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An article by Dan Reese, CEO BLAZETAMER380
“The data is clear — we don’t necessarily need to drop more; we need to make every drop count.”
Turning Data into Better Fire Outcomes
Each year, wildfires grow in scale, frequency, and complexity, demanding fire suppression systems that are smarter, faster, and more adaptable. Aerial firefighting remains a cornerstone of this effort — yet data from the Aerial Firefighting Use and Effectiveness (AFUE) study shows that the performance of aerial assets depends not only on tactics, but on what is being delivered.
Water enhancers such as BLAZETAMER380 demonstrate how science and field operations can converge to close the wildfire innovation gap — transforming our most abundant resource, water, into a more powerful and adaptable tool for suppression.
This paper summarizes key AFUE findings on water and retardant effectiveness and explains where enhanced water, specifically BlazeTamer380, can improve direct attack outcomes while complementing existing retardant strategies
The Role of Retardant: Strengths and Shortcomings
Fire retardant has been essential in wildfire operations for decades. The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reports that the U.S. drops roughly 14–15 million gallons annually, and in extreme seasons — such as 2020 and 2021 — more than 20 million gallons.
Delivered by Large Airtankers (LATs) and Very Large Airtankers (VLATs), retardant is primarily used for indirect attack — pretreating containment lines or strengthening barriers ahead of advancing fire.
But according to AFUE analysis, there’s room for improvement in how aerial agents are used and how often they achieve the intended effect:
- Interaction Percentage (IP): Only 74% to 80% of retardant drops interact with fire, meaning 20% to 26% of drops never encounter the fire.
- Probability of Success (POS): When retardant does interact with fire, its success rates are moderate:
- Halting fire spread: POS of 0.55 to 0.67.
- Point protection: POS of 0.78 to 0.87
- Ineffectiveness: 14% to 17% of retardant drops that interact with fire fail to achieve suppression objectives, often due to fire burning through, outflanking, or spotting over retardant lines.
Despite its broad use, 20–26% of retardant drops never reach the fire, and another 14–17% of those that do are ineffective due to spotting, outflanking, or reburn. Effectively, this means 42% of retardant dropped is ineffective.
“Retardant may hold the line, but only if we hold down the heat.”
By integrating direct suppression using enhanced water with more direct retardant lines, firefighters can extend holding time and improve overall containment. Reducing a fire’s Energy Release Component (ERC) against treated fuels decreases thermal stress, which will suppress and help retardant remain effective longer.
Water: A Reliable and Effective Tool
Water, delivered by helicopters and scoopers, continues to outperform retardant in direct attack. It is simple, immediate, and efficient and AFUE data verifies its reliability:
- Interaction Percentage (IP): Water drops, especially from helicopters and scoopers, have near-perfect interaction rates, often approaching 100%.
- Probability of Success (POS): Water demonstrates higher success rates for reducing fire intensity and delaying fire spread:
- 0.74 to 0.88 for helicopters.
- 0.81 to 0.96 for scoopers.
- Direct Suppression Advantage: Water is primarily used for direct attack, with 32% to 49% of drops aimed at reducing fire intensity. Success rates for these objectives range from 0.80 to 0.96, making water an indispensable tool in wildfire suppression
Enhancing Water’s Performance with BLAZETAMER380
Water remains the foundation of aerial firefighting, but its physical limits reduce efficiency once released. BlazeTamer380 changes how water behaves in flight and on impact, solving several long-standing issues in suppression.
- Improved Drop Efficiency
When mixed with water, BlazeTamer380 forms a Non-Newtonian solution that resists windshear. The drop holds together instead of breaking into fine mist, landing as a cohesive layer that covers more fuel and loses less volume to drift. - Reduced Evaporation
Evaporation is another weakness of untreated water. Tests show that BlazeTamer380 reduces evaporation by more than half. More liquid reaches the fire, stays longer on the surface, and sustains a cooling effect that slows combustion. - Better Penetration
Penetration improves as well. Studies by the European testing body CEREN found that enhanced water reaches both surface and subsurface fuels more effectively. Adjusting the mix ratio lets firefighters adapt to local fuel types and conditions. - Adhesion to Fuels
Adhesion is built into BLAZETAMER380'S chemistry. The formula draws from agricultural spray technology designed to keep solutions on plant surfaces instead of bouncing off. When applied to wildfire fuels, treated water coats and clings where it’s needed most. - Versatility Across Aircraft Types
BLAZETAMER380 works across helicopters, scoopers, Large Airtankers(LATs), and Very Large Airtankers (VLATs). Its adaptability ensures that it can be deployed in both initial attacks and large fire operations, maximizing its utility across various wildfire scenarios.
The Need for Better Water Strategy
Data from the AFUE Report shows that water interacts with fire more consistently than retardant and achieves higher success in direct attack. Enhancing water with BlazeTamer380 strengthens that advantage. Each drop lands in a tighter pattern, loses less to evaporation, penetrates fuels faster, and adheres more effectively. The result is higher suppression efficiency and improved use of flight time and resources.
Toward More Effective Aerial Suppression
Wildfires demand practical advances, not new chemicals for the sake of novelty. BLAZETAMER380 refines a proven tool. It helps water cover more ground, last longer under heat, and reach fuels that untreated water misses. Better water means better control, fewer wasted drops, and greater protection for crews, communities and ecosystems.
Interested in more of Dan Reese's articles? Follow us on socials or read his FSJA exclusive: The detection-suppression paradox.
