Is that red fire retardant (dropped from planes) bad for nature?

Question

On the news I saw this huge DC10 plane flying over california wildfires and dumping tons of this red fire retardent. What is that stuff? Is it true that this stuff is not good for the animals or vegetation? Can't we drop water to interfere less with nature?

PS: this is not in regard to California widfires (a terrible tragedy with 1000 plus homes lost) but in regard to general wild fire fighting.

No answers? Maybe a study is needed there

Answer 1

I spent a good portion of the 2006 summer on the Tri-Pod Complex fire line in Washington State with the DNR. What I can tell you for certain about the red fire retardant dropped is this: when in close range it stinks.

There is a dye put into this that makes it red, mostly to aid in better targeting and dropping the "slurry" as it is commonly called. There is no "active" ingredient in the mix that creates the red color.

The rest of the mix is mostly water, ammonia bases (some close to those you would find in common fertilizers), and holding agents (often a fine sand) to add consistency to the slurry.

While I don't think it's "great" for the environment, this is a matter of perspective -- after all a big chunk of the forest is on fire! Very rarely have I seen significant amounts of this on the ground after a drop. I think when a good run / drop is made most of the slurry is consumed in the act of fire suppression itself.

Answer 2

Red Fire Retardant

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Is that red fire retardant (dropped from planes) bad for nature?
On the news I saw this huge DC10 plane flying over california wildfires and dumping tons of this red fire retardent. What is that stuff? Is it true that this stuff is not good for the animals or vegetation? Can't we drop water to interfere less with nature?

PS: this is not in regard to...

Answer 4

Difficult to say if it is toxic to Nature or not. As far as I can tell, some of the ingredients used in the most common mass fire retardant act as fertilisers to some degree once the fire is out, e.g. phosphates and sulphates. However, even these would be artificial fertilisers, therefore possibly harmful in ways only someone specialised in the field of soil studies might know about. But there are others that we don't know about, as they seem to be bound by Trade Descriptions legislation preventing anyone from knowing about them, except in times of 'national emergency', whatever that has come to mean these days. They are meant to make all the other ingredients 'work better', but how?

Answer 5

Newer retardants use ammonium sulfate or ammonium polyphosphate with attapulgite clay thickener or diammonium phosphate with a guar gum derivative thickener. These are not only less toxic but act as fertilizers to help the regrowth of plants after the fire (however, the retardants can be toxic to fish if accidentally dropped in water and then exposed to sunlight). Fire retardants contain wetting agents, preservatives and rust inhibitors and are colored red with ferric oxide to mark where they have been dropped. Brand names of fire retardants for aerial application are Fire-Trol and Phos-Chek.

Answer 6

Most firefighting techniques are rather invasive as far as nature is concerned. There are numerous direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts that may be more significant and enduring than the effects of the fire itself. Firebreaks, swaths cut with McLeods or bulldozers, can be as narrow as a two-foot wide or as wide as fifteen. The initial quantity of soil disturbance may not be very much, but over the long-term can be damaging to the slope and soil.

Backfires are another technique to suppress large, fast-moving wildfires by deliberately starting another fire ahead of the main flame front, and thereby depriving it of fuel. Sometimes this works beautifully, other times the course of the fire can change or the backfire becomes an issue as well.

As for chemical fire control, the Forest Service argues that the chemical includes fertilizer to help new plants grow. But while this fertilizer is relatively benign in the ground, it can be deadly to wildlife when it runs into streams. The chemical may create a plume of nitrogen that kills fish and insects in streams, and feeds algae blooms in lakes.

I live in Southern California, and one can argue about homes being built in the wrong places, etc. etc., but as you say, the number and extent of the fires is a tragedy. God Bless the fire fighters working to save homes and the people who have been displaced.

Answer 7

I think that getting burned alive is worse than having flame retardant dumped on my head.
The helicopters are dumping water and the planes are dumping the retardant.
In case you didn't know we are also in a severe drought here. Water is not abundant and some of the fires are too far from the ocean to go back and forth for refills.

Answer 8

the red is a `safe ` dye so that the wind speed /direction can be checked by pilots and observers.