Portable foam applicator unit
Identifies a portable foam applicator unit.
Understanding this sign
Red square or rectangular signs identify fire equipment and manual alarm points.
Finding equipment does not mean it is suitable or safe to use. Follow your training and the site emergency procedure.
What a Portable Foam Applicator Unit Is
F010 locates a portable foam applicator unit: the kit that lets a fire team turn a water supply into firefighting foam at the point of attack. A typical outfit combines a foam branch pipe or applicator nozzle, an inline inductor (eductor) that draws foam concentrate into the water stream, and one or more containers of concentrate. Connected between a hydrant or hose line and the nozzle, the assembly aspirates the mixture into a foam blanket suitable for burning liquids.
The sign therefore marks capability, not just an object. Water alone is often the wrong agent for a fuel or oil fire — a straight stream can splash and spread burning liquid — while foam floats on the fuel surface, smothers the flame, and suppresses vapor. Knowing where the foam-making equipment is stowed is what converts a nearby hose line into a viable attack on a liquid fire.
Marine Practice: The Shipboard Foam Outfit
This is a strongly maritime sign, harmonized like its neighbors from established shipboard symbols. International maritime fire safety requirements have long called for tankers and many cargo ships to carry portable foam applicator outfits — the inductor, foam branch, and a stock of concentrate in portable tanks — as a complement to the fixed deck foam system, stated generally since exact carriage scales vary by ship type and rule edition.
Aboard ship, these outfits are stowed at fire stations near machinery spaces, cargo decks, and pump rooms, and F010 on the locker or bulkhead is how crew and boarding fire parties find them. During drills, muster lists often assign a specific crew member to fetch and rig the foam applicator, so unambiguous stowage marking feeds directly into drill performance.
Shore-Side Uses and Sign Placement
Ashore, the equivalent equipment appears at fuel depots, marina fuel docks, generator rooms, and industrial sites where diesel, lubricants, or solvents are handled in quantity but a fixed foam system is not justified. The applicator kit typically lives in a cabinet or locker alongside hose and nozzles, and F010 on the cabinet face separates it from plain hose storage — a distinction that matters when the incident involves a liquid fuel rather than ordinary combustibles.
Place the sign directly on the stowage, and add directional variants where the foam locker sits off the main circulation route. Because the kit is multi-part, some operators list the contents on a panel beside the sign — branch pipe, inductor, number of concentrate containers — which doubles as an inventory checklist during routine fire equipment inspections.
Where you will see F010
Aboard tankers and cargo ships the outfit is stowed at fire stations near machinery spaces, cargo decks, and pump rooms, with F010 on the locker guiding crew and boarding fire parties during drills. Ashore, the same kit appears at fuel depots, marina fuel docks, generator rooms, and industrial sites handling diesel, lubricants, or solvents in quantity, marked on the cabinet face to distinguish it from plain hose storage.
Common questions about F010
What does the ISO 7010 F010 sign mean?
It marks the stowage of a portable foam applicator unit — the branch pipe, inline inductor, and foam concentrate that a fire team connects to a water line to produce firefighting foam. It is common at shipboard fire stations and at shore facilities handling fuels and other flammable liquids.
Why use foam instead of water on a fuel fire?
A water jet can penetrate and splash a burning liquid, spreading the fire, and water sinks below most fuels without sealing the surface. Foam floats on the fuel, cutting off oxygen and suppressing flammable vapor, which is why foam-making equipment is stationed where liquid fuel fires are the credible scenario.
Are portable foam applicators required on ships?
International maritime fire safety rules generally require tankers and many other vessel types to carry portable foam applicator outfits, with the number and concentrate quantity depending on ship type and the applicable rule edition. The F010 symbol is the harmonized way to mark their stowage on fire plans and at the locker.
What is in a portable foam applicator unit?
Typically an air-aspirating foam branch pipe or nozzle, an inline inductor that meters foam concentrate into the hose stream, and portable containers of concentrate. Some kits integrate the pickup tube into the branch itself. The set is stored together so it can be rigged onto a hose line in one trip.
Reference details
| Symbol code | F010 |
|---|---|
| Sign family | ISO Fire Equipment Signs |
| Standard reference | ISO 7010:2019 / ISO 3864-1 ISO Online Browsing Platform: F010 |
| Screen color reference | #FF0000. Screen colors are not a production color specification. |
| Download formats | SVG reference artwork; a 1024 × 1024 pixel PNG conversion on a white canvas. |
| Record date | · How to interpret our dates |
| Page updated |
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Sources and artwork credits
- Artwork source
- Wikimedia Commons file page
- Creator credited by source
- Clemenspool
- License
- CC0
- Source metadata checked
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