Foam producing machine for firefighting, Glasgow, Scotland

May 10, 1966 - New firefighting Machine. A firefighting machine - called the high-speed foam generator - was yesterday put through its paces. The machine filled a dockside shed with 6 ft. of smothering foam. The bubbles crept over barriers and spilled along the floor towards test fires lit in the shed. Within 15 minutes the fires, of wood, paraffin and rags, were smothered. The demonstration, at Glasgow, was watched by Councillors and members of the fire brigade. Perched on a platform in the shed, they watched firemaster George Cooper give the order to switch on the generator. In a few minutes the machine running at one-third speed covered a mock-up area of a house with bubbles. The generator costs 50 and can produce 31, 150 gallons of bubbles a minute. It consists of a petrol engine driving a fan which draws in a mixture of water and liquid detergent. The mixture is passed through a fine nylon mesh and emerges as a flow of white bubbles which can be led through canvas tubes into any structure on fire. Mr Cooper explained, It would be used principally for tackling blazes in basements and ships holds. In a smoke-filled basement a direct jet of water can be blocked by pillars and packing cases and never reach the seat of the fire. Our river of bubbles flows round every obstacle and covers the whole area. The foam is harmless and non-staining and a person can breathe quite comfortably in the middle of it. And when it subsides it leaves virtually no water damage to property. Photo shows The Foam Fireman. Assistant Chief Firemaster, John Watt, wades through a sea of foam, during the demonstration of the new revolution in firefighting

Picture No

13254824

Media ID

47022496

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5506px x 4473px (914KB)

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Editorial Use Only - No Property or Model Releases. For any non-editorial use, please contact Mary Evans direct

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Keystone