For extinguishing a spill area, how many gallons of concentrate are required at 3% for a 600 sq ft area?

To determine the amount of concentrate required for extinguishing a spill area at a concentration of 3% over a 600 square foot area, it’s essential to understand the calculations involved.

First, a standard guideline often used is based on the application rate for firefighting agents, which is typically represented in gallons per square foot or a similar metric. It is common to consider that approximately 1 gallon of concentrate is needed for every 100 square feet, especially with a lower concentration like 3%.

Given this guideline, for a 600 square foot area, we would calculate the total amount of concentrate needed by dividing the total area by the area covered per gallon:

600 sq ft ÷ 100 sq ft/gallon = 6 gallons

Since the question requires a final concentration of 3%, we need to ensure that the total volume reflects that concentration effectively in the solution. To achieve a 3% solution, the amount of concentrate must be a proportional part of the total solution where the total volume includes the concentrate and the diluent (water in this case).

The correct answer, which provides 187 gallons of total solution, indicates that this amount includes both the concentrate and the additive. Here’s why this value makes sense: at 3