Three More Recipients Announced in the Intelagard Macaw® CAFS Backpack Giveaway

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), Intelagard, and National Foam have united to support the volunteer fire service by awarding nine NVFC members with a Macaw® Backpack compressed air foam system (CAFS) and nozzle kit, five gallons of Knockdown® firefighting foam, and four gallons of EasyDECON® DF200. Each package is worth $6,500. Winners are being announced monthly from June through August.

The Intelagard Macaw® Backpack provides versatile power in a totally independent and portable CAF system. More powerful than standard fire extinguishers, the multipurpose Macaw® can be used for fire suppression, exposure protection, mop-up, hazardous materials cleanup, and decontamination. National Foam’s Knockdown® foam is a unique, environmentally responsible Class A foam concentrate that provides unmatched firefighting performance and flexibility. Knockdown® is specially designed for use in Class A/B foam systems and is excellent for use in CAFS.

The latest three recipients of this award are the Coble Fire Department (Centerville, TN), Jacobstown (NJ) Volunteer Fire Company, and the City of Chowchilla (CA) Fire Department.

Coble Fire Department (Centerville, TN)
Coble Fire Department (CFD) is an all-volunteer department located in rural middle Tennessee. CFD’s 25 members serve a population of approximately 2,200 over 65 square miles, as well as provide mutual aid to surrounding departments, responding to an average of 160 calls annually. Receiving no local government support, CFD instead relies on donations from local citizens and organizations.

Additionally, as the result of an agreement signed with the local Emergency Management Agency, CFD provides county-wide hazardous materials response. Although a CAFS backpack would greatly aid in responding to hazmat emergencies, due to funding limitations, it would be difficult for CFD to make such a purchase on their own.

“This CAFS tool would be the ideal tool to have in place as a first arriving hazmat unit to mitigate and control the scene while determining what other resources are needed or waiting on further hazmat teams to arrive,” said fire chief Caleb Lovett. “Fast response and innovative tools such as this CAF system could have a real impact on the outcomes of fires in rural communities.”

Jacobstown (NJ) Volunteer Fire Company
Jacobstown Volunteer Fire Company (JVFC) is a 100 percent volunteer fire and EMS department located in rural central New Jersey. JVFC’s 29 volunteers protect 17 square miles and serve approximately 7,500 residents, responding to around 250 fires annually.

Located in a rural area, JVFC frequently responds to agricultural fires. With local farms primarily growing hay, a fire during the drier months of the year can mean the loss of the entire crop. Furthermore, in recent years, a number of solar farms have been built in JVFC’s response area, posing new challenges. With the alleys between arrays being as narrow as six feet, they lack equipment small enough to respond to grass fires under solar panels.

“[The CAFS backpack] would give a firefighter on foot the ability to extinguish or create a fire break in these alleys with the most effective firefighting agent currently available for this type of fire,” said department chief Robert Gancarz. “The CAFS backpack and foam would greatly benefit JVFC by increasing our capabilities on fire incidents.”

City of Chowchilla (CA) Fire Department
Located in California’s rural Central Valley, the City of Chowchilla Fire Department (CCFD) is a combination department composed of 24 volunteers and two paid firefighters. Serving approximately 18,000 citizens and protecting 17 square miles, CCFD responds to an average of 354 emergencies annually.

Over the past four years, CCFD has seen an increase in call volumes while struggling with a volunteer shortage and funding issues. As the homeless population has increased in Chowchilla, CCFD has had to respond to more emergencies in and around homeless encampments, many of which are located in environmentally sensitive areas such as nature reserves and parks. Furthermore, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CCFD excepts to see a 20 percent decrease in local government funding as the result of lost tax revenue, making the purchase of a CAFS backpack difficult.

“Our firefighters will be able to more quickly extinguish [homeless encampment] fires while protecting the environmentally sensitive areas surrounding these encampments,” said fire captain Justin White of receiving the donation. “Homeless encampments are often riddled with hazards. By utilizing a CAFS backpack, firefighters will be able to more effectively extinguish fires while maintaining a safe distance from known and unknown dangers.”

The remaining three recipients of the Intelagard Macaw® CAFS Backpack Giveaway will be announced in August. Stay tuned to the NVFC’s web site, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram pages, as well as the Dispatch newsletter for more information.

About Intelagard
Intelagard provides a full range of innovative compressed air foam systems ranging in size from man-portable to truck and trailer-mounted units. The Intelagard CAFS enhance the fire extinguishing properties of water and stretches firefighting power. When used with firefighting foam, these patented CAFS create a superior bubble structure that blocks oxygen to the fuel, suppresses vapors, and provides a cooling effect to the fire. After a 9-year process the U.S. Military chose the Macaw® Backpack as the “new standard of portable fire suppression equipment.” Intelagard systems are also used for hazardous material clean up, crowd control, and chemical and biological decontamination. Learn more at https://intelagard.com/.

About National Foam
National Foam is the recognized leader of firefighting foam systems which end-users have come to rely on. Capabilities include R&D, custom system design, field technical support, foam concentrates, and foam hardware for fixed and mobile response systems. National Foam supports customers over a wide range of sectors including major oil and petrochemical companies, international airports, military bases, power stations, harbors and ports, and local municipal fire and rescue services. Learn more at www.nationalfoam.com

About the NVFC
The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) is the leading nonprofit membership association representing the interests of the volunteer fire, EMS, and rescue services. The NVFC serves as the voice of the volunteer in the national arena and provides critical resources, programs, education, and advocacy for first responders across the nation. Learn more at www.nvfc.org.