From the streets of downtown Columbia to the backroads of rural Harrisburg, Missouri-grown soybeans are playing an unexpected role in helping firefighters protect communities across Boone County. Firefighting foam has long been used to make water more effective by helping it penetrate burning materials, cool fires more quickly and reduce the amount of water needed to extinguish flames. While it is commonly associated with fuel fires, many fire departments use foam on outdoor, structural and vehicle fires as well. 
Though foam is not a new tool used by the Boone County Fire Protection District to fight fires, Cross Plains Solutions’ SoyFoam is a new addition to the firefighters’ toobox..
“We use foam for every fire,” says Lt. Kaila Pollard, life safety manager for the Boone County Fire Protection District. “Being in a more rural area, foam allows our water to go further.”
After seeing the product demonstrated, department leaders decided to make the switch almost immediately.
“As soon as we saw how good the product was when it was demoed, we made the switch,” says Norm Hinkle, assistant chief of the Boone County Fire Protection District.
Putting out more fire with less water was just the beginning of the benefits the department has experienced since switching to the soy-based foam one year ago. Unlike other types of foam, SoyFoam can be used as a wetting and smothering agent on both Class A (ordinary combustibles) and Class B (flammable liquids) fires.
“SoyFoam has replaced the two foams we were previously using,” Hinkle says. The first firefighting foam GreenScreen Certified at the Gold level, SoyFoam is free of intentionally added per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called “forever chemicals.”
This fact makes it cleaner for the firefighters spraying it, as well as the environment where the foam is being sprayed.
“My No. 1 thing is that it is PFAS free,” Pollard says. “It is safe for our firefighters, and that sold me right off the bat. I don’t have to worry about any toxic chemicals in it. We also feel good about what it does for the environment.”
SoyFoam breaks down naturally without harming the ecosystem or crops, Pollard says. When this soybean-based foam degrades, it turns into nitrogen and actually improves soil health, making it certified ready biodegradable by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. The foam is also certified as 84% biobased through the U.S. Department of Agriculture BioPreferred program. That matters when considering how much foam the firefighters might use on a single fire. Hinkle estimates the department uses between 20 and 30 gallons of foam on a fully involved large house fire. SoyFoam is also used on natural cover fires, grass fires, vehicle fires and more. With cleaner ingredients at a comparable price point and improved foam coverage and consistency, Pollard and Hinkle agree the switch has been a no-brainer.
“From every angle, this foam is a win-win,” Pollard says. “It is good for the environment, it is good for the firefighters who are in it, and it still does just as good of a job as our previous foam.”
Made from soy flour, SoyFoam creates a new market for Missouri-grown soybeans while giving firefighters an effective extinguishing tool. Knowing their use of foam supports local farmers is an added benefit for the department, Hinkle says.
“We are in central Missouri, and we are surrounded by rural farmland,” he says. “Our friends are farmers and grow soybeans. I think it is awesome that we are able to use this product that is good for our environment and good for Missouri farmers.”
