In May of 2024 Governor DeWine ordered a recall on all Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) used by fire departments to aid in stopping high-hazard flammable liquid fires. AFFF agent was found to have forever chemicals that increases the risk of cancer. There were thirty-six fire departments in Northwest Ohio impacted by this recall. (EPA, 2024) This includes every fire department in Paulding County. This left the departments scrambling to replace the agent with a safer option. “The need for this agent is great; however, due to the cost for the product and the shipping it was going to be a fair amount for each department to cover, especially as none of us had budgeted in for new foam going into the fiscal year.” stated Mayor Lyons.
Paulding County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) found a new product, F500 Encapsulating Agent to replace the AFFF Agent. This new agent allows water to absorb more heat, making water more efficient at putting out fires and preventing fires from rekindling after extinguishment. The EMA worked with the Paulding County Area Foundation on a grant that would cover the cost of a pallet of the F500 Encapsulating Agent. By ordering the agent in bulk the shipping could then be waved, meaning every department would receive the new foam for free under the grant.
With the assistance of the EMA coordinating with all eight departments in the county, each were recipients of this grant. Without this grant, this product and its benefits may not have been available to the fire departments in the county. Collaboratively all Paulding County Fire Departments have expressed their appreciation of the Paulding County Area Foundation’s grant.
Reference:
Environmental Protection Agency, (2024, May 10) ‘Statewide Firefighting Foam Takeback Program Provides Collection in Wood County,’
