What's So Great About Red Slurry?

So what is the red stuff falling out of the planes? How does it work? The phosphorous mixture helps to create containment lines by coating vegetation in front of the fire. When the fire interacts with the retardant, a chemical reaction occurs which creates only carbon and water—preventing flammable combustion. Bernie Post is a technical representative for Ontario, California based Phos-Chek. The company produces retardant, gel, and foam used in fighting fires. Post says the retardant mixture is safe, but remains a chemical product. “It’s phosphorus, and if you get a lot of it on your hands, you need to wash if off and you should probably put some lotion on your hands because it’s a salt and it will dry our skin out.” But why is it red? Is it because of the chemical make up of the slurry? Nope. Post says red dye is added to the mixture so fire fighters on the ground can see where the retardant has dropped. Without it, the mixture would be almost invisible. Post says water is mixed with the retardant simply for use as a carrier. Once the slurry coats the vegetation, the water evaporates and the mixture stays. If a large rain storm occurs, the slurry washes away leaving behind fertilizer that actually helps restore the land around the fire...more