183rd Air National
Guard Aviation Crash Crew

Captain Neely explains the nozzle operation on this Crash Truck.

Aircraft fires are very, very hot.  Military aircraft have an extra danger because of the weapons that may be on the aircraft.  This crash truck is equipped with two nozzles, one on the top and the one that Captain Neely is touching in this picture.  The fireman sit inside behind a fireproof glass while they operate the nozzles.  I've seen this equipment in operation in the Philippines at Subic Bay Naval Air Station and even with this fireproof cabin the fireman are wearing full Asbestos suits with full coverage helmets and face shields which look similar to a space suit.

The hoses spray a combination of water and a foaming agent to prevent reflash of the fire.  The water puts the fire out and the foam provides a cooling, carbon dioxide rich covering keeping the air away from the spilled fuel.

I don't know if the foam is the same composition used in the Navy,  but the foam that was used on the USS Kitty Hawk came in five gallon containers and we were taught, in survival school that the foam could be used for food in an emergency situation. 

Hi Jeff,

First off, really enjoyed what I saw on your website. My hat is off to you for what you are doing for the young ones. You and I  somewhat parallel each other in some ways. I am a disabled fireman/paramedic LA CITY FD 15 yeas and was with the USAF FD 7 years prior. I was home schooling early on with our children however when the last injury put me off the job my wife walked out on me. Very painful cause I loved doing all kinds of things with the kids. So, I am so glad to see the things you are doing.

I was active duty 1976 to 1981 and than was a GS-5 @ Edwards AFB prior to LAFD. Please disregard this info on the foam if  someone has already mentioned this to you. I believe the foam you were talking about when you were in the Navy was the old  'protein' foam. This was made out of pig or ox blood. That is the only thing I could think of when you had said about eating the foam in case of emergency. That foam went out of use when I was in the  AF. We had it in MS. It was a disgusting substance. It  was used to foam the runway mostly and if memory serves me correctly, if it was used for firefighting, it was 'rolled on  to the  fire' as opposed to the AFFF which is what most fire departments use for petro type fires. I did also work at  our 'crash' station at LAX before going off duty injured. With AFFF in the hands of someone experienced, is applied by 'raindrop' effect. Of course one has to know how this is done. The cleanup is so much nicer than the old protein foam. And, I may be wrong regarding the 'edible' status of this foam

Just thought you may like that info. I really enjoyed your info on the F16 afterburner vs. F14's.

Keep up the good work.
Sincerely, 
Greg Telian