California wildfires once dominated the news. Not anymore. Washington, Oregon and Colorado have all had their share of fire disasters. A controlled burn in New Mexico went rogue burning 900,000 acres. Climate change has brought drought and wildfires to regions not previously affected. Six of the 10 largest wildfires this year occurred in Alaska. Fires raged throughout Europe—in Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Turkey and the UK. Near the famed vineyards of Bordeaux, a thousand firefighters battled an unprecedented monster fire. Seems ‘unprecedented’ has become the norm. Infernos rage for weeks or months before being brought under control. These fires release carbon into the atmosphere, exacerbating the effects of climate change. It’s a catch-22. And though the intensity and frequency of wildfires has increased, methods used to fight these fires have not kept pace.
What if there was a fire inhibitor that could stop the advance of a wildfire? What if that inhibitor was non-toxic for the environment? And what if it used less water? That would be revolutionary. Mighty Fire Breaker MFB-31 CitroTech is just that product. And how timely.
Steve Conboy, president of Mighty Fire Breaker, brings a new way of thinking to firefighting science. “Nature’s screaming, and we’re listening,” says Conboy, who has more than 45 years of experience in the building, lumber and fire-defense industries. The non-toxic, eco-friendly fire inhibitor MFB-31 Citrotech is his brainchild.
How does it work?
CitroTech’s main ingredient is a substance commonly found in foods and beverages. It’s also one of a few biodegradable, non-toxic fire suppressants. Its effectiveness lies in chemistry and interaction with fire. Free radicals in CitroTech attack the oxygen-free radicals in a fire. Without oxygen, the fire goes out.
Former chief of the San Diego Fire Department and Orange County Fire Agency, Jeff Bowman, has served more than 35 years experience in the fire service. “I was a skeptic,” he says. “I had seen most iterations of fire-inhibiting products and few performed without causing other problems. I have witnessed several successful demonstrations of CitroTech at fire-training centers, but have yet to see it in a real fire situation, as departments are reluctant to try it.” One of those demonstrations took place at the fire department in Rincon, Calif. When Conboy lit a stretch of dry brush, flames erupted and spread quickly. On reaching the section treated with CitroTech, the fire stopped.
“The way we fight fires now is slow and dangerous,” says Bowman. “Young guys on the front lines face massive walls of flames with handheld hoses, or dig firebreaks hoping to stop the advance of a fast-moving fire. CitroTech can help with all that,” Bowman says, “Though Steve’s fire inhibitor is revolutionary, it can be tough to change minds. But that will happen. And when it does, CitroTech will become the gold standard used in fighting fires.”
Since Conboy began his fire elimination programs 11 years ago, his fire inhibitors have been used to protect more than 20 million-square-feet of high-density, wood-framed housing structures throughout the country. In July, Mighty Fire Breaker opened Wildfire Depot, a 5,000 square-foot space in Rohnert Park. The depot functions as a product showroom and a place for supporting property owners, training firefighters and contractors. The company will soon open an additional 20,000-square-foot production facility in Ohio.
A rooftop-sprinkler fire defense system
Research indicates that two out of every three homes destroyed by wildfires resulted from wind-driven embers flying into combustible space. Roof and crawl space vents should always be retro fitted to block embers entry. The second line of defense is to add a sprinkler system off the roof or off the slope that sprays CitroTech during pre-evacuation and knocks out the risk before the wildfire arrives. The system operates independent of local power and water supplies. What’s more, CitroTech continues to offer defense against wildfire, even after it’s bone dry. This should become the game changer in reducing risk premiums.
Retired Santa Rosa English Professor Kate Carpenter was one of the first to install the system. “My home sits at the base of a hill with dry brush. In the past, wild fires have threatened,” says Carpenter. “Embers the size of golf balls landed in my yard. Though I wasn’t evacuated, neighbors were. My home became a sanctuary for 10 people, seven cats and three dogs. MFB contractors installed the system and changed out the vents to prevent embers from entering the attic.
“They come back once a year to spray areas around the house at greatest risk,” she adds. “I travel a lot, so I’m thinking of switching to remote activation.” The MFB team also assisted Carpenter with other suggestions to make her home safer. “I replaced the cedar siding on my house following the 2017 Tubbs fire to a fiber concrete that retains that natural cedar look. And though I still face fire season with trepidation, I feel better having the system on my roof. I’m as prepared as I can be.”
