Fire retardant donation to combat wildfire defense

July 11, 2024

Perimeter Solutions, global manufacturer of fire retardant, has donated a 260-gallon tote of PHOS-CHEK® LCE20-Fx long-term fire retardant to the Logan Lake Fire Department in British Columbia, Canada. Located in the Highland Valley, Logan Lake is at risk of wildfire as it is surrounded by forests that incur frequent lightning storms. The PHOS-CHEK fire retardant can be applied by the fire department as active wildfires are approaching to protect property. It can also be applied proactively at the beginning of the season to protect homes from wildfire for months at a time, until a significant rain event.

In 2013, Logan Lake became the first community in Canada to be designated as a FireSmart™ Community. That means that the community has taken critical steps to reduce their vulnerability to the impact of wildfire. Similar to the FireWise USA® program organized by the National Fire Protection Association, the FireSmart program encourages residences to clear their gutters and area around their homes of debris, to harden their homes against wildfire with non-flammable or low-flammability materials, and to take other steps to safeguard properties.

Logan Lake was put to the test in 2021 when the Tremont Creek Fire took aim on the community. Residents of Logan Lake were evacuated as the fire approached, not knowing if they would be able to return home. Before being fully contained, the Tremont Creek Fire burned 63,548 hectares (157,031 acres) of land. Logan Lake, however, emerged largely unscathed, a testament to the effectiveness of the community’s commitment to FireSmart principles.

When vegetation and other surfaces are treated with PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx, a chemical fire break is formed. The solution creates a coating, and as the fire approaches the water contained within the retardant evaporates. The fire retardant component of the solution then reacts with cellulose present in the woody material, grass, needles, and other matter to prevent it from providing fuel for fire, making it a valuable addition to Logan Lake’s efforts to prevent the spread of wildfire.

Representatives from the Logan Lake Fire Department recently attended a session that Perimeter Solutions hosted in Kamloops on the use of ground-applied fire retardant to help protect communities from wildfire. After hearing Peter de Bruijn, Wildland Fire Prevention & Protection Specialist at Perimeter Solutions, present on the technology, they asked Peter to deliver the same talk at their FireSmart Community Day.

“After hearing what PHOS-CHEK fire-retardant could do, Fire Chief Doug Wilson said he would like to use it for the upcoming wildfire season, and we are proud to make this donation to help in their ongoing fire protection efforts,” says de Bruijn. “By combining Logan Lake’s FireSmart practices with the use of PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx, they can create a strong defense against wildfires.”

Perimeter Solutions made the donation of PHOS-CHEK LCE20-Fx earlier this month. The Logan Lake Fire Department will familiarize themselves with the product to incorporate it into their firefighting strategy for the coming months.

For more information about Perimeter Solutions’ ground-based fire retardant solutions, visit the company’s Wildfire Prevention & Protection page at: https://www.perimeter-solutions.com/en/prevention-protection.

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