In Case of a Fire - House Paint and Brush Clearance

 When I moved to Malibu a few years ago, one of the first things I thought about after I purchased a house was FIRE! Not only did I purchase a wood house, but it was surrounded by overhanging trees and brush.

I repainted my house using fire retardant paint additive. I chose a product called Flame-Stop III. There are other products on the market. Your State Fire Marshall's Office will list products, which they rate and certify.

The Flame-Stop retardant is added directly to the paint. Within the cost of $15,000 to paint my house, the Flame-Stop cost approximately $600. It had no effect on the color, viscosity or application of the paint.

In 2007, a wind-driven fire from downed power lines swept through Malibu. My closest neighbor's house burned to the ground. A church and two homes in the next block were also destroyed. In my front yard, the shrubbery, fence and my gate were destroyed. At the back of my property, 20 trees were destroyed. My house survived, untouched. After hosing it down to remove ash and soot, it looked like new.

Nothing will protect a structure from wind driven fire, but fire retardant paint can be helpful where embers lodge in the eaves or radiant heat threatens to cause combustion. If the painted wood actually catches on fire, it will not burn as readily.

Fire protection systems for homes are becoming more sophisticated. Today, additives can be used on wood and other materials during the construction of new homes. In addition, self-contained external fire retardant systems are available. These systems automatically cover a house and even douse a property line with fire retardant gel or foam. Firebreak Spray Systems offers a sophisticated system. Further, certain insurers (AIG -Private Client Group) offer private firefighting services to their clients, but now we are getting into mega-dollar expenditures.

Take brush clearance seriously. Create a "defensible zone" around your house for firefighters. People ignore trees near their houses. Flames can reach 50 -100 feet, certainly high enough to ignite an entire tree. If it happens to be hanging near, or over, your roof, you will have burning branches coming down on your house.

Follow your fire department's recommendations about brush clearance. You cannot eyeball the brush and say, "Well, the fire can't get from there to here." Radiant heat is the problem. If your home is close enough to something which is burning, it may spontaneously burst into flames from radiated heat. You cannot eyeball that. Finally, clear out your roof gutters, and do not store firewood or other flammable items next to your house.