FlameOut®, has been accepted by the United States Forest Service for laboratory evaluation.
The Company began the application process with the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service's Missoula Technology Development Center in December 2000. The initial purpose of the application was to submit the formulation of FlameOut® for acceptability in order to be tested by the Forest Service to qualify as an approved fire suppressant.
The Company is now preparing the test samples for shipment to the Missoula, Montana testing facility based on the acceptability approval. After successful test approval, FlameOut® will be eligible for possible procurement by the US Government. The Company already has commitments for purchases in Canada, pending the U.S. Forest Service approval.
Recently, there has been concern in the United States and Canada over currently approved products containing phosphates, and even banning of some of these products. The inclusion of phosphates in agents used to extinguish fires has been discovered to disrupt the ecological balance to the stricken areas, and also affects the water supply, killing animals and fish. ``FlameOut® will perform well in this test, as it is nontoxic, with an HMIS rating of 0-0-0-0-B,'' states Keith Parker, CEO of Summit Environmental.
The Company was successfully using FlameOut® on a voluntary basis in Florida in the 1998 summer wildfires, when usage was halted by the National Guard, because FlameOut® did not have Forest Service approval. Summit has extensive video footage of FlameOut® being used to create fire breaks in Florida, saving some very expensive sub-divisions by preventing fires from crossing a major highway. ``The completion of this test will create several new markets and customers for FlameOut®, some of whom are already committed to purchases,'' added Parker.