Dan Rubin lost his Santa Rosa home in the 2017 Tubbs fire. “That was back before there were cell phone fire alert apps. Though we smelled smoke, we weren’t aware of the fire’s close proximity. When that became apparent, we evacuated. Our house burned—cars, safe, everything. And unfortunately, our experience wasn’t unique,” says Rubin.
Former Healdsburg Mayor Peter Foppiano was prepared to install the sprinkler system to protect his historic 1880s Victorian home. He passed away before that happened. In his memory, Conboy donated the fire defense system to his wife, Marian. “I’m forever grateful to Steve,” she says. “Having that protection gives me peace of mind.”
The cost of the Locked-N-Loaded system for a 2,500- to 3,000-square-foot home is $7,000 to $10,000. Ten-year financing is available.
The atomizer canon
“Fighting fires effectively is all about value engineering,” says Conboy. “It’s all about early fire elimination, using less water and less toxins, where they can have the greatest impact.” That seems to fit with another of Conboy’s innovations.
Atomizer canons have mainly been used to control industrial dust. They break down a stream of water under pressure into droplets that be directed out over long distances. Conboy incorporated the atomizer concept into MFB’s fire-fighting arsenal.
“Freeways and roads serve as firebreaks—until they don’t,” he says. In the Tubbs fire, flames jumped the freeway and destroyed 1,300 homes in the Coffee Park community. “An atomizer spraying CitroTech on dry vegetation can widen a freeway’s buffer up to 300 feet deep on either side,” says Conboy. “The droplets saturate and penetrate. Atomizers are more cost effective than a hose and use less water.” CitroTech can be used proactively. It has longevity. It lasts until it rains. “County and municipal fire departments and road maintenance crews can use atomizers prior to fire season to establish fire breaks around a community, providing residents with peace of mind.”
Other CitroTech uses
For those into DIY, there’s a lightweight, easy-to-use backpack sprayer equipped with CitroTech. For larger properties, there’s a 260-gallon tank of inhibitor. Most vineyards and farms have tractors and spray equipment. “CitroTech can be sprayed on barns and fences, and around fields and vineyards. Being non-toxic, it doesn’t contaminate the soil, harm grapes or the farm animals,” says Conboy.
There’s an inhibitor for the building trade. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), during the period 2013-2017, an estimated 3,800 structures under construction burned, resulting in loss of life and an estimated $300 million in property damage. The soldering, grinding and welding often done on construction sites makes them particularly vulnerable. Voids within the unfinished buildings create wind tunnels. Open stairwells and other dangerous conditions may make it difficult for firefighters to enter. Coming from the lumber and construction industries, Conboy is familiar with the risk. “CitroTech MFB-31M offers both fire and mold protection. It can be sprayed on lumber during or prior to construction.”
And there’s even an inhibitor for the holidays. Each year consumers purchase an estimated 20 to 30 million Christmas trees. In heated homes, the trees tend to dry out and can become fire hazards. MFB’s Christmas tree spray prevents a yuletide tree from catching fire.
Fire-resistant sheds
Though CitroTech is MFB’s core product, Conboy is always on the alert for other ways to assist those at risk of wildfires. His fire-resistant shed, constructed with five layers of Class A fire protection materials, can be used for storing valuables in the event of an evacuation.
Recently, Cal Fire representatives, a wildfire mitigation specialist, contractors and firefighters gathered outside Wildfire Depot to a watch a shed demonstration. Dry straw was placed around the shed and ignited. Flames leapt 8 to 10 feet high. When the fire died down, the shed remained intact, and as the demonstration coup-de grâs, Conboy removed a tray of still frozen ice cubes from inside.
Lisa of Tahoe is a big-time shed fan. “I’ve been evacuated twice. The first time was in the Angora fire fifteen years ago. I had a half hour to get out. Last year the Caldor fire crept toward my house, and then I had to leave. It would be tragic if my house burned,” says Lisa. “But I can rebuild. It’s those things that are special to me that I worry about.”
Lisa did a Google search for fireproof sheds and landed on Mighty Fire Breaker. “I was one of their first customers. The shed is exactly what I wanted. During fire season, I put my skis in there along with my favorite down jacket, family photos and important documents. If I leave to go camping, I take pictures off the walls and put those in the shed along with my laptop.” Often evacuees load their car with as much as they can and head out. There’s risk in that too. “My neighbors evacuated to San Francisco. Their car was broken into and everything taken,” Lisa says. “With my valuables in the shed, the only thing I have to decide is what clothes to take. I’ll just grab the dirty laundry basket. It has all the things I wear.”
