Firefighters should know it is not safe to apply plain water or foam to car fires. Modern cars have magnesium components that can include steering columns, seat frames, door frames, dashboards and transmission housings that explode violently as the high temperatures create hydrogen gas from the water (or foam) applied. Serious injuries have been reported from these explosions, not to mention damage to expensive turnout gear.
The solution is simple – add 3% F-500 Encapsulator Agent to your stream. The F-500 EA molecules form a protective skin around the droplets completely changing the way heat is removed from fire. An F-500 EA solution will not explode when it hits the magnesium and begins cooling, rapidly.
In addition, F-500 EA has been recommended by various organizations for car fires involving lithium-ion batteries. Also, the car may have ethanol-blended fuel or diesel fuel. F-500 EA handles both Class B polar and nonpolar fires. The fact that car fires are three-dimensional fires is what F-500 EA does best, since it cools and encapsulates fuels, instead of forming a blanket of foam.
In the United States, 24% of fires are car fires. Watch the video and think about firefighter safety.