Arcadis has formed a mutual partnership agreement with market leading fire protection engineers Hawkesfire to provide holistic support for the transition to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) free firefighting foams.
UK Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) regulations have placed restrictions on the use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), its salts and PFOA related compounds. Several of these were commonly used in the production of firefighting foams.
Under the new partnership, key services will include:
- Testing of existing foam concentrates for PFAS using Total Oxidisable Precursor (TOP) Assay to determine whether replacement and stockpile notification is required.
- Decontamination of existing fire suppression systems and equipment using the proprietary cleaning reagent Fluoro Fighter, which has been designed and proven to effectively remove PFAS from fire suppression systems.
- Arcadis work alongside market leading industrial cleaning experts Harpers for safe and robust decontamination which minimises system downtime. This includes foam concentrate removal and waste management.
- Robust validation using multiple lines of evidence to demonstrate effective cleanout.
- Cost benefit analysis to provide clients with the most cost-effective solutions (i.e. cleanout of existing equipment against direct replacement).
- Environmental services for PFAS management including wastewater treatment, site evaluation and restoration, portfolio risk screening, regulatory liaison, and product stewardship.
- Design, supply & installation of fire suppression systems and supply of market leading fluorine free foam concentrates. Engineering services to support compatibility of equipment with fluorine free products.
UK PFAS Lead at Arcadis Jake Hurst said: “We’re proud to have formed this partnership with Hawkesfire, which provides a turnkey solution to our clients supporting a clean transition to fluorine free foams. With our multidisciplinary approach, we can ensure fire suppression systems are safe and tailored to the end use while effectively managing PFAS now and into the future.”