A new partnership
Mighty Fire Breaker recently entered into an agreement with Eamon Chase, Inc., a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) based in Florida and North Carolina. The company does federal and commercial contracting and offers solutions to product procurement. In the agreement with MFB, Eamon Chase, Inc., has the exclusive rights to sell CitroTech to the Department of Defense, Veterans Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
“We see this as a great opportunity to be working with the federal government to replace toxic fire retardants now being used in fighting woodland fires,” says Brett Sanborn, president and co-founder. Prior to founding the company, Sanborn led an infantry platoon in Afghanistan. He left the Army in 2015. “The size of U.S. military bases with woodlands is huge,” he says. “Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida panhandle covers 640 square miles. And Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the largest military base in the world by population, encompasses 251 square miles. Both bases occupy terrain at high risk for wildfires.”
Dan Pose, a retired Army staff sergeant of special operations, is part of the Eamon Chase team. “Atomizers are very effective in fighting fires,” says Pose. “They break down the molecules in water delivering CitroTech so that it covers a greater area and cools the fire quicker.” Currently, he’s giving atomizer demonstrations to the Department of Defense for possible use on firing ranges with dry vegetation. “In the past, fires have been fought using brute strength. It will take a while to change that mindset. Still, I’m optimistic. The reaction to what we’re offering has been positive.”
Aerial fire retardant drops
Scenes of air tankers dropping red retardant on wildfires are commonplace during fire season. The dramatic news footage offers hope and implies that things will soon get better. Aerial drops are a vital tool used by the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire. Their purpose is to slow the fire so ground crews can gain access and take control. Yet Chief Bowman and others have doubts about retardant use. “The retardants contain chemicals that are allegedly toxic to the environment.”
In 2008, in response to a lawsuit brought by the nonprofit watchdog group Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE), a federal judge ordered the forest service to avoid using retardant in ecologically sensitive areas and required that an environmental impact study (EIS) be undertaken. As a result of the study, the Forest Service agreed to provide for a 300-foot buffer when dropping retardant by plane around water, and a 100-foot buffer for helicopters and fire engines. Exceptions are allowed when human life and public safety are threatened.
Despite these safeguards and best intentions, accidents happen. The latest EIS draft acknowledges that between 2012-2019, pilots inadvertently dropped 760,000 gallons of retardant into waterways. Though the amount seems staggering, it represents less than 1% of the total retardant dropped during the period. Ammonium phosphate is a type of fertilizer. Biologist have expressed concerns that retardants promote the growth of harmful algae and are toxic to fish. The EIS draft indicates that 148 aquatic species were analyzed as part of the study. It states that retardants, “…may affect but not likely to affect 57 species; and may affect, likely to adversely affect 32 species.”
According to Chief Bowman, it presents a great challenge. “The U.S. Forest Service is in a difficult position,” he says. “They are no approved alternatives to the retardants being used today, but CitroTech is currently under review by the EPA and the USFS, as an effective, alternative tool to battle these fires.”
The Forest Service maintains a list of qualified products approved for use. Cal Fire tends to follow that list. The Forest Service is currently testing CitroTech for listing as a qualified product.
The pace of climate change is accelerating, bringing drought, heat waves and wildfires. The fires are more intense and more devastating. Nature’s screaming— it seems that Mighty Fire Breaker is listening.
Accreditations
Citrotech has received the following accreditations, based on extensive laboratory testing.
Environmental Protection Agency. MFB and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) entered into a partnership enabling MFB to be included in the EPA Safer Choice program. The program is designed to support innovative developing products with improved environmental and human health characteristics.
Underwriters Laboratories GreenGuard Gold and SPOT. The Underwriters Laboratories (UL) accreditations are designed to bring safety to science. Products achieving GreenGuard certification are scientifically proven to meet rigorous third-party chemical emission standards. SPOT is a database featuring more than 100,000 sustainable products. It’s a leading source of product information used by architects, manufacturers, retailers and commercial purchasers.
California Title 22 CCR. CitroTech passed the California Title 22 CCR aquatic bioassay testing for non-toxic and non-hazardous chemistry composition.
National Sanitation. The fire inhibitor completed National Sanitation Foundation’s (NSF) testing protocol. NSF certification ensures users that product strict standards related to public health have been met.
