Fire retardant

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A fire retardant is a substance that is used

to slow or stop the spread of fire or reduce
its intensity. This is commonly
accomplished by chemical reactions that
reduce the flammability of fuels or delay
their combustion.[1][2] Fire retardants may
also cool the fuel through physical action
or endothermic chemical reactions. Fire
retardants are available as powder, to be
mixed with water, as fire-fighting foams
and fire-retardant gels. Fire retardants are
also available as coatings or sprays to be
applied to an object.[3]

Fire retardants are commonly used in fire

fighting, where they may be applied aerially
or from the ground.

Principles of operation
In general, fire retardants reduce the
flammability of materials by either
blocking the fire physically or by initiating a
chemical reaction that stops the fire.
Physical action

There are several ways in which the

combustion process can be retarded by
physical action:

By cooling: Some chemical reactions

actually cool the material down.
By forming a protective layer that
prevents the underlying material from
igniting.
By dilution: Some retardants release
water and/or carbon dioxide while
burning. This may dilute the radicals in
the flame enough for it to go out.
Commonly used fire retardant additives
include mixtures of huntite and
hydromagnesite, aluminium hydroxide, and
magnesium hydroxide. When heated,
aluminium hydroxide dehydrates to form
aluminum oxide (alumina, Al2O3), releasing
water vapor in the process. This reaction
absorbs a great deal of heat, cooling the
material into which it is incorporated.
Additionally, the residue of alumina forms
a protective layer on the material's
surface. Mixtures of huntite and
hydromagnesite work in a similar manner.
They endothermically decompose
releasing both water and carbon
dioxide,[4][5] giving fire retardant
properties[6][7][8] to the materials in which
they are incorporated.

Chemical action

Reactions in the gas phase: chemical

reactions in the flame (i.e. gas phase)
can be interrupted by fire retardants.
Generally, these retardants are organic
halides (haloalkanes) such as Halon and
PhostrEx. The chemicals used in these
types of retardants are often toxic.
Reaction in the solid phase: some
retardants break down polymers so they
melt and flow away from the flame.
Although this allows some materials to
pass certain flammability tests, it is not
known whether fire safety is truly
improved by the production of
flammable plastic droplets.
Char Formation: For carbon-based fuels,
solid phase flame retardants cause a
layer of carbonaceous char to form on
the fuel surface. This char layer is much
harder to burn and prevents further
burning.[9][10]
Intumescents: These types of retardant
materials incorporate chemicals which
cause swelling behind the protective
char layer, providing much better
insulation. They are available as plastic
 additives, and as paints for protecting
wooden buildings or steel structures.

Uses

Portable fire extinguisher

Fire extinguishers

Class A foam is used as a fire retardant in

2.5 gallon [APW] and [CAFS] extinguishers
to contain incipient brush fires and grass
fires by creating a fire break. Other
chemical retardants are capable of
rendering class A material and Class B
fuels non-flammable and extinguishing
class A, class B, and some class D fires.
Fire retardant slurries dropped from
aircraft are normally applied ahead of a
wildfire to prevent ignition, while fire
suppression agents are used to extinguish
fires.

Surface coating

Objects may be coated with fire

retardants. For example, Christmas trees
are sprayed with retardants. As a tree dries
out it becomes very flammable and a fire-
hazard.

Steel structures have a fire retardant

coating around columns and beams to
prevent structural elements from
weakening during a fire.

Dormitories in the US are also considering

using these products. Since 2000, 109
people have died in fires in dormitories or
off-campus student housing across the
nation, according to Campus Firewatch, an
online newsletter. Campus Firewatch's
publisher, Ed Comeau, said a January 2000
fire at Seton Hall University in New Jersey
drew attention to the perils of fire on
campus. A common area in a Seton Hall
dorm caught fire after two students ignited
a banner from a bulletin board. The fire
quickly spread to furniture and killed three
students and injured 58 others.[11]

Forest-fire fighting

A MAFFS-equipped Air National Guard C-130

Hercules drops fire retardant on wildfires in Southern
California
Red-dyed line of fire retardant stands out clearly on
this Arizona hill, to control the Alambre Fire

Early fire retardants were mixtures of

water and thickening agents, and later
included borates[12] and ammonium
phosphates.

Generally, fire retardants are dropped from

aircraft or applied by ground crews around
a wildfire's edges in an effort to contain its
spread. This allows ground crews time to
work to extinguish the fire. However, when
needed, retardant can also be dropped
directly onto flames to cool the fire and
reduce flame length.[13]

Aerial firefighting

Aerial firefighting is a method to combat

wildfires using aircraft. The types of
aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft
and helicopters. Smokejumpers and
rappellers are also classified as aerial
firefighters, being delivered by parachute
from a variety of fixed-wing aircraft, or
rappelling from helicopters. Chemicals
used to fight fires may include water, water
enhancers, or specially-formulated fire
retardants.[14]

Textiles

Materials
Wildfire retardants

Fire retardants applied to wildfires are

usually a mixture of water and chemicals
designed to wet the area as well as
chemically retard a fire's progression
through vegetation. Typically it is
colored[15] so that the application area can
be seen from the air. New gel-based
retardants which meet NFPA Standard
1150 are being introduced into use. These
are dyed other colors to differentiate them
from the traditional red retardant. The gels
and their dyes are designed to biodegrade
naturally.[16] Phos-Chek is a brand of long-
term retardant currently approved for
wildland fire use.[17]

