Alumni Feature
FIRE RETARDANT STORY BY ARTHUR FOULKES
BOLSEN BRINGING SCIENCE TO TACKLE BURNING PROBLEM
W
ith another wildfire season approaching in California and a just-concluded season of destructive fires in Australia, Wes Bolsen is using chemical science to stop future blazes before they start. The 2000 electrical engineering alumnus helped a Denver-based startup, LaderaTech, bring to market a revolutionary spray-on flame retardant that adheres to grass and plant life in high-risk areas where wildfires often ignite. The product, known as FORTIFY, is already being used on private and state-owned property in California and is expected to be approved for use on federal property before the end of this year, according to Bolsen. Contrary to widespread belief, most wildfires don’t start from random lightning strikes, Bolsen says. Most start near power lines, adjacent to highways, or along rail lines. FORTIFY, which was developed by scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, contains an environmentally-benign hydrogel made from renewable resources that can be applied using 24
Electrical engineering alumnus Wes Bolsen is combating the world’s devastating wildfires as director of wildfire prevention for St. Louis-based Perimeter Solutions.
