Over the last one hundred and fifty years we have seen the development of a range of approaches to deal with bushfires in Australia and New Zealand. With few large natural water sources available in most bushfire-prone areas, particularly in Australia, techniques have developed that are generally categorized as 'dry firefighting'.
Techniques have also been developed to make what water is available, more effective. Chemicals are added to water to provide a residual protection from fire (retardants) or to increase the surface area of the water (foams) or to increase the water’s boiling temperature (gels). These chemicals are effective when delivered from the ground or from the air.Items in Chemicals: Research and reports
- Australian and New Zealand Qualified Products List Fire Chemicals 2011 - October 2011
- Gels and Foam: A firenote - September 2006
- Compressed Air Foam Technology for Grassfire Fighting - February 2006
- Assessment of the Application of Compressed Air Foam Technology for Grassfire Fighting - February 2006
- Fighting Bushfires from the Air - August 2006
- Penetration of Persistence of Water and Foam Drops from a Medium Helicopter - August 2006
- Using Chemicals in Fire-Fighting Operations - December 2005
- Above the Battlefield: Effective aerial suppression - October 2004
- Effects of Fire Retardants on Vegetation in Eastern Australian Heathlands: A preliminary investigation - November 2003
- Effects of Fire Retardant on Soils of Heathland in Victoria - November 2003
- USDA Forest Service Wildland Fire Chemicals - July 2002
- Assessment of the Effectiveness and Environmental Risk of the Use of Retardants to Assist in Wildfire Control in Victoria - February 2000
- Compressed Air Foam Project - July 1999
