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An article by Dan Reese, CEO BLAZETAMER380
Wildfires continue to pose an escalating threat, requiring firefighting strategies that are not only efficient but also innovative. Aerial firefighting remains a cornerstone of wildfire suppression, with both water and retardant deployed to combat fires. However, insights from the Aerial Firefighting Use and Effectiveness (AFUE) Report highlight the pressing need to enhance water’s performance to achieve better outcomes. Water enhancers like BLAZETAMER380 offer a critical opportunity to optimize waterdrops and improve wildfire suppression efforts.
The Role of Retardant: Strengths and Shortcomings
Retardant has long been a staple in wildfire suppression, with an average of 14 to 15 million gallons dropped annually in the United States, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC). In extreme fire seasons, such as 2020 and 2021, retardant use exceeded 20 million gallons. Delivered by Large Airtankers (LATs) and Very Large Airtankers (VLATs), retardant is often used for indirect tactics, such as pre-treating areas ahead of fires or constructing containment lines.
Despite its widespread use, the AFUE Report reveals significant limitations in retardant’s effectiveness:
- Interaction Percentage (IP): Only 74% to 80% of retardant drops interact with fire, meaning 20% to 26% of drops never encounter the fire.
- Probability of Success (POS): When retardant does interact with fire, its success rates are moderate:
- Halting fire spread: POS of 0.55 to 0.67.
- Point protection: POS of 0.78 to 0.87
- Ineffectiveness: 14% to 17% of retardant drops that interact with fire fail to achieve suppression objectives, often due to fire burning through, outflanking, or spotting over retardant lines.
These findings suggest that while retardant has its place, its limitations, particularly when compared to water’s higher interaction rates and effectiveness, warrant attention. An alternative to the sole application of retardant is to improve the strategies for its employment. Utilizing a proven suppression technology like BLAZETAMER380 to suppress the fire impacting the retardant will increase any holding time the retardant may have.
This is simple physics. Fire behavior impacts the energy release component (ERC), how much heat is being released, when fire impacts fuels treated with retardant. The longer treated fuels are exposed to a high ERC, the more apt the fuels are to continue burning. A combination of direct suppression and retarding will have a huge impact on effectiveness and efficiency, due the ability of the suppressant to reduce the ERC exerted against the retardant.
Water: A Reliable and Effective Tool
Water, delivered by helicopters and scoopers, consistently outperforms retardant in direct suppression operations. According to the AFUE Report:
- Interaction Percentage (IP): Water drops, especially from helicopters and scoopers, have near-perfect interaction rates, often approaching 100%.
- Probability of Success (POS): Water demonstrates higher success rates for reducing fire intensity and delaying fire spread:
- 0.74 to 0.88 for helicopters.
- 0.81 to 0.96 for scoopers.
- Direct Suppression Advantage: Water is primarily used for direct attack, with 32% to 49% of drops aimed at reducing fire intensity. Success rates for these objectives range from 0.80 to 0.96, making water an indispensable tool in wildfire suppression
Enhancing Water’s Performance with BLAZETAMER380
Water remains the foundation of aerial firefighting, but its physical limits reduce efficiency once released. BlazeTamer380 changes how water behaves in flight and on impact, solving several long-standing issues in suppression.
- Improved Drop Efficiency
When mixed with water, BlazeTamer380 forms a Non-Newtonian solution that resists windshear. The drop holds together instead of breaking into fine mist, landing as a cohesive layer that covers more fuel and loses less volume to drift. - Reduced Evaporation
Evaporation is another weakness of untreated water. Tests show that BlazeTamer380 reduces evaporation by more than half. More liquid reaches the fire, stays longer on the surface, and sustains a cooling effect that slows combustion. - Better Penetration
Penetration improves as well. Studies by the European testing body CEREN found that enhanced water reaches both surface and subsurface fuels more effectively. Adjusting the mix ratio lets firefighters adapt to local fuel types and conditions. - Adhesion to Fuels
Adhesion is built into BLAZETAMER380'S chemistry. The formula draws from agricultural spray technology designed to keep solutions on plant surfaces instead of bouncing off. When applied to wildfire fuels, treated water coats and clings where it’s needed most. - Versatility Across Aircraft Types
BLAZETAMER380 works across helicopters, scoopers, Large Airtankers(LATs), and Very Large Airtankers (VLATs). Its adaptability ensures that it can be deployed in both initial attacks and large fire operations, maximizing its utility across various wildfire scenarios.
The Need for Better Water Strategy
Data from the AFUE Report shows that water interacts with fire more consistently than retardant and achieves higher success in direct attack. Enhancing water with BlazeTamer380 strengthens that advantage. Each drop lands in a tighter pattern, loses less to evaporation, penetrates fuels faster, and adheres more effectively. The result is higher suppression efficiency and improved use of flight time and resources.
Toward More Effective Aerial Suppression
Wildfires demand practical advances, not new chemicals for the sake of novelty. BLAZETAMER380 refines a proven tool. It helps water cover more ground, last longer under heat, and reach fuels that untreated water misses. Better water means better control, fewer wasted drops, and greater protection for crews, communities and ecosystems.
Interested in more of Dan Reese's articles? Follow us on socials or read his FSJA exclusive: The detection-suppression paradox.
