A welcome sight for property owners, fire retardant is an essential fire fighting tool. California Dept. of Forestry and Fire Protection reported pumping a record 387, 655 gallons of retardant in one day, Oct. 12, 2017 at the McClellan Air Attack Base in Sacramento.
Joe Sherlock and J. Lopez, Chairs of the Society of American Foresters, Northern and Southern California, are pleased to provide this video clip from its Oral History project filmed with George Roby, retired U.S. Forest Service and Phos-Chek Retardants consultant in January 2017.
In this 6 minute clip, George Roby of Claremont, CA, describes the evolution of the use of long-term fire retardant. He explains its tactical use during fire fighting. George retired as Forest Supervisor from the Angeles National Forest in southern California in 1990 and has since worked as a consultant to PhosChek providing training throughout the United States and Canada in the use of this fire retardant.
2016 marked the centennial of the California State Society of American Foresters. It was established in 1916, covering the geographic areas of southern and northern California and started with 29 members. Today its membership is 568. The Society of American Foresters was established to:
- Advance the science, education, technology and practice of forestry,
- Enhance the competency of its members,
- Establish professional excellence, and
- Use the knowledge, skills and conservation ethic of the profession to ensure the continued health, integrity and use of forests to benefit society in perpetuity.
For More Information Contact: George Roby, phone 951-768-5894, George.Roby@icl-group.com or the Society of American Foresters at ncsaf@mcn.org
