In the early 1990’s Carroll Rowe became chief of a local rural fire department. In a discussion with Jake Kroph, chief of a neighboring department, the subject of compressed air foam came up. Jake had contact information someone had given him for David Abernathy of Texas Forest Service. Along with this contact info written on a paper table napkin was a sketch of how to build a “Texas Snow Job” foam system. David was contacted, then Carroll and Jake went to Pittsburg Texas to visit with him about CAFS.
The result of this meeting was the development and patenting of the first method of making CAFS that did not require precise balancing of incoming air and water pressures. With continued improvements and more patents, the Rowe CAFS systems are now recognized as the premier system for reliability and ease of operation throughout the fire industry with flows available from 1-inch discharges from a hose reel to 1000 gpm with 200 cfm of air from apparatus deck gun.
Carroll is still designing and patenting innovative new products needed by the fire industry with the latest being a “Flow Demand Valve” which reduces incoming pressure from the hydrant or other sources without limiting volume over full range of flows permitting optimum performance of apparatus from both normal and high pressure hydrants.