One phone call can change your whole day. That's not surprising in the emergency-services sector, but to an editor, it can be.

Last month, I received a call from an assistant chief at a small volunteer department in southern Louisiana. He called looking for help and information to support his pitch for the use of Class A foam in his department. "This stuff will save firefighters' lives, you know," he told me.

The department recently took delivery of a foam-equipped apparatus, but the manufacturer provided firefighters with little instruction on the system. The chief didn't understand the system and subsequently he and the deputy chief decided they wanted the Class A foam system to be replaced with Class B foam.

The chief and deputy chief are volunteers, and the assistant chief — a full-time fire department employee — was having difficulty explaining Class A's benefits. Without back-up documentation or training, his pleas fell on deaf ears.

The questions started running through my mind: How could a fire truck be delivered without training on the system or fixed components, or without a factory-trained rep making the delivery? How could the department specify a foam system without plans to train on operations and tactics?

This department's issues can teach others some very valuable lessons. First, when ordering a new apparatus of any kind, make sure your specifications include training on all fixed components as part of the delivery package. Then, make sure that the training occurs.

Second, while Class A and compressed-air foam offer significant time and water savings in knocking down fires and reducing rekindles, the use of foam still requires a different tactical and operational techniques. Is it complicated? No, it isn't with proper training.

Third, the use of Class A foam and CAFS will save firefighters' lives. Let me count the ways: less interior exposure, quicker knockdown, less stress and fatigue, and less time on scene.

I sent the assistant chief copies of the 2010 Focus on Foam, directed him to FIRE CHIEF's website, and put him in touch with both a manufacturer for additional training and the Louisiana state fire marshal for information on the state training program.

And once again, FIRE CHIEF will distribute 61,000 copies of the 2011 Focus on Foam to help educate and inform other departments in need.

Twenty-some years ago, I too was cynical about firefighters putting out fires with bubbles, but after watching the demos and reading the studies, I'm a believer. Correction, I'm passionate about the multitude of benefits of Class A foam provides — first and foremost, as the assistant chief pointed out to me in that phone call, "This stuff will save firefighters' lives."

What do you think? Tell us in the comment box below.