VIDEO: A plan is officially a go to help Ottawa County fire departments fight any chemical fires that come their way.
The Ottawa County Board of Commissioners last week approved using $125,000 in federal coronavirus relief funding to buy three foam-filled trailers uniquely designed to suppress chemical fires.
Chemical fires are much harder to put out than an average house fire, needing a special foam that starves the flames of fuel.
“Fire foam is so unique in that it literally smothers a chemical fire,” Ottawa County Commissioner Jacob Bonnema told News 8. “It puts it out almost immediately. It’s almost shocking how quickly it will address a fire.”
Fire departments across Michigan used to have the foam. But the material was discovered to have PFAS, the ‘forever chemical’ linked to cancer.