PUBLICATIONS
Vol.49 | No.7
$ 9.00
USAIG
JULY 2020 | a i n o n l i n e .c o m
Hangar fire foam systems: a solution looking for a problem? by Curt Epstein For FBOs, OEMs, and other hangar keepers, the inadvertent discharge of fire foam systems is a persistent and growing problem. Nearly everyone has seen photos taken in the aftermath of one of these events—a hangar filled with a thick layer of foam that can reach 10 feet high, spilling out on to the ramp in some cases. In a way, accidental foam discharge is like the social disease of the FBO industry. Those who have had one don’t like to talk about it with anyone outside of their insurance providers, and ditto for foam system installers and maintainers, in fear of stigma from current and prospective hangar customers. Yet, according to a study commissioned by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) from the University of Maryland’s Department of Fire Protection Engineering, since 2004 there have been at least 137 inadvertent hangar foam discharges—an average of one every six weeks. It’s a trend that has been increasing in frequency. Nicholas Methven,
senior v-p of insurance provider Global Aerospace and the author of a white paper on the topic, stated that the average value of foam discharge claims he has seen has been $1 million. NATA estimates the overall clean up and aircraft damage costs of those events at between $64 million and $235 million. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), considered the world’s foremost governing body on building fire code regulations for more than a century, addresses aircraft hangars under its 409 standard, which was last updated in 2016. While NFPA has no rulemaking authority on its own, its guidance is generally accepted as an industry standard and referenced by state and local governments when approving hangar construction. The 409 standard was established more than seven decades ago, at a time when the hangar cost more than the aircraft it was sheltering. These days, hangars might shelter several business jets, one of which alone
could be worth more than 10 times the price of the building. As aircraft increased in size and fuel capacity, fire authorities began to worry that sprinklers would not be able to adequately reach and fight any fuel spill fires that occurred under the ever-widening wings, which at the time had an unpleasant tendency to leak fuel onto the hangar floor. continues on page 34
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A ccidental hangar fire foam discharge is a growing problem in the aviation industry, with one event occuring on average every six weeks. The cleanup costs from each can involve numerous insurance claims and in some cases lawsuits, pitting aircraft owners and operators against hangar keepers and fire system providers.
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