Naples Airport Transitions to Fluorine-Free Firefighting Foam

“We acted promptly after an alternative was available for the benefit of the community.” That’s the way Executive Director Christopher Rozansky at the Naples Airport Authority describes how officials at the South Florida airport eyed the need to change the firefighting foam used at Naples Airport (APF). “Our dedication to environmental stewardship is synonymous with running a safe and efficient airport,” adds Rozansky.

The strategy for the South Florida airport is to replace aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), which contains toxic per- and polyfluoralkyl substances (PFAS), with new fluorine-free foam. As airport operations throughout the United States know, or are coming to know, PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down naturally in the environment. The synthetic chemical compounds are found in many common consumer products as well as in FAA-mandated aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) used by certified airports to extinguish liquid fuel fires.

As health and environmental concerns about PFAS intensify nationwide, Naples Airport Authority didn’t wait for cues from larger commercial airports. It pressed ahead and made APF the first airport in Florida to transition its aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicles to fluorine-free foam that does not contain controversial PFAS.

This June, the airport completed the process for two of its three ARFF vehicles: a 2006 Oshkosh Striker 1500 and a 2021 E-One Titan. During the $170,000 project, a team of internal personnel and external specialists prepared, serviced and cleaned the vehicles before refilling their foam tanks with new fluorine-free foam. The PFAS-tainted materials that remained were removed following Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines to ensure proper disposal.

The third ARFF unit used at APF, a 2008 rapid intervention vehicle, was not part of the project because its pumping system cannot use newer fluorine-free foams. So, the Naples Airport Authority is replacing it with a new $400,000 vehicle that can. Delivery of the new unit is expected by April 2025. Until then, ARFF crews continue using the current rapid intervention vehicle only if absolutely required.

Early Adopter

Last year APF logged about 119,000 operations, with traffic spiking for the winter tourist season. Despite its small size, it’s on the leading edge of a change that will eventually affect airports large and small throughout the country. FAA Aircraft Rescue Firefighting Specialist Jim Price, who observed the transition at APF explains that airports still have the option of staying with AFFF, or using both it and fluorine-free foam while transitioning to the latter. In the meantime, FAA “continues to recommend that airports use AFFF only during an actual emergency,” Price specifies. That is, AFFF should not be discharged to test dispensing equipment, which was previously standard procedure.

In May 2023, FAA published guidance for airports about changing over to fluorine-free foam. (See Facts & Figures on Page 30 for website reference.) By July of the same year, Naples Airport Authority was already underway with research and preparation—even before FAA-approved fluorine-free foam was commercially available, notes Barry Brown, director of Operations and Maintenance for Naples Airport Authority. In October 2023, the fluorine-free alternative ECOPOL A3+ from BioEx came on the market and later became the product of choice for Naples Airport Authority. It involved ARFF leadership in the decision-making process, even sending the fire chief to product demonstrations to ensure the best possible product was chosen. The project team reached out to peer airports and industry connections nationwide to gain insight on effectively navigating this important transition.

For instance, the team contacted personnel at Jackson Hole Airport, which transitioned to fluorine-free foam in late October 2023; and Eastern Iowa Airport, which changed over its ARFF vehicles in March 2024. The American Association of Airport Executives and the Florida Airports Council provided contact information and other resources.

Brown and his Operations and Maintenance staff were supported by several key figures from the Naples Airport Authority: Steven Kofsky, division chief of Emergency Management and Training; Raul Estrada, senior operations manager; and Linda Jackson Best, senior procurement and contracts manager. Joining them on site were Price (from the FAA); Montrose/ECT2, a company that specializes in PFAS remediation and the transition to fluorine-free firefighting foams; E-One, manufacturer of the Titan ARFF truck; and NoFoam Systems, which provided surrogate test liquid for foam proportioner equipment testing. VLS/Texas Molecular also consulted regarding the transport and disposal processes.

How it Happened

In about one year, Naples Airport Authority managed to assemble a team and complete the transition on two of its ARFF vehicles. That’s the short version of a complex, multi-step process that had to be exacting, given the serious safety and environmental implications.

Take how the vehicles were cleaned, for example. Two technicians from ECT2 spent several days using a specialty cleaning solution to remove as much PFAS mass as possible from the trucks and ready them for the new foam. David Kempisty, the company’s director of Emerging Contaminants, explains that the solution is effective because it has better performance characteristics than conventional tap water. Technicians further optimized the cleaning process by setting temperatures strategically and flushing the trucks for varying periods of time.

Then, NoFoam conducted testing and performed simulated runs using a surrogate test liquid to ensure that the trucks’ pumping systems were properly proportioning foam and water. As Kaare Holm, co-founder of NoFoam, explains, “For the transition from AFFF to F3 [fluorine-free foam], there is a special FAA emphasis on conducting an output-based discharge test of the proportioning system. This was done with a matching surrogate test liquid in lieu of discharging actual foam concentrate to make sure that the truck will perform correctly with the new foam.”

After testing confirmed successful proportioning, airport ARFF personnel cleaned the trucks and refilled the tanks with new fluorine-free foam, ECOPOL A3+ MIL SPEC from BioEx. With the support of certified mechanics from the city of Naples, they then recertified the two ARFF trucks. Finally, the airport’s stock of foam was replaced with ECOPOL. The $35,000 spent on new, more environmentally friendly foam is included in the overall $170,000 project price.

