Long-Term Fire Retardants
Long-term fire retardants contain retardant salts (typically fertilizers) that alter the way fire burns, decreasing fire intensity and slowing the advance of a fire, even after the water the retardants originally contained has evaporated.
The water these retardants contain serves primarily to aid in dispersing the retardant uniformly over the target area.
Refer to the "Long-Term Retardants Fact Sheet" for further information.
Specification
"Forest Service Specification FS 5100-304d" provides the specific requirements for qualifying long-term retardants.
WFCS must first evaluate and approve long-term fire retardants before they can be used on Federal lands. The process for fully evaluating products can take 18 to 24 months. We list these products on our QPL once we approve them.
Submission for Evaluation
If your company is interested in submitting long-term fire retardants for us to evaluate, please contact our program. Refer to the document "Manufacturer Submission Procedures for Qualification Testing of Wildland Fire Chemical Products" for an overview of our submission procedures.
We require the following completed forms at the time of submission:
- FS-5100-37—Formulation Disclosure Sheet (form in Microsoft Word—98 kb)
- FS-5100-38—Technical Data Sheet (form in Microsoft Word—59 kb)
- FS-5100-39—Technical Data Sheet—Part 2 (form in Microsoft Word—42 kb)
- Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) results (EPA SW-846 Test Method 1311)
Product Testing
"Forest Service Specification FS 5100-304d" outlines the testing and requirements that new long-term retardants must meet before WFCS places them on the QPL. The Wildland Fire Chemicals Test Procedures web page outlines these test methods and requirements.
Approved Products
The following links outline information about currently approved long-term retardants, and contact information for the companies that produce them:
- Long-Term Retardant Qualified Products List - U.S.D.A Forest Service
- Long-Term Retardant Qualified Products List - Canada
- Long-Term Retardant Product Information
- Product Performance and Test Results
- Supplier Contacts
Environmental Health and Safety
WFCS tests wildland fire chemicals thoroughly to ensure both human and ecological health and safety. We integrate risk assessments and environmental consultations into our testing and approval processes. Refer to the following links for more information about using long-term retardants: