservoir to supply the attack lines. Mobile tankers carrying roughly 2,000 gallons of water then dump their payload into the drop tank and immediately depart to refill at a nearby hydrant. Because a typical round trip to refill takes about 15 minutes, departments coordinate at least two tankers cycling in continuous rotation to prevent running out of water during large structure fires.

“On structure fires here on the peninsula, we’ll get two tankers going back and forth to the hydrant so we never run out of water.” — Lt. Rodger Turner, Crystal Beach VFD

Precision Foam Deployment for Class A and B Fires

While water remains the primary extinguishing agent, departments carry concentrate on board for specialized scenarios where water alone is insufficient. Turner demonstrated how foam is metered and deployed using an inline foam eductor and specialized nozzles:

Foam plays an essential role in combating Class B flammable liquid fires by creating a vapor-suppressing blanket that smothers the fuel. When tackling hydrocarbon fuels like petroleum products, which produce heavy black smoke, firefighters utilize a 3% foam-to-water ratio. However, because polar solvents and alcohol-based fuels burn significantly hotter and can rapidly degrade standard foam blankets, crews must increase the eductor proportioning setting to 6% to build a durable, thick barrier.

Foam may be used on deep-seated Class A fires like densely packed hay bales. The foam solution contains surfactants that lower the surface tension of water, allowing it to penetrate deep into burning materials rather than running off the surface.

Nozzle selection plays a role in foam application, with aerating nozzles mixing air into the discharge stream to produce a fluffy, highly expanded foam blanket that is ideal for smothering close-range spills. In contrast, standard nozzles produce a denser foam mixture that travels substantially further, allowing crews to attack fires safely from a greater distance.

Strengthening Regional Response Through Joint Training

The Swedes Park drill brought together three neighboring peninsula fire departments to practice joint drafting and water relay operations. Because rural and volunteer departments frequently rely on mutual aid during major structure fires, Turner emphasizes holding regional training sessions at least quarterly. Coordinating these exercises ensures seamless communication, unified command, and faster setup times when every second counts on scene.