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Podcasts Take Two
'Orange Slime' use in fighting fires debated (photos)
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Oct 25, 2013
Listen • 4:52
'Orange Slime' use in fighting fires debated (photos)
California uses more fire retardant on average than any other state, but some environmental activists say the substance is ineffective and dangerous to wildlife.
The retardant is artificially colored bright red so that during a fire Cal Fire crews know where each drop started and left off.
The retardant is artificially colored bright red so that during a fire Cal Fire crews know where each drop started and left off.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Cal Fire's Kevin Reed is one of more than 20 technicians, engineers, pilots and firefighters that are stationed at the Air Attack Base in Hemet, Calif.
Cal Fire's Kevin Reed is one of more than 20 technicians, engineers, pilots and firefighters that are stationed at the Air Attack Base in Hemet, Calif.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Water pours into 10,000-gallon tanks where the retardant is mixed. So far this year the Hemet base has used 800 thousand gallons of retardant, twice the amount from last year.
Water pours into 10,000-gallon tanks where the retardant is mixed. So far this year the Hemet base has used 800 thousand gallons of retardant, twice the amount from last year.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Firefighters Adan Castro, left, and Anthony Pappani work in the control tower. Castro coordinates aircraft coming and going at the base.
Firefighters Adan Castro, left, and Anthony Pappani work in the control tower. Castro coordinates aircraft coming and going at the base.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
With the push of a button from the cockpit, doors at the bottom of a S-2T air tanker open and release all 1,200 gallons of fire retardant.
With the push of a button from the cockpit, doors at the bottom of a S-2T air tanker open and release all 1,200 gallons of fire retardant.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Battalion Chief Travis Alexander inside a S-2T air tanker, which travels at about 300 miles per hour.
Battalion Chief Travis Alexander inside a S-2T air tanker, which travels at about 300 miles per hour.
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Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Underneath a S-2T air tanker, which holds 1,200 gallons of fire retardant. This S-2T is one of 23 former military tankers that have been converted for Cal Fire's use during wildfires.
Underneath a S-2T air tanker, which holds 1,200 gallons of fire retardant. This S-2T is one of 23 former military tankers that have been converted for Cal Fire's use during wildfires.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Cal Fire Air Technician Kevin Reed demonstrates how fire retardant is put in an air tanker on Oct. 15 at the Cal Fire Air Attack Base in Hemet, Calif. – one of 12 bases of its kind in California. This S-2T air tanker holds 1,200 gallons of retardant.
Cal Fire Air Technician Kevin Reed demonstrates how fire retardant is put in an air tanker on Oct. 15 at the Cal Fire Air Attack Base in Hemet, Calif. – one of 12 bases of its kind in California. This S-2T air tanker holds 1,200 gallons of retardant.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
GROVELAND, CA - AUGUST 22: A DC-10 air tanker drops fire retardant on a ridge ahead of the advancing Rim Fire on August 22, 2013 in Groveland, California. The Rim Fire continues to burn out of control and threatens 2,500 homes outside of Yosemite National Park. Over 1,000 firefighters are battling the blaze that was reduced to only 2 percent containment after it nearly tripled in size overnight. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
GROVELAND, CA - AUGUST 22: A DC-10 air tanker drops fire retardant on a ridge ahead of the advancing Rim Fire on August 22, 2013 in Groveland, California. The Rim Fire continues to burn out of control and threatens 2,500 homes outside of Yosemite National Park. Over 1,000 firefighters are battling the blaze that was reduced to only 2 percent containment after it nearly tripled in size overnight. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
)

California uses more fire retardant on average than any other state, but some environmental activists say the substance is ineffective and dangerous to wildlife.

Today is the 10th anniversary of the so-called "Firestorm of 2003m" when more than a dozen wildfires raged across Southern California from Simi Valley to San Diego. 

The frequency and intensity of wildfires have risen over the years, and one of the weapons used to fight those fires is that bright orange liquid dumped from planes above the flames: fire retardant.

Turns out fire retardant is made here in Southern California. As KPCC's Science Reporter Sanden Totten explains, not everyone thinks it works when it matters most.