Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

Water containing a wetting agent, "Wet Water", has been compared with plain water for the extinction of a test fire in straw. The main conclusion is that wet water will be more effective than plain water for the extinction of fire in fibrous materials that are not easily wetted by plain water and are packed so densely that plain water cannot easily penetrate. This conclusion does not necessarily imply that wet water should be used in practical firefighting. The question of practical application is discussed in Part 1, where it is pointed out that the decision to use wet water depends on a number of factors, some of which may prove to be adverse to an extent that outweighs any advantage arising from increased effectiveness for fire extinction.