EarthClean Corporation of St. Paul, Minnesota, recently announced that its TetraKO® XL-P firefighting water enhancer has been added to the Qualified Product List (QPL) of the USDA Forest Service for use on wildland firefighting operations. The USDA Forest Service, through its Missoula Technology and Development Center, has evaluated, qualified, and approved TetraKO XL-P water enhancer for use by ground engine, helicopter bucket, and single-engine air transport (SEAT) apparatus.
“TetraKO XL-P is the first ready biodegradable water enhancer approved by the USDA Forest Service for use in wildland firefighting operations. Its inclusion in the QPL represents a watershed for our company and furthers our mission to provide organizations with new tools to add to their firefighting arsenal,” explained James R. Grabek, EarthClean Corporation President. “We have invested a significant amount of time and resources to the QPL approval process, and we are excited now to get on with the business of working with wildland firefighting organizations to protect property and natural resources threatened by wildland fires!”
TetraKO XL-P water enhancer granulate easily mixes with water and can be poured directly into a wide range of existing wildland firefighting equipment, including air-pressurized fire extinguishers, backpack sprayers, skid units, utility vehicles (UTVs), helicopter buckets, and SEAT operations. The ready biodegradable mixed solution provides excellent Class-A firefighting and fire management performance.
Cornstarch-based TetraKO poses no known environmental risk to sensitive waterways, plant species, aquatic wildlife, birds and small omnivores and herbivores. With USDA Forest Service approval and QPL designation, TetraKO XL-P ready biodegradable water enhancer gives incident commanders increased flexibility when fighting wildland fires on environmentally sensitive areas of US government lands. (Note: the USDA Forest Service recommends, whenever practical, as determined by the fire incident commander, the use of water or other less toxic wildland fire chemical suppressants for direct attack, or less toxic approved fire retardants in areas either occupied by threatened, endangered, proposed, candidate or sensitive species or designated as their critical habitats.)
“We’ve conducted testing with SEAT aircraft, as well as a variety of ground-based equipment, with excellent results,” said Grabek. “In addition to application on federal lands, this QPL designation gives TetraKO water enhancer the USDA’s official approval required by many state DNR and forestry organizations for wildland firefighting and structure protection.”
TetraKO XL-P granulate is conveniently packaged in sizes ranging from 4-ounce bottles (for mixing into a 2.5 gallon capacity fire extinguisher) to a small pail (enough to create 250 gallons of mixed solution). Larger sizes are available upon request. For more information, and to inquire about distributorship opportunities, visit www.earthclean.com.
Posted: Sep 12, 2016
The sad and deadly truth about a career in the fire service will be on full display as firefighters and paramedics join grieving families from across North America once again to honor the men and women who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
This year, the names of 123 professional firefighters, all members of the International Association of Fire Fighters, have been added to the IAFF Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Wall of Honor. They will be remembered with a moving service occurring one week after the 15th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. The names added this year include 10 who died from chronic illnesses linked to their recovery work at the Ground Zero site in Lower Manhattan.
The entire Memorial service will be streamed live. Video and photos of the service can be made available. Visit the Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial Web site for a list of names on the Wall of Honor and other information. Contact Tim Burn at 202 230-7167 or tburn@iaff.org more information or to arrange interviews.
The Fallen Fire Fighter Memorial, completely rebuilt in 2015, honors more than 7,400 IAFF members who died in the line of duty. The names include those who died on the job, as well as the alarming number who succumbed to chronic illnesses linked to the fire service such as heart disease and cancer. Etched on granite walls forming concentric circles, the names together tell a bigger story, a century of sacrifice, a fire service that has given so much but also become stronger and made communities safer.
The International Association of Fire Fighters, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the leading advocate in North America for the safety and training of firefighters and paramedics and represents more than 300,000 full-time professional fire fighters and paramedics who protect communities in every state and throughout Canada. More information is available at www.iaff.org
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