Perimeter Solutions has introduced PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx, the next-generation of its industry-leading flagship PHOS-CHEK Fire Retardant line.
PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx combines the ease of mixing and handling a liquid with the aerial drop advantages of a gum-thickened retardant.
The elastic nature of the thickener in PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx reduces drift, dispersion and evaporation, while increasing coverage, wrap around, and canopy and ladder fuel penetration, making it more effective in targeting ground vegetation.
An innovative, 100 percent phosphate product, PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx fire retardant utilizes an environmentally friendly formula to offer superior performance, product safety, and enhanced stability, resulting in easier handling.
PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx fire retardant is qualified by the USDA Forest Service under the recently updated specification for Long Term Retardant, Wildland Firefighting: 5100-304d (published January 7, 2020), for use in fixed-wing and single-engine air tankers, helicopter buckets and ground engines.
After an operational field evaluation conducted earlier this year, the product is currently included on the USDA Forest Service Qualified Product List (QPL) for use on Federal and State land.
This next-generation fire retardant is the result of the company’s continuing commitment to R&D for the fire safety market in developing solutions that save lives, according to Edward Goldberg, Chief Executive Officer of Perimeter Solutions.
“PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx is another big step toward delivering superior firefighting performance with the low environmental footprint our Agency customers are asking us for. It is the culmination of two years of work by the Perimeter Solutions R&D team in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. This 100 percent-phosphate formulation is an improvement in virtually every aspect of environmental and operational performance over previous technologies,” Goldberg said. “As we continue to see the growing impact of wildfires on communities in the United States and around the world, we’re gratified that we can help firefighters by providing them with technologies that help them do their jobs more effectively and with greater safety.”
An improved tool to fight wildland fires
PHOS-CHEK fire retardants are used for wildland fire control in forest, brush or grassland. Perimeter Solutions’ PHOS-CHEK LC95 product has been the global standard fire retardant for more than a decade.
Once applied, PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx reacts with and alters the thermal decomposition mechanism of wildland fuels, rendering them nonflammable, depriving the fire of fuel while reducing fire intensity and the rate of flame spread.
PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx fire retardant is also a useful tool for prescribed burns and fire breaks. When applied at lower concentrations, fire intensity can be dramatically reduced, while only slow and controlled burning remains supported.
Produced as a concentrate, PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx is delivered to application sites as a low-viscosity liquid. During application, it is diluted and mixed with water in-line as it is transferred to delivery systems.
PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx is an Ultra-High Visibility Fugitive (Fx)-coloured concentrate that offers better ground visibility than any product on the market to date, which improves in-field effectiveness and also enhances the safety of pilots engaged in firefighting operations. The fugitive color maintains visibility during application, and slowly fades after exposure to sunlight.
According to Shannon Horn, Business Director, North America Retardant and Services at Perimeter Solutions, PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx was developed in response to the company’s Agency customers’ requests.
“Improved environmental performance is a topic that is particularly important to our customers. The new formula, compared to previous formulas, offers lower metals content, lower fish toxicity, lower overall toxicity, enhanced product safety and lower costs for disposal. In addition, the new product has better stability, which translates into easier handling, and reduced concentrate separation,” said Horn. “We think PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx can be the standard for fire retardants for the next 20 years.
“We look forward to rolling it out to our customers as they look to save lives, homes, property and communities around the world,” he added.
