McArthur Livestock JS Ranch Retardant Jettison Area

McArthur Livestock JS Ranch Retardant Jettison Area

CAL FIRE intends to periodically jettison excess fire retardant on the McArthur Livestock JS Ranch in rural Shasta County. The property where the retardant is to be jettisoned is oak woodland type. At times air tankers are dispatched to a reported fire, are airborne, and then cancelled prior to dropping the retardant. Not all air tankers are capable of safely landing with a full load of fire retardant. Occasionally air tanks must jettison a portion of the retardant load to insure a safe landing. However, the jettisoning of retardant is an infrequent occurrence. When a CAL FIRE air tanker is initially dispatched out of the Redding Air Attack Basin to an SRA reported fire, prior to a confirmation from CAL FIRE ground resources that there is in fact a fire, it will only have 800 gallons (capacity is 1,200 gallons) of retardant on board. With 800 gallons on board the air tanker can safely land without having to jettison. Once CAL FIRE has confirmation from ground resources that there is in fact a fire future air tankers will be dispatched fully loaded. CAL FIRE uses a variety of fire suppressant chemicals to enhance its capability to control and suppress wildfires. CAL FIRE plans to continue such use, and use only the most environmentally benign chemicals including, but not limited to Phos-Chek D75-R, D75-F, and 259-F retardants.

Shasta