Innovative Company Delivers Advanced Formula, Long-Term Fire Retardant Technology, Moving to Final Operational Field Evaluation at the U.S. Forest Service Air Tanker Base in Missoula, MT.
MT – FORTRESS® North America, a new and innovative entrant has emerged onto the aerial fire retardant scene by introducing their first retardant product, of what will be a full portfolio of products, to be rolled out this summer. FORTRESS was founded in 2016 by a team of industry experts, including former Federal and State firefighters with experience across natural resource protection, wildfire suppression, aviation management, and environmental engineering. FR-100, FORTRESS’ first aerial fire retardant product, will begin its final field evaluation by the U.S. Forest Service on June 1st 2021, at the Missoula Air Tanker Base. The FR-100 retardant, with its high-visibility red color, marks the beginning of a stream of revolutionary new fire retardant chemistry technologies. FORTRESS anticipates FR-100 and other fire retardant products, including a Liquid Concentrate version, to be available for commercial and international sales beginning later this year
In addition, FORTRESS has entered into a strategic partnership with a subsidiary of Compass Minerals (NYSE: CMP), providing FORTRESS with access to environmentally responsible, critical fire retardant ingredients, as well as robust logistics and supply chain support, to efficiently meet the increasing demands of aerial wildfire suppression throughout North America.
“Our mission is to be the leading innovator in the aerial fire retardant industry, providing the highest quality fire retardant and enhancing the safety of the public and our firefighters, while helping reduce the catastrophic losses inherent with worsening wildfire conditions in the West”, as stated by Robert Burnham, FORTRESS CEO. “Our long-range vision, through the expansion and advancement of our portfolio of fire retardants, is to reduce the environmental impact of this essential public safety service on our communities, watersheds, and broader ecosystems.”
FR-100 does not contain any phosphate or ammonium, and can be applied far in advance of a spreading wildfire to protect firefighters, infrastructure, watersheds, and critical emergency evacuation routes. FORTRESS patent protected retardants have met and exceeded the requirements of the stringent laboratory testing undertaken by the U.S. Forest Service. FORTRESS products can be stored and applied using existing equipment and infrastructure, enabling firefighters to efficiently deploy this new and value-added fire retardant.
About FORTRESS
With corporate locations in Montana and California, FORTRESS North America, is a new and innovative fire retardant company that has designed and developed the FORTRESS family of “21st Century” long term fire retardants. Engineered for environmental protection and unmatched fire retardant efficacy, FORTRESS products have proven superior performance characteristics. More info: www.FORTRESSFRS.com
