AFCEC takes steps to standardize fire suppression system testing

  • Published
  • By Susan Lawson
  • AFCEC Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Inadvertent releases of fire suppression foam can be damaging and costly to the Air Force while putting delicate aircraft at risk. Judy Biddle, hangar fire suppression subject matter specialist at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, is working to resolve this issue for Air Force installations worldwide.

Biddle and other AFCEC personnel began developing a new process to standardize fire suppression systems at Air Force hangars after identifying an issue that caused the hangar fire suppression system to be inadequate at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, in 2013. Two years later, the acceptance testing standardization process has begun.

Hill personnel held three hangar acceptance tests in October as part of the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter bed-down. Biddle attended final acceptance test commissioning, or FAT, for the hangar fire suppression systems. Each FAT provides an opportunity to see the fire suppression systems in action, allowing Biddle to evaluate the systems for proper functioning.

"The importance of commissioning is to verify the systems perform as designed: to put out a fire should one occur, while limiting damage to the aircraft," Biddle said.

The commissioning is the first step in standardization across the Air Force. In the past, hangar commissioning had been subjective depending on the construction agent fire protection engineer. Now, a well-defined process ensures the same standard is met at every Air Force base.

"The FAT testing at Hill Air Force Base was something for our history books as it is a first for all of the Department of Defense," Biddle said. "It will change the way we do things in DOD and help shape industry standards."

Over the past year, AFCEC funded a hangar study to determine the causes of inadvertent hangar foam activations and identify a way ahead to eliminate or minimize occurrences.  Part of that effort identified the need to standardize the Air Force's involvement with hangar plan review, fire suppression system acceptance testing, civil engineer maintenance and hangar occupant training.

"This will help us get the word out, create vital training and visual displays, and overall help eliminate or minimize activations," Biddle said.

The FAT commissioning was also attended by Naval Facilities Engineering Command Fire Protection Engineer, Taylor Hudson, a 35-year veteran of hangar fire suppression systems, in addition to fire alarm and suppression system maintenance personnel, members of the base fire department and base engineering flight, and contractors.

Hill is working closely with AFCEC as it prepares for nine more hangars to become operational.

"Having Ms. Biddle and Mr. Hudson fly in for these tests was an incredible learning experience and ensured the development of a standardized and effective test method," said Jeffrey Beck, assistant chief of fire prevention at Hill.