Flying embers are the fuel that keeps wildfires spreading. They can travel miles from the flames, and if they land on combustible materials, they can start new wildfires. General contractor Tom Silva meets with a homeowner and improves her home’s fire resistance with the help of a fire-hardening contractor.
What is Fire Hardening?
During fire season, embers can float miles through the air from where they originally started. If they land on flammable materials, they can start smaller satellite fires, which can quickly spread into full-blown wildfires.
Fire hardening is the process of preparing a home to better resist the dangers associated with wildfire season. It involves specialized products and tactics designed to keep burning embers from landing on materials around the home where they can cause property damage or death. This involves addressing areas like entries to the home like vents, areas where tinder can collect like gutters, and underneath decks and similar structures.
Ways to Fire-Harden Your Home
Ventilation
Venting can be an important part of keeping a home safe, comfortable, and mold-free. However, vents present the perfect opportunity for embers to enter a home’s structure and cause serious damage. Foundation, attics, and soffits all contain vents that can be susceptible to embers entering.
There are fire-hardening vents available which consist of stainless steel mesh, preventing embers from entering. These vents also contain expanding honeycomb-style mesh with a heat-reactive coating that expands upon reaching 450 degrees, preventing heat from pouring through the vent.
Gutter protection
Gutters are also areas for concern, as they can collect leaves, twigs, and pine needles ripe with pitch. These materials can combust if an ember lands on them, starting a fire on the structure, creating property damage and threatening life.
Installing gutter guards can help. These guards feature a fine stainless mesh and stretch from under the roof shingles to the edge of the gutter. Rain water is able to pass through while leaves and other debris sit on top where they wash off or the wind blows them off once dry.
Below deck screening
Another way to fire-harden a home is to prevent debris like leaves and twigs from collecting under decks. These structures are flammable, and adding tinder underneath them only increases their chances of a dangerous burn.
Stainless steel mesh with a powder-coated surface is a great option for blocking these spaces off. By stapling them to the structure and digging them below ground, they’ll stay in place permanently, preventing items from collecting underneath. They do need to be kept clear of debris on their outsides, but this is a great method to add to a fire-hardened home.
Resources
Tom partnered with Vulcan Vent, a company that specializes in installing fire-safe vents that help prevent wildfire embers from infiltrating more vulnerable parts of the home. As part of the retrofit, Tom saw a gable vent, a foundation vent, a gutter guard, and a deck screen all get installed.
Special assistance was provided by FireStorm, New Cal Metals, Inc., and Vulcan Vent.