A foam fire suppression system is a type of wet sprinkler system that combines both water and a foaming agent for large scale fire extinguishment.
This water-based fire sprinkler suppression system can extinguish extensive fires in mere seconds with incredible efficiency.
The “foam” in foam fire suppression systems is an extinguishing agent that can extinguish flammable or combustible liquid by cooling and separating the ignition source from the surface. The foam suppresses and smothers fire and vapors alike. It can also prevent reignition. It is also known as “firefighting foam.”
This foaming agent is made up of small air-filled bubbles that have a lower density than water. Foam is made up of water, foam concentrate, and air. Different manufacturers have their own foam solutions and concentrate. The proportion of foam to water depends on the application. Foam suppression systems extinguish fire by separating the fuel from the oxygen. In more technical terms, these systems are used to “cool the fire and coat the fuel which prevent contact with oxygen and reduce combustion ability.”
In this way, the extinguishing agent (the foam) smothers or blankets the surface of the fuel. The water content of the foam then cools the fuel and covering the fuel to prevent reignition via flammable vapors.