SoyFoam™ Coming to Firefighters Near You

Soy-based firefighting foam developed to replace PFAS makes its way to Kansas.

“What did you know, and when did you know it?”

John Paul Jones, retired Kansas City fire chief, quoted this line as he discussed health and environmental issues surrounding firefighting foam containing PFAS – or “forever chemicals” – which are known carcinogens that do not break down in the environment.

“Well, we know it now,” he says. “Today, we understand far more about the long-term environmental and health impacts of these products. The good news is that we no longer have to choose between effectiveness and responsibility.”

Jones has long been active in the effort to eliminate PFAS-containing foam, disposing of his department’s entire supply when he became fire chief. At the time, it meant settling for less effective foams, but for Jones, the issue is personal; he’s attended too many funerals of firefighters who died from cancer that could almost certainly be traced back to PFAS exposure. Now, as president of Mission Capable Solutions, he’s pushing out a high-performing replacement that’s grown in a field: SoyFoam™.

Made with soybean meal, SoyFoam was developed by CrossPlains Solutions and the soybean checkoff to safely replace PFAS and create new markets for farmers. It’s sold by MCS as BigFoot Firefighting Foam, inspired by a line Jones couldn’t get out of his head: “Leave only footprints.” Not only is it biodegradable, non-toxic and 100% free of PFAS, it’s also highly effective.

“This stuff is superior,” Jones says. “We can talk about its Thermo-Stop Technology™ – that’s a trade phrase for us that means it’s so effective at dropping that temperature that they’re not even sure exactly the mechanism of how it works that well.”

To demonstrate, Jones hosted a demo in Kansas City, allowing local fire departments to test BigFoot Firefighting Foam for themselves. They observed various classes of fires, comparing its effectiveness to other fire suppression agents.

Firefighters learned about its competitive lifecycle cost. They learned how SoyFoam, unlike other alternatives to PFAS-containing foam, is not corrosive to tanks or equipment and does not cause damage to buildings or yards.

“We tested this out one night and got shin-deep foam running down the street, right? Didn’t harm anything,” Jones says. “Neighbors came out and we said, ‘Hey, that’ll fertilize your yard a little bit.”

SoyFoam represents a breakthrough for firefighters and farmers alike. So far, it’s been adopted by more than 50 fire departments, most of which are in the Midwest. It hits closer to home in the heartland, where many farmers volunteer as firefighters. Rural fire departments note the importance of a safe foam product that makes water more effective, helping them conserve water in dry areas.

“It’s kind of a cool American story,” Jones says. “It’s using soybean meal, and it helps an American farmer.”

SoyFoam is now moving through certification for entities like the Department of Defense and U.S. Forest Service. These will expand SoyFoam’s use beyond local fire departments, opening the door to military aviation, federal wildland firefighting, and other purchasers whose decisions these influence.

“We want to test the holy heck out of it, because that’s how much confidence we have in this, that this stuff really works,” Jones says. More Bigfoot Firefighting Foam demos have been scheduled in Kansas City, looking to bring this technology closer to home. To ask about BigFoot Firefighting Foam for your local department, contact John Paul Jones at (816) 590-3985 or visit BigFootFireFightingFoam.com.