BLAZETAMER380
AERIAL WATER ENHANCER
A Direct Attack Solution
Fire Suppressants have been around since the first time that water was used to put out a camp fire. Water remains the most available, cheapest, and highly effective direct attack suppressant available to the wildland fire community, but as we all know water evaporates and volume is lost upon contact with the heat from a fire. In aerial application this evaporation is increased with the shearing action of the drop.
KEY BENEFITS
Advancements in technology have provided additives to enhance the effectiveness of water for fire suppression. In addition to foam and long-term retardants, water enhancers, including the polymeric elastomer BLAZETAMER380™, represent the future for direct attack of wildland fires.
DROP CHARACTERISTICS
When BLAZETAMER380™ is aerially delivered the effect of the linear chains of water causes drop characteristics that differ from water, retardant, foam or gels, since drop patterns are denser, provide more uniform coverage and have less drift, as proven in tests and studies conducted in the United States and Canada.
LESS EVAPORATIVE LOSS
Evaporative loss occurs when a product mix enters the airstream after leaving the aircraft and again as it moves through the thermal zone above a fire. The amount of loss varies with each product type, i.e., up to 35% of water and foam never reaches the intended target. The properties of BLAZETAMER380™ allow a significant increase of product reaching the intended target due to reduced evaporative loss and less drift.
CANOPY PENETRATION
BLAZETAMER380™ penetrates a canopy better than retardant or gels. After a drop, long “strings” of water may be seen hanging from vegetation. These strings absorb thermal energy as they enter the thermal zone above a fire and their viscosity decreases after making initial contact with a canopy. Its ability to penetrate vegetation is similar to foam mixed at low concentrations. If fuels are torching or crowning, a mix ratio of 0.65% may reach and remain effective on ground fuels.
ENDOTHERMIC PROPERTIES
BLAZETAMER380™ has unique fire suppression characteristics that, when applied to fire, rapidly reduces temperature to below the flash point of the fuels. This is most noticeable after it is applied since the reduction in heat causes less combustion and is visible through the reduction in smoke. Although not approved by NFPA for Class B Fires, in field tests BLAZETAMER380™ has extinguished liquid fuel fires, such as cooking oil, gas and diesel fuel due to its endothermic properties.
BENEFITS OF BLAZETAMER380
BLAZETAMER380™ links all water molecules in a load together, is less prone to drift and it is not affected by water quality or salinity so mix ratios remain consistent, whatever the water source.
Airtankers can effectively alternate loads of retardant and BLAZETAMER380™ without requiring the tank to be rinsed since the salt contained in any residual retardant does not affect the performance of BLAZETAMER380™.
** Do not mix with foam.
