Title
Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Foam Testing Equipment
Description
This report requests the Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee to recommend that the City Council authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to spend $47,000 for a one-time purchase of NoFoam Systems (NoFoam) aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) testing equipment for the Aviation Department. The equipment consists of one portable system, one portable tank and hoses, five retrofit kits, and one portable hydrant meter, which will test the foam on five Station 19 apparatuses. Purchasing the AFFF testing equipment will allow the City to complete the 14 C.F.R. Part 139 required foam testing and confirm the correct consistency, according to FAA requirements, in the event of an aircraft crash or fire emergency requiring the use of the foam.
THIS ITEM IS FOR CONSENT ACTION.
Report
Summary
Fire Station 19 is required to complete foam proportioner testing every six months, which includes testing of the AFFF system to ensure the correct amount of foam is discharged at three percent. National Fire Protection Association and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines specify that the foam must fall within the allowable range for all foam discharges. In response to environmental concerns, the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) industry has developed several testing techniques that verify the correct amount of foam will be discharged by the foam proportioners without actually releasing any foam into the environment. The FAA has approved three AFFF testing vendors that are environmentally responsible. By using an AFFF system, Fire Station 19 can avoid introducing harmful chemicals into the environment and still produce an accurate test result for annual FAA Part 139 inspection.
In February 2020, the Aviation Department entered into a lease agreement with NoFoam, one of the FAA-approved AFFF system providers, to rent its AFFF system in order to comply with the 2020 annual FAA Part 139 inspection scheduled for April 2020 (later rescheduled to August or September 2020 due to the COVID-19 virus epidemic). NoFoam was the only vendor that offered a leasing option when the Aviation Department was exploring ways to comply with foam testing prior to the 2020 annual FAA Part 139 Inspection. The leased equipment is installed on all of Fire Station 19’s five foam-utilizing trucks and ARFF staff has been trained on how to use the AFFF system.
Procurement Information
In April 2020, the Aviation Department requested estimates from all three FAA-approved AFFF system providers. The providers were asked to provide quotes to purchase the following:
- Testing system for five AFFF foam trucks
- Installation
- Training (if offered)
The quotes provided were:
- NoFoam: $43,013
- Ecologic: $43,100
- Oshkosh: $73,500
Contract Term
This is a one-time purchase.
Financial Impact
The cost of the AFFF system will not exceed $47,000, unless there are unanticipated fees. Funds are available in the Aviation Department budget.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
This item was recommended for approval by the Phoenix Aviation Advisory Board on Aug. 20, 2020.
Location
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd.
Council Districts: 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by the Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Aviation Department.