Technology

Kaiterra LTFR products are based on ammonium phosphate chemistry and are designed as direct, drop-in replacements for currently used aerial firefighting retardants. Our formulations eliminate concerns around commingling of products, a performance characteristic validated at the U.S. Forest Service's National Technology and Development Program office of the US Forest Service. Kaiterra is not reinventing the wheel, but providing a cost-effective alternative built on proven chemistry and aligned with today's operational requirements.

History of Ammonium Phosphates

Operation Firestop was a major research program conducted by the U.S. Forest Service in the mid 1950s to develop more effective aerial fire-retardant chemicals for wildland firefighting. At the time, agencies were relying mostly on water and early retardant mixtures that provided only short-term suppression. Through extensive laboratory and field testing, Operation Firestop evaluated numerous chemical compounds to determine their ability to slow or stop the combustion of vegetation.

The research demonstrated that ammonium phosphate salts were significantly more effective than previously used materials because they chemically altered how plant fuels burn, promoting char formation and reducing flammable gasses. These findings led to the development of modern long-term phosphate-based fire retardants, which remain the foundation of aerial wildfire retardant formulations used by wildfire agencies today.

U.S. Forest Service - An Evaluation of the Drop Characteristics and Ground Distribution Patterns of Forest Fire Retardants by Charles W George & Aylmer D. Blakely. USDA Forest Service Research Paper INT-134