Firewater (fire fighting)

Certain premises, including farms and the chemical industry, pose special risks because of the types of materials present.

One of the recognized techniques is to contain the firewater in the drainage system using pneumatic bladders or lockable non-return valves, which can be activated automatically or manually.

Many of the largest negative environmental impacts due to firefighting related activities occur because of firewater runoff, making its containment necessary.

[3] Compact and mobile filtration units are proposed for this task to contribute to the spray and foaming of contaminated water for firefighters.

Firewater containment and retention is an important issue because they can prevent the carrying of contaminants far from their sources through to connected bodies of water and neighboring areas.

Water used in treating a fire may pick up contaminants from the burning object then leak into the surrounding environment when poorly contained.

The 2013 Smethwick fire involved the burning of 100,000 t of plastic recycling materials and required 14 dam3 of firewater used for treatment within the first 12 hours of the initial burning, all pumped from the Birmingham Canal with the potential to disrupt the natural state of the canal and aid in the carrying of contaminated materials from the fire.

This also gives firefighters access to high velocity water flow, which is known to have reduced toxicity and polluted levels.