When a fire breaks out, police units are usually the first to arrive at the scene. In Cedar Falls, new equipment inside some public safety vehicles will allow police officers and first-responders to extinguish or control a blaze until fire crews arrive.

The city has fitted three sport utility vehicles (SUV's) -- two in the police department and one in the fire department -- with a unit that shoots compressed air foam from a 50-foot hose to extinguish small fires. The compressed foam, mixed with water, produces the equivalent of 300 gallons of water.

The equipment provides police and first-responders with more fire-fighting capability than a simple fire extinguisher, which every police and fire unit has. According to Cedar Falls Public Safety Director Jeff Olson, the CAF (compressed air foam) units will be useful for minor blazes such as porch, garage, vehicle, dumpster and grass fires.

For a demonstration of the equipment, click on the video below.

Video Courtesy of Cedar Falls Channel 15 via YouTube

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