National Ban on Fire Retardant Threatened
Plenty of environmental groups, longtime critics of the Bush administration, would love to see high-level administration officials behind bars.
Now a small Eugene group is on the verge of putting one there, in a court case the group hopes will reshape the way the U.S. Forest Service fights wildfires across the West.
An irritated federal judge in Montana appears ready to go along with the request by Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, based in Eugene, to hold the Bush administration official who oversees the Forest Service in contempt of court for disobeying his orders.
The judge, Donald Molloy of Missoula, has said that at a hearing Tuesday, he could either jail Mark Rey, the undersecretary of agriculture, place him under house arrest or suspend all use of fire retardant, the red slurry dropped to slow wildfires.
“What the judge is saying is, ‘I’ve had it with these guys,’ ” said Jim Furnish, a former deputy chief of the Forest Service who is following the case.
Few cases have pointed such severe consequences at so high a level in government.
Molloy is overseeing a dispute between the government and the Eugene group that goes where no lawsuit has gone before. It centers around the millions of gallons of fire retardant aerial bombers dump on blazes every year, and what the employee group argues — and Molloy agrees — is the government’s disregard for the environmental impact of chemicals in the retardant… [more]
Dear Judge Molloy,
Go ahead. Ban fire retardant nationwide. I dare you. I double-dog dare you.
Go ahead. Let’s see what happens. There could be a backlash, but maybe not. Maybe you will hailed as a hero. There could be parades in your honor, your Honor.
You might be our next President, elected by popular acclaim for your wisdom and concern for the Pipple.
Do it, Judge. Ban fire retardant. Put your money where your mouth is.
Make my day.
Your pal, Mike
by Dietrick
Fire retardants are often toxic. There is a better product from Europe that actually doesn’t simply slow water down with Xantam gum and salts, but has active ingredients that sucks away all the oxygen and thus kill the fire instantly.
I have seen it work and there is web site:www.velserbai.nl
France and other European countries are now using it. France has simular environmental conditions as California.
by Jeremy
I looked at that web site and I have to tell you; I have never seen that sort of thing before.
It is as if the fire is being eaten away from the inside out, wild!
How much does that stuff cost?
All fire departments should use that immediately.
Thank goodness are these imbecile red necks out of power for at least four years and can the environment recover from the Bush rape.
by Dietrick
Yes, the fire loses it’s fuel by implosion.
The stuff is now being looked at by some California Fire Departments.
It is also 100% Bio Degradable.
It is all politics and lasrge companies lobby to get their garbage approved and try to control the market.
I hope to it approved and used.
by Alexa
Long term fire retardent should absolutely be banned, or at least have other options of distinguishing fire be looked into. It is bad for the environment; it kills many plants and can often make the soil infertile. Fire retardent is also bad for animals, especially when retardent is exposed in large amounts. The powder can easily get into streams or other sources of water, and kill anytype of fish or other aquatic organisms that live in the water. And finally, the flame retardent is a giant waste of tax payer money. The price of Jet fuel these days is sky high, and the cost alone to fly the air tanks which distribute the retardent is mind-blowing. But when the retardent is dropped around and over the fire,if fire fighters are not at the exact location where they can attack the fire,the reatrdent will do almost nothing to help eliminate the fire. Other alternatives should deffinately be looked into. By the way, I am doing this as my research project, and if anyone has an opinion or fact they would like to share, email me at mrando_izuchin@hotmail.com.
Alexa, your research project? Please be more specific. Are you affiliated with a university or research center? Who is funding your research?
by JT
They will never ban this stuff, as long as ICL makes it.
There is more to this story, FireTrol had the contracts, but Isreal Chemical Limited (ICL) somehow got awarded the contracts without bids being published. At least, none of my buddies can find them.
ICL, also refered to as Phos-Check, makes the class A foams. They have a lock on the business there too, despite the high price and toxicity in the product.
There are cheaper foams with better listings, and much lower toxicities.
But, what Phos-Check wants, Phos-Check gets.
By the way, I think ICL ended up purchasing the rights to FireTrol to quiet this down.
16 Dec 2008, 12:12pm, by Dietrick:
Fire retardants are often toxic. There is a better product from Europe that actually doesn’t simply slow water down with Xantam gum and salts, but has active ingredients that sucks away all the oxygen and thus kill the fire instantly.
I have seen it work and there is web site:www.velserbai.nlFrance and other European countries are now using it. France has simular environmental conditions as California.
Dear Dietrick,
My friends from USA and Switzerland were recently sent mail to me above your comments.
I agree with your statements, I am the inventor of this product, my company flamark is manufacturer and Mr. Beck - velsberai netherland is distributor.
Successful tests have been done in Europe, Israel…Australia… and also in California. Kindly refer to http://www.flamark.hr which is already outdated and I’m busy with update work with a few new unique products.
Kind regards,
Marko Boduljak
e-mail: mboduljak (at) hotmail.com
See [here] for some background.