VLS/Texas Molecular removed the AFFF-tainted waste that was produced during the cleaning and changeover process. Frank Marine, PFAS business development manager for Texas Molecular, reports that roughly 1,100 gallons of AFFF, the same amount of rinse water and one 55-gallon drum of impacted solid debris were securely transferred according to local, state and federal environmental regulations.

In compliance with EPA guidelines, the company hauled the waste products to its hazardous waste treatment storage and disposal facility in Texas, where they were managed as if hazardous. Liquids were injected into deep underground EPA-permitted hazardous water wells.

Going forward, NoFoam will test foam proportioning equipment on the airport’s ARFF Striker vehicle, while the E-One Titan and rapid intervention vehicle have their own internal systems for FAA annual inspections. The company provides test equipment that allows airport personnel to test ARFF vehicles’ foam proportioning equipment on a regular basis using water instead of discharging foam. As Holm explains, “Naples Airport used our surrogate test liquid to verify and document that their trucks were proportioning correctly with the higher viscosity F3 [fluorine-free foam], after making the necessary proportioner adjustments to match the new higher viscosity foam.”

ECT2 provided the system to clean out the old foam; BIOEX supplied the new fluorine-free foam.

Changeover Challenges

Participants describe the transition to fluorine-free foam at APF as smooth but inherently complex.

For ECT2, the biggest challenge was identifying and plugging drain ports under the vehicles. “We had technicians from the truck manufacturer (E-One) on site to witness the process, and even they had a hard time identifying the sources of some drips and drops within the truck,” says Patrick McKeown, business development manager for ECT2. “This just goes to show how complex these vehicles are and the challenge associated with cleaning them.”

The team also encountered equipment challenges while calibrating the correct foam-to-water ratio for the new fluorine-free foam, which has higher viscosity than AFFF. To achieve the proper flow rate from the older of the two ARFF vehicles, airport personnel replaced a permeated steel plate that governs the foam proportioning.

As NoFoam President Lina Ramos sees it, the biggest challenge of such a complex project is keeping aware of the impact that each stakeholder has on a successful changeover. Steps such as hardware changes to compensate for viscosity differences, modifying truck mechanisms and more can all impact the outcome. She notes that it’s important to choose partners who can troubleshoot effectively because each ARFF vehicle responds uniquely to the change in foam viscosity, and the foam transition process is still relatively new.

Holm, credits Naples Airport Authority for fostering cooperation between the internal and external project participants. “The planning and communication that resulted made it possible for the multiple teams to be ready for their particular steps,” he explains. For example, “When the cleanout was completed, the firefighters would be ready to take that truck out to test; and after testing and passing the truck, the next truck could be taken out of service.”

Buying a new rapid intervention vehicle that can use fluorine-free foam proved to be surprisingly difficult due to supply chain delays for the chassis. To circumvent the two- to three-year backlog, Brown and his colleagues worked the phones and internet, combing the U.S. market for leads. They found a Ford F-550 chassis from E-One that fit the construction specifications for the new vehicle and had it shipped to the Kansas facility of Unruh Fire, which is assembling the vehicle. As a result, the overall delivery time was cut considerably, and is expected to be 12 to 16 months. The airport expects to take delivery of its new vehicle in April 2025.

Disposing the old rapid intervention vehicle will take some doing as well. “We expect that it will be sold at auction once all of its tanks, lines, nozzles and other components serving the foam system are removed and properly disposed of,” says Brown.

It took about five days to flush, test and recertify each vehicle.

Suggestions

Leaders involved with the project at APF have advice for other airports eyeing changeovers to fluorine-free firefighting foam. “Know your trucks as best as you possibly can,” says Brown. “And make sure you have your experts ready; that is, the right people involved and on site. If you’re going through the process and there’s a hiccup, then you will have someone nearby who can address it.”

He also recommends allowing plenty of time to make the switch, because taking an ARFF vehicle out of service for any length of time requires careful planning to ensure proper airfield coverage. For Naples Airport Authority, research and preparations lasted about one year, and it took crews about five days to flush, test and recertify each truck.

“Thoroughly think the process through” and “ask as many questions as you need to get comfortable with the process,” says Price, from the FAA. He also suggests meeting with city, county and state environmental representatives so they are on board with the project. On a more detailed level, Price says to have a conductivity meter to measure foam-to-water proportions, and to be ready with spare gaskets, O rings (which help maintain the effectiveness of firefighting systems and stop leaks) and other parts so there won’t be delays getting trucks back into service.

Marine, of Texas Molecular, emphasizes that although disposal of AFFF-impacted wastes is a small part of the overall project, it can have regulatory and risk implications. A comprehensive changeover plan must include an evaluation of disposal methods and companies, including their PFAS experience, capabilities and reduction of future liability, he adds.

Among McKeown’s recommendations: Do your research about the experience of potential vendors as well as their pricing and technical data. “Make sure you’re comfortable with the approach that your transition partner has laid out for you,” he adds.

Ramos, from NoFoam, encourages airports to learn from their peers. “Airports like Naples Airport and Jackson Hole Airport are pioneers but have come through the process with flawless execution,” she says.

Yes, You Can

Although the prospect of transitioning ARFF vehicles away from the old foams can seem daunting, it will soon be essential. So Brown offers encouragement to his counterparts who are beginning to consider or plan such projects.

“It doesn’t have to be a daunting task; it really doesn’t,” he says. “Put one foot down and the next one in front of it, and you get moving.”