JACKSON, Wyo. — Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) has made a move to be more environmentally friendly and will transition to fluorine-free firefighting foam, known as F3, the airport announced Thursday.
Historically, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) required commercial airports to use firefighting foam that contains per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to fight fuel-based aircraft fires, JAC said. The Department of Defense certified the first F3 extinguishing agent in September.
The Airport says after the F3 extinguishing agent was approved they immediately initiated plans for its purchase. They received the F3 extinguishing agent liquid concentrate yesterday and has replaced the PFAS-containing agent in the fleet of firefighting vehicles. Two new firefighting vehicles have already been purchased and are expected in 2024.
For testing, the Airport says they continue “to use the FAA-approved foam testing system that can measure the mixture of water to foam as required to meet FAA requirements without needing to discharge any extinguishing agent.”
“The Airport is very pleased to have the F3 on-site and to have this new firefighting agent in our firetrucks,” Board President Ed Liebzeit said. “This is a huge step forward for our airport and the aviation industry. The Airport will continue working to monitor and mitigate PFAS at the Airport. With the FAA replacement product in hand, JAC is excited to be one of the first airports in the United States using the new foam.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PFAS are a group of chemical products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water. They do not break down in the environment, can move through soils and contaminate drinking water and can bioaccumulate in fish and wildlife.
JAC is located within Grand Teton National Park.
