Compass Minerals has announced that the US Forest Service (USFS) has informed the company that it will not be entering into a contract for the use of magnesium chloride-based aerial fire retardants for the 2024 fire season.
Compass said USFS evaluations discovered that certain airtankers that had flown with the Compass product revealed significant signs of corrosion.
Based on safety concerns, USFS said that it would be “unable to define the scope and associated terms and conditions of a new contract” with the company until the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted a coordinated, independent assessment of the findings.