The US Forest Service has given approval to a new formulation of fire retardant specifically designed to be applied from the ground. Perimeter Solutions, the maker of PHOS-CHEK long term fire retardant, has added PHOS-CHEK FORTIFY to its inventory of products, saying that “it is the only highly-durable fire retardant that has been approved by USDA Forest Service for preventative application on U.S. federal lands.”

FORTIFY is based on a hydrogel platform and polymer technology to provide enhanced durability to weathering as well as adherence to vegetation. It can be applied on flammable vegetation and cellulosic material early in the fire season before a wildfire approaches and provides ongoing protection, remaining effective until a significant rain event of one inch or more. Unlike retardant dropped from aircraft, which is colored to help pilots track where the retardant is dropped during active wildfires, the durable FORTIFY fire retardant is uncolored and is precision applied from the ground.

Perimeter Solutions says the product was developed in 2018 and over the past three years utilities, railroads, insurance companies, homeowners, and other industries have adopted it as a solution to prevent wildfire ignitions and proactively protect their property from wildfires.