For decades, AFFF systems were built into every carrier's flight deck, hangar bay, and aviation support areas, and a wide range of personnel operated or worked alongside those systems throughout their service. If you served in one of the roles below and have since been diagnosed with kidney cancer or testicular cancer, contact ELG Law today for a free case evaluation.
Crash and salvage personnel were the Navy's dedicated flight deck firefighting team and the group most directly associated with AFFF use aboard carriers. Their mission was to respond immediately to aircraft crashes, fuel spills, fires, and damaged aircraft. Responsibilities included:
Because crash and salvage teams trained on a recurring basis, their contact with AFFF was not limited to actual emergencies. It accumulated across hundreds of drills over the course of a career.
Flight deck personnel were often the first people at the scene of an aircraft emergency. Aviation Boatswain's Mates, aircraft directors, aircraft handlers, and other Air Department sailors worked directly alongside crash and salvage teams during emergency response. While not every flight deck sailor operated foam equipment directly, many assisted during aircraft crashes, fuel spill containment, firefighting support, and moving aircraft after fires. Crash drills routinely involved the entire Air Department, meaning flight deck crews trained alongside foam operations on a regular basis.
Navy shipboard firefighting doctrine specifically assigns hose teams during flight quarters. A typical helicopter crash and rescue response involved three hose teams of five sailors each, including plugmen, on-scene leaders, and an AFFF station operator. These teams manually advanced AFFF hose lines onto burning aircraft and fuel spills, putting them in direct contact with foam during both actual emergencies and recurring training exercises.
One sailor was assigned as the dedicated AFFF station operator during crash and rescue operations. Responsibilities included activating foam systems, regulating foam flow, operating injection stations, supporting hose teams, and maintaining proper foam pressure throughout a firefighting response. Navy training documents identify the AFFF station operator as a dedicated watch station during aviation firefighting operations, meaning this role involved consistent, hands-on contact with foam systems throughout a deployment.
Personnel working with JP-5 fuel operated in close proximity to AFFF systems because fuel operations carried an inherent fire risk. Aviation fuel personnel could be involved in emergency fuel spill response, firefighting drills, aircraft refueling emergencies, and securing fuel systems after crashes. Although they were not the primary firefighters aboard the carrier, these sailors frequently worked in areas protected by AFFF systems and trained alongside the crews who operated them.
Every carrier maintained designated fire parties responsible for responding to shipboard emergencies. Fire party members advanced hose lines, fought fuel fires, supported crash crews, assisted rescue operations, and participated in recurring firefighting drills throughout their assignments. Many sailors assigned to repair lockers and emergency response teams trained repeatedly with AFFF, accumulating significant foam contact over years of service.
Exposure was not limited to the flight deck. Aircraft hangars were protected by fixed AFFF suppression systems, and sailors working in the hangar bay could encounter foam during system testing, accidental discharges, maintenance activities, and actual fire responses. NAVAIR documentation confirms that Navy hangars were equipped with AFFF suppression systems specifically designed to rapidly blanket aircraft and fuel fires. Those systems included:
Personnel who worked near those control points or in areas covered by those systems were part of the same foam exposure environment as the sailors operating the equipment directly.
If you served aboard a Navy carrier or at a naval air station in any of the roles described above and have since been diagnosed with cancer, your service history and the Navy's own documentation of AFFF use may support a claim. ELG Law has spent over three decades representing individuals whose occupational exposure led to a serious diagnosis. Contact ELG Law for a free case evaluation and let our attorneys review your service records to determine whether you qualify.