Fire Hose Thermal Resilience Innovation

When a structure fire or wildfire fails to contain, it usually isn't because the firefighters were slow. It's because the materials were faster.

Flame spread rate determines how quickly fire travels across a surface. Thermal resilience determines how long that material holds before heat breaks it down. Both are measurable. Both are improvable. And both are where Forsee is focused.

At Auburn University, Forsee Founder and Environmental Scientist Chera Howard is running a connected series of controlled experiments to answer one question: can a bio-based, fiber-derived material outperform conventional fire-resistant components on the benchmarks that govern real-world performance?

Experiment One: Flame Spread Rate of Forsee Reinforced Products

Using marked intervals and precise timing, the first test compares how quickly flame travels across Forsee-treated material versus untreated alternatives under identical conditions.

Flame spread rate is the metric behind ASTM E84 and UL 723. It's why interior finishes are classified Class A, B, or C, and why wildland-urban interface codes increasingly require tested materials in high-risk zones. A slower spread isn't just a number it's response time for the engine company, evacuation time for the homeowner, survivable time for anyone inside.

Watch: Forsee Founder Chera Howard demonstrates a controlled flame spread test at the Auburn University lab.

Experiment Two: Thermal Resilience of Reinforced Polyester Fire Hose

The second experiment applies Forsee's specialized additive as a paint-on coating to reinforced polyester, the same material family used in modern fire hoses then exposes it to direct flame.

Untreated samples fail quickly. Burn-through occurs and structural integrity is lost. Treated samples behave differently: the coating creates a thermal barrier that resists burn-through under the same flame exposure, maintaining working condition longer than untreated controls.

For firefighters carrying charged lines into structure or wildland operations, that difference isn't theoretical. It's the difference between equipment that holds and equipment that doesn't.

Thermal resilience testing on Forsee-treated reinforced polyester at Auburn University.

Why These Two Tests, Together

Fire-resistant materials tend to be optimized for one variable at a time. A coating that resists ignition might not resist heat soak. A material with low flame spread might fail catastrophically once it does ignite.

Forsee validates across both axes the speed at which fire moves and the duration the material stands against it because the operational reality fire professionals face isn't either-or. It's both, simultaneously, under conditions that don't accommodate single-variable solutions.

Bio-based materials have historically been seen as a sustainability story, not a performance story. Forsee's research is built on the position that those two things aren't in tension.

What's Next

These experiments are early-stage and ongoing. The data will continue to develop, and we'll publish results, methodology notes, and field-application updates as the research progresses.

The next generation of fire-resistant materials won't be defined by what catches fire slowest. It'll be defined by what gives the people on the line the most time to do their work.

Learn more at www.forseefund.com

Forsee LLC is a minority-woman-owned green technology firm that repurposes recycled organic fibers into patented, high-performance materials for environmental safety. Under the leadership of Chera Howard, the company produces bio-based polymers designed to mitigate wildfire risks, drastically reduce water consumption, and prevent fertilizer loss in agriculture. These innovative products, such as fire-resistant shingles and specialized mats, provide a circular economy solution by transforming waste into infrastructure for climate resilience. The brand’s credibility is supported by federal grants, university accolades, and rigorous research rather than superficial marketing. By targeting homeowners, farmers, and policymakers, the organization aims to foster economic opportunity and sustainability in underserved communities. Ultimately, the source outlines a multi-solve platform that addresses three distinct environmental crises through a single, scientifically validated innovation.