FireIce Used by Oregon Department of Forestry for 2015 Wildland Fire Season
FireIce Fire Extinguisher, as Seen on CBS’ Innovation Nation, Now Available to the Public
FireIce Used by Oregon Department of Forestry for 2015 Wildland Fire Season
JUPITER, FL--(January 6, 2016) - GelTech Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: GLTC)
Announced today that the Oregon Department of Forestry has now successfully integrated FireIce High Visibility Orange - Fugitive (HVO-F), the signature product of its Wildland Fire Division, into its air tanker program this season, utilizing the gel retardant in nearly 300 air tanker missions across Oregon. FireIce earned the praise of Oregon firefighters, pilots and tanker base managers for its superior performance, cost effectiveness, fast response time and ease of use.
Agency feedback described FireIce as highly effective across Oregon’s diverse geographies and fuel types, and was credited with helping firefighters contain a number of high-threat fires, saving taxpayer and forest landowner dollars and preventing devastating losses of homes and natural resources. It was used on fires managed by local, state and federal incident command teams, and was dispatched for initial attack, large fires and structure protection.
Neal Laugle, State Aviation Manager for the Oregon Department of Forestry, commented on the use of FireIce for this fire season:
“In 2013, Oregon Department of Forestry entered into contracts for Single Engine Airtankers (SEATS) in Eastern Oregon. Due to the success of the SEATS, Oregon Department of Forestry added an additional three SEATS for a total of five SEATS for 2015. As we expanded the fleet of SEATS, we needed to look for alternatives to traditional retardant in order to maximize the effectiveness of the SEATS and not be tied to established tanker bases.
“In 2013, Oregon Department of Forestry entered into contracts for Single Engine Airtankers (SEATS) in Eastern Oregon. Due to the success of the SEATS, Oregon Department of Forestry added an additional three SEATS for a total of five SEATS for 2015. As we expanded the fleet of SEATS, we needed to look for alternatives to traditional retardant in order to maximize the effectiveness of the SEATS and not be tied to established tanker bases.
“Oregon Department of Forestry looks forward to working with GelTech in 2016 and the continued evaluation of FireIce across the state as more opportunities present themselves.”
“We are extremely pleased to have had a very successful first season working with the Oregon Department of Forestry, and we want to thank them, their talented teams, and their partner agencies who were essential to the program’s early success” stated Matt Struzziero, GelTech’s director of sales and operations. “GelTech’s commitment to the wildland fire community is to provide both a superior retardant and extensive field support, ensuring that we can provide the brave men and women in the field with the resources they need.”
“We are extremely pleased to have had a very successful first season working with the Oregon Department of Forestry, and we want to thank them, their talented teams, and their partner agencies who were essential to the program’s early success” stated Matt Struzziero, GelTech’s director of sales and operations. “GelTech’s commitment to the wildland fire community is to provide both a superior retardant and extensive field support, ensuring that we can provide the brave men and women in the field with the resources they need.”
Town of Lincoln Fire Chief Steve Carter described what FireIce brings to today’s fire-fighting challenges:
“FireIce products are bringing a whole new dimension to today’s fire service problems. The new technologies out there that present safety challenges have to be addressed quickly before any more firefighters are injured fighting them. The biggest issues are electrical fires (transformers etc.), hybrid car fires (both electric and ethanol based) and the new challenges with solar panel rooftops and solar panel farms. Other potential issues are coming from increased transportation and use of Ethanol based fuels. The diversity of FireIce allows us to use the products in a wide variety of settings that are expanding all the time as the team continues to evaluate and implement the products in different scenarios. FireIce is clearly evolving into one of the more important tools of the future for firefighting.”
Commenting on the successful relationship between GelTech and FireIce Solutions, GelTech president Michael Reger remarked, “We have been focusing our efforts on proliferating FireIce in our Wildland Fire and Utility divisions here at GelTech. The addition of FireIce Solutions as a distributor to municipalities and first responders has enabled us to bring FireIce to those on the front lines of urban and suburban fire-fighting, and their ongoing conversations have borne fruit in unexpected places, such as colleges. Their significant commitment in manpower and investment has quickly resulted in sales. We are very excited about the early success the FireIce Solutions team has had with our current product line in their target markets. We are gratified to see fire departments of varying sizes purchasing our new UL-rated FireIce fire extinguishers as well as our eductor systems for their engines.
We expect continued growth in this product line as sales grow through our expanding distributor network. Over 500 FireIce fire extinguishers have been delivered thus far, and another 500 units have been ordered.
“This new UL-rated FireIce fire extinguisher took years of research and development and is now being marketed throughout the U.S. It is satisfying to see so many first responders purchase our products. This new product is complementing our Wildland fire line and the early energy for it leads us to believe that 2016 revenues will exceed 2015,” said Mr. Reger.
“This new UL-rated FireIce fire extinguisher took years of research and development and is now being marketed throughout the U.S. It is satisfying to see so many first responders purchase our products. This new product is complementing our Wildland fire line and the early energy for it leads us to believe that 2016 revenues will exceed 2015,” said Mr. Reger.
About FireIce
FireIce is an advanced, non-toxic, non-corrosive polymer that when hydrated produces a water-based fire retardant and suppressant. The eco-friendly properties of FireIce are especially important in sensitive and protected ecosystems, including that of the Sage Grouse. FireIce weighs significantly less than other commonly used chemicals, which enhances the safety of pilots and their aircraft. It is also packaged as a one-part orange colorant, providing excellent visibility for both pilots in the air and firefighters on the ground. As a result of its demonstrated superior suppression performance, and with its versatility as a retardant to create a fire break and protect property, FireIce has quickly become the fire chemical of choice in many regions of the country. For more information, please visit: www.fireice.com
About GelTech Solutions, Inc.
GelTech Solutions is a leading provider of innovative, environmentally friendly and cost-effective products that help government agencies, industry, agriculture and the public achieve goals such as water conservation and protecting lives, homes and property from fires.
GelTech’s products include FireIce, an extremely effective and versatile product used both as a suppressant to extinguish fires and a fire retardant to protect assets and property; Soil2O Dust Control and Soil Cap, products that reduce airborne particulate matter with minimal environmental impact; and GT-W14, an advanced absorbency technology to control fluid spills of all sizes, turning liquids into solid waste for easier and safer disposal.
For more information, please visit www.geltechsolutions.com
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