Environmental concerns
Forest fire retardants that are used are
generally considered non-toxic,[18] but even
less-toxic compounds carry some risk
when organisms are exposed to large
amounts.[19] Fire retardants used in
firefighting can be toxic to fish and wildlife
as well as firefighters[20] by releasing
dioxins and furans when halogenated fire
retardants are burned during fires,[21] and
drops within 300 feet of bodies of water
are generally prohibited unless lives or
property are directly threatened.[22] The US
Forest Service is the governing agency
that conducts research and monitors the
effect of fire retardants on wildland
systems in the US.[23][24]

A study published in June 2014 found that

marine bacteria have the ability to
manufacture a non-synthetic source of
chemically identical PBDEs. These
chemicals are used as flame retardant, but
are known to be toxic to the
environment.[25]

See also
Aerial firefighting
Flame retardant
List of fire-retardant materials
Modular Airborne FireFighting System
Wildland fire suppression

References
1. "BLM Wyoming Wildland Fire
Glossary" . Blm.gov. 2008-06-18.
Retrieved 2012-08-04.
2. Coford Glossary "Fire Retardant"
Archived February 8, 2009, at the
Wayback Machine
3. "Zinsser Glossary" . Zinsser.com.
Retrieved 2012-08-04.
4. Hollingbery, LA; Hull TR (2010). "The
Thermal Decomposition of Huntite
and Hydromagnesite - A Review" .
Thermochimica Acta. 509 (1–2): 1–
11. doi:10.1016/j.tca.2010.06.012 .
5. Hollingbery, LA; Hull TR (2012). "The
Thermal Decomposition of Natural
Mixtures of Huntite and
Hydromagnesite" . Thermochimica
 Acta. 528: 45–52.
doi:10.1016/j.tca.2011.11.002 .
6. Hollingbery, LA; Hull TR (2010). "The
Fire Retardant Behaviour of Huntite
and Hydromagnesite - A Review" .
Polymer Degradation and Stability. 95
(12): 2213–2225.
doi:10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2010.
08.019 .
7. Hollingbery, LA; Hull TR (2012). "The
Fire Retardant Effects of Huntite in
Natural Mixtures with
Hydromagnesite" . Polymer
Degradation and Stability. 97 (4):
504–512.
 doi:10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2012.
01.024 .
8. Hull, TR; Witkowski A; Hollingbery LA
(2011). "Fire Retardant Action of
Mineral Fillers" . Polymer Degradation
and Stability. 96 (8): 1462–1469.
doi:10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2011.
05.006 .
9. "PHOS-CHeK D75 Fire Retardants"
(PDF). Archived from the original
(PDF) on 2011-07-15. Retrieved
2008-11-20.
10. "How do flame retardants work?" .
European Chemical Industry Council
(CEFIC) and European Flame
 Retardants Association (EFRA).
Retrieved 12 Feb 2010.
11. Amy Farnsworth (2007-08-06). "New
coatings cut risk of a dorm fire" . The
Boston Globe.
12. US 2858895 , Connell, George A.
(inventor), "Methods and
compositions for controlling fires",
published November 4, 1958.
13. "Interagency Standards for Fire and
Aviation Operations 2007, Chapter
17" (PDF). National Interagency Fire
Center. Archived from the original
(PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved
2007-08-31.
14. "USDA Forest Service Wildland Fire
Chemicals" . Retrieved 2008-11-13.
15. US 6676858 , Vandersall, Howard L. &
Kegeler, Gary H., "Colorant liquid,
method of use, and wildfire retardant
liquids containing the same",
published January 13, 2004.
16. "CDF Tankers Test Dropping New
Colored Retardants" (PDF). California
Department of Forestry and Fire
Protection. August 27, 2005.
Retrieved 2007-08-22.
17. "Wildland Fire Chemical Product
Information" . Retrieved 2008-11-13.
18. "Phos-Chek MSDS" (PDF). Retrieved
2008-11-14.
19. "Bell, T., Tolhurst, K., and Wouters, M.
Effects of the fire retardant Phos-
Chek on vegetation in eastern
Australian heathlands. International
Journal of Wildland Fire. 14(2) 199–
211" .
20. "Greensciencepolicy.org" .
Greensciencepolicy.org. Retrieved
2012-08-04.
21. "Effect of Fire Retardant on Water
Quality" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-11-17.
22. William Yardley (November 15, 2008).
"In Fighting Wildfires, Concerns About
 Chemicals" . The New York Times.
Retrieved 2008-11-26.
23. "USDA Forest Service Wildland Fire
Chemical Systems" . Retrieved
2008-11-13.
24. "Wildland Fire Chemical Products
Toxicity and Environmental
Concerns" (PDF). Retrieved
2008-11-13.
25. "Marine bacteria are natural source of
chemical fire retardants" . phys.org.
June 29, 2014. Retrieved July 21,
2017.

External links
 Fire Management Notes (1989)
National Fire Protection Association
Defense Fire Protection Association
Using Fire Retardant Materials
Influence of the fire retardant,
ammonium polyphosphate, on the
thermal degradation of poly(methyl
methacrylate)
Fire retardant Glass - UL9 Certified Fire
Resistant glass in USA

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