Considerations to Rebuild the California Wildfire Devastation

SAFTI FIRST has been a proponent for safer building construction in high fire risk areas for over thirty years. It began with code change proposals, followed by more code change proposals, with no change over many years. With each code cycle, there is a constant battle is between manufacturers promoting new fire safety materials versus other manufacturers with current market share arguing for the status quo. 

I was heartbroken to witness the devastation inflicted on the communities in the recent Southern California wildfires. As a lifelong Californian with a career dedicated to developing building products that safeguard people and property from the horribly destructive and life-threatening impact of these fires, I was especially heartbroken to witness the tragic damage inflicted to the families of these communities. It is our hope that the focus will shift to the safe and secure rebuilding of these homes with proven fire-safe materials, providing a safer community and thereby more insurable structures. 

Architects, contractors, and other professionals involved in providing fire-resistant construction will need to research the steps and the new fire-resistant, safer materials available for their designs. This will include the consideration of fire protection for their site and the inclusion of safe separation and materials to help eliminate fire spread to adjacent sites. For architects and general contractors, the understanding and implementing of these safer options of materials and construction will be essential, not only for safeguarding individual homes, but to protect the community.

Some Obvious Recommendations

• Roofing – using either metal roofing, clay and concrete tiles and fire rated treