News

About the authors : Dr Thierry BLUTEAU et Dr Roger A. Klein

Dr Thierry BLUTEAU
Managing Director
3F Americas – Panamá

Dr. Thierry BLUTEAU, French, studied at University of Paris XI, where he achieved a Master in Biochemistry and a PhD in Organic Chemistry.

In 1983, He is nominated as Professor of Biology at French Lycée in Montevideo in Uruguay for two years.

He starts to work in firefighting industry in 1992, where he is Technical Manager in Croda Fire Fighting Department.

6 years later, he funds the company Bio-EX, where he stands as Site Manager. He creates a range of firefighting foams and additives, and develops a wide network of international distributors, with presence in Asia, Australia, Africa and Latino America.`

In 2012, he keeps developing new foams independently in collaboration with LEIA Laboratories, and achieves the creation of two lines of innovative products : the firdt line is Smart Foam, foam products with no solvents and green profile. In 2020, a full line of FREGEN F3 is launched, fluoro-free products to be discovered on our website www.3fff.co.uk

Still active at R&D department in LEIA, he manages also our subsidiary 3F Américas in Panama City.

 

Dr. Roger A. Klein trained as a medical doctor and as a PhD physical chemist at the University of Cambridge. His academic research interests have covered tropical diseases, fundamental drug research, and more recently theoretical quantum chemistry (IUPAC Task Group on redefining hydrogen bonding) He has nearly 50 years experience advising and working with the Fire Service both in the UK and internationally, in areas that include hazardous materials (Hazmat and CBNRE) and decontamination issues, personal protective equipment (PPE), risk assessment and management, incident command and control, and the impact of fire service operations on the environment, having acted as Principal Scientific Adviser and Radiation Protection Adviser to Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service until 2000. In the late 1990s he was asked by HM Fire Services Inspectorate to produce the first draft of UK guidance on risk assessment and management for the Emergency Services, which later became part of the Fire Service Manual. In 2002 he was involved in the McKinsey report on New York Fire Department (FDNY) operations at the 9/11 WTC incident in New York.

Following on from the 3M Company’s announcement on 16 May 2000 that it was withdrawing from PFOS-based chemistry he became heavily involved in the environmental chemistry of perfluorochemicals, especially as it affected the environment and human health through widespread contamination. In particular, he was concerned with the environmental impact of the dispersive use of firefighting foams, especially fluorosurfactant containing AFFF, and the transition to fluorine-free (F3) Class B foams. He has published extensively in the technical literature and co-organised a series of international seminars on the environmental impact of firefighting foams held at the Reebok Centre, Bolton, UK, in August 2002, December 2004, September 2007, July 2009 and March 2013, as well as the 1st Australian National Forum on Firefighting Foam held in Adelaide in 2011. More recently he has acted in an advisory capacity as a technical advisor to the Environment, Natural Resources and Rural Development Committee (ENRRDC) of the Parliament of Victoria (Australia) as part of the Inquiry into the legacy PFC contamination at the CFA Training College Fiskville, as well as accompanying the Committee on a study trip to Germany in December 2015.

He was also heavily involved in assisting the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science in their development of a fire fighting foam management policy, including helping to co-organize a major conference held by the Department in Brisbane during February 2017. More recently he has been involved in presenting the case for fluorine-free firefighting (F3) foams as viable alternatives to AFFF as well as environmental and health issues concerning PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS to the UN Stockholm Convention Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC-14) which met at the UN FAO Headquarters in Rome 17-21 September 2018, the ninth Convention of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention (COP-9) in Geneva 29 April-4 May 2019, and POPRC-15 also at FAO Headquarters in Rome 1-4 October 2019; acting as coordinator for the IPEN F3 Panel which produced a series of White Papers for the Committee and COP-9, which are now referenced by regulatory bodies. Formerly of the Universities of Cambridge and Bonn, and recently affiliated as a theoretical chemist to the Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, since 2009 he has been Affiliated Research Faculty at the Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies (RaCERS), John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY New York.

In summary, since 2000 when the 3M Company announced withdrawing all PFOS-based chemistry, Roger Klein has been heavily involved in advising fire services, airports and industry, as well as collaborating with environmental regulators at national and international level, especially in Australasia (e.g., Australia, New Zealand, Singapore) and Northern Europe, in the control and remediation of PFAS environmental contamination. He assisted in the development of the 2016 Queensland foam management policy, now regarded as best-practice worldwide, and gave expert evidence to the Victorian Parliament’s Fiskville Inquiry 2015. He was also on the Advisory Board of a clinical study in Australia aimed at reducing blood PFAS levels in previously exposed firefighters, with the results published in April 2022 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). He was previously a Member of the UK Institution of Fire Engineers, a Chartered Chemist and a Chartered Scientist; he is currently both a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Fellow of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC); he now works as an independent scientific consultant.

Contact details:
Dr. Roger A. Klein, tel: +44 1223 306 846 mob: +44 07555 545 070 email: rogeraklein@yahoo.co.uk

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Serie of articles to review the foam facts – 3F

3F dedicates its activity around the proposal of safe and efficient solutions to control and extinguish fires. Our role is not only to manufacture and supply firefighting foams, but to inform our customers about the past, actual and future of the foams regarding the risks, the technology and the regulation.
To bring more awareness on the market, 3F decided to publish on its website a serie of articles to review the foam facts, from AFFF to F3.

About the authors:
Dr Thierry Bluteau: Leia Laboratories, UK. PhD Organic Chemistry.
See profile in the next article
Dr Roger A. Klein: Independent Consultant UK, PhD Physical Chemistry.
See profile in the next article

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3F MEXICO is born

3F enlarges its international network and offers now a direct sales service in Mexico. 3F MEXICO is located in Querétaro where it maintains a foam stock for emergencies and immediate delivery. From Querétaro 3F MEXICO offers its products and services to all its customers in the Republic.

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BV IMO APPROVAL

3F is happy to announce that our BV certificate has been renewed for 5 years.  The list of approved products includes our F3 FREEGENs and FREEDOL, our AFFF range of CHEMEX, FLUOEX and FREESOLV and 3 protein references FP397, PROSEAL 3 and 6.

3F will be pleased to inform you in detail for your requirements to satisfy and supply foam for your shipment activities.

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MOTO-TRUCK : our new ally

3F is pleased to announce the agreement to represent MOTO-TRUCK trucks in Latin America. This is based on our first sales in Mexico for around 30 trucks.

MOTO-TRUCK is a renowned manufacturer of fire trucks established in Kielce, Poland for more than 25 years.

MOTO-TRUCK offers a complete set of light, medium and heavy vehicles mounted on most chassis on the market: MAN, RENAULT, MERCEDES, IVECO, SCANIA, etc.

MOTO-TRUCK offers the advantage of integrating the in-house production of key parts: pump, nozzles, lighting mast, tanks, winch, etc.


MOTO-TRUCK sp. o. o. With headquarters in Kielce is a Polish manufacturer operating on the market of specialized vehicles for nearly 25 years. We manufacture, among others, pumps, plots, masts, tanks and shutters. We constantly implement innovative solutions to increase the functionality and facilitate the use of our products. The superstructures offered by us are supported by the most modern control systems. We make sure that the design of our vehicles is a combination of global trends dominating in the automotive industry and traditional and proven solutions.

We make superstructures for specialized vehicles from the highest quality corrosion-resistant materials – aluminum, stainless steel and recyclable plastics. The cars we have prepared have a water and foam tank made of corrosion-resistant materials. The equipment of the vehicles we deliver is based on the latest technical solutions. As a result, the vehicles we offer will prove themselves in multi-tasking operations, even in the most difficult geographical conditions.

Confirmation of the strong position of MOTO-TRUCK sp.z o.o. in the market of suppliers of specialist cars and the high-quality products offered, the certificate was granted in 2004 in the field of “Design and construction of rescue and fire-fighting and specialist bodies”. Professional and reliable production is ensured by the Quality Management System implemented and used since 2004, compliant with the PN-EN ISO 9001: 2000 standard and ISO 14001. In 2013, the company obtained the AQAP 2110: 2009 certificate in the field of: Design and installation of rescue and fire-fighting and specialized bodies, which confirms the high level of the quality management system. During the XXIX International Defense Industry Exhibition in Kielce (MSPO 2021), the company was awarded the Golden Quality Certificate in terms of creating quality and building the potential of the armaments and defense industry of the Republic of Poland.

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3F presents FREEGEN SMART FOAM® the third generation of F3 Fluoro-Free Foam!

  • 100% Fluoro-Free : no Fluorinated Organic Compound
  • Class 1-A under EN 1568:2015 for hydrocarbon fires and polar solvents fires
  • ICAO Class B
  • Technology SMART FOAM – Solvent-Free: Chemical Oxygen Demand is significantly reduced
  • Stable as a premix solutionno settlement or decay

FREEGEN SMART FOAM® is offered under two references :

FREEGEN SF-LV

  • LV- Low Viscosity: UNIQUE Foam F3 usable with all existing dosing equipment

This foam is the perfect foam for most users, as it combines the low viscosity with highest ratings and the best environmental profile

FREEGEN ULTRA

This foam has been designed to offer a maximum efficiency on tough risks. It is highly efficient on the most difficult fires, such as crude oil, ethers, ketones,… Recommended for oil industry and chemical plants

 

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3F Américas participates in a Show in Mexico

 

 

3F Américas and its commercial partner Actwa Emergencias, are increasing their activity to improve risk prevention in the industry.

3F attended the show DATACHAIN SUMMIT 2023 named as: CHANGING TRAINING IN THE INDUSTY WITH VIRTUAL REALITY AND INNOVATION, held on 20th and 21st of April 2023 in  Queretaro – Mexico.

During his presentation, Dr. Thierry Bluteau presented the world’s move towards related goods in the protection industry, with emphasis on the new Fluorine Free Foams FREEGEN SMART FOAM. He emphasized the combination between firefighting foams and the use of new technologies, such as High expansion and the benefits of High-Pressure equipment FAS, with the aim of protecting property, public health and our environment.

 

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3F doubles the surface of its manufacturing facility in Corby U.K.

Because of the growing demand for F3 foams, 3F decided to further invest and increase its foam manufacturing capacity. The new plant will extend our operational space to 3000 sqm and include 3 new 10,000 litre blending tanks. This will increase our capacity to more than 50 tons per day. Previous investments already ensure full separation of the manufacturing between F3 foams – FREEGEN, FREEFOR and HYFEX – and AFFF foams. This additional capacity will be fully operational in May 2023.

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Visit of Firemen for Civil Protection of Jalisco – Mexico in Europe

The delegates from Jalisco Civil Protection, with our local partner in Mexico, made a tour in March to various companies represented by 3F. They were impressed by the technology of platform trucks from Jacinto, Rescue tools from Scorpe, Foam and FAS from 3F and Training dummies from Ruth Lee. As a conclusion, 3F signed a representation and distribution agreement with 6 Mexican states.

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3F around the world

Unit B, 18 Brunel Road,
Earlstree Industrial Estate, Corby,
Northants, NN17 4JW, UK

+44 (0) 1536 202919

sales@3fff.co.uk

Calle Francisco Frías Alcocer Nº 257
Col. Los Candiles, Corregidora
76903 El Pueblito
Querétaro MEXICO

+507 6494 5421

xescalante@3famericas.com

Edificio Abou Saad 13,
Oficina # 104,
Albrook - PANAMA

+337 6146 1665

export@3famericas.com

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