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SERVPRO's Quick Response & Expertise Is What Separates Us From The Rest!
4/4/2022 (Permalink)
Airport Hanger Foam Suppression System Malfunction
Today's commercial and military aircraft are extremely expensive pieces of equipment. The hangars where these aircraft are stored and maintained are unique in their own right. On a given day these hangars are storing aircraft with a significant amount of flammable liquids on board. Aircrafts need regular maintenance and the activities performed during inspections provide several opportunities for a fire to start. Every airport hangar is outfitted with a complex fire suppression system that can fill a hangar with 15-20 feet of foam in a matter of minutes in the event of a fire. The foam will suppress any fire and keep it from spreading and causing additional damage to the aircraft and hanger.
When these foam suppression systems work properly they can save an airline or the military millions of dollars in damage. However there are occasions when these complex systems malfunction. When a malfunction happens, airlines find themselves buried (literally) in a huge mess of foam.
Recently, SERVPRO of East Louisville received a call from an airline at Standiford Field who found themselves in this exact situation. Earlier that morning as crews where performing routine maintenance checks on planes the alarms sounded. The crew was baffled when they heard the alarm sound, but they were even more shocked when the foam suppression systems starting dumping foam from all directions. Within minutes the whole hangar was filled with 15-20 feet of foam, halting all work, and causing a massive mess and headache for management.
SERVPRO crews worked day and night cleaning up the hangar, and the other offices affected by the foam. The majority of the foam dissipated and left the hangar with about 6 inches of oily water. In these situations where you have water that has been contaminated with chemicals the protocol is to work with an environmental company to make sure that the water is pumped out and disposed of properly to protect the environment.
Whether it's a residential or commercial job SERVPRO is always faster to any disaster. Our quick response and expertise is what separates us from the rest, and helps families and business get back normalcy.