What is the QPL?
There is no national standard for the development of Class A Foam Concentrate – and to that end, some are really good products, and some….well, you get the picture!
The QPL is the United States Forest Service (USFS) Qualified Products List.
The USFS tests submitted foam products and lists those that meet the USFS standards for use in the forests. The products are tested for:
- Uniform and intergranular corrosion
- Product stability
- Fire-retarding effectiveness
- Physical parameters
- Mammalian toxicity, including oral toxicity (ingestion), dermal toxicity (absorption through the skin), eye irritation, and skin irritation
- Aquatic toxicity
- Human health and ecological risk assessments using data from toxicity tests and safety data sheets (SDS)
The USFS does not test for the quality of a foam blanket or how fast a particular product can absorb heat.
For more details, visit USFS Wildland Fire Chemicals https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/fire/wfcs/wildland-fire-chemicals.php
and USFS Class A Foam Suppressants https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/fire/wfcs/class-a-foam-suppressants.php.
No product may be used or applied on any Federal land that is not listed on the QPL.
Low-cost products are often not on the QPL as they do not want to spend the money for the testing, or they refuse to share their procut specifics with the USFS. These may be products to avoid.
Since there is no other testing or listing entity, the QPL is the best method for determining the safety of a product’s use (in terms of the USFS testing standard).
Individual states or local jurisdictions may have other approved products; however, these products cannot be used on Federal properties.
CompressedAirFoam.com recommends starting with an approved product on the QPL, and then conducting your own tests (Play With It and See!!) to determine if you like one brand over another.
The QPL is updated as new products are added or older products leave the list. And occasionally the link to the QPL may get changed (sometimes annually). If the current link https://www.fs.usda.gov/rm/fire/wfcs/documents/2023-0805%20qpl_foam.pdf does not work, search USFS QPL or USFS Class A Foam Suppressants and your browser search engine should be able to find it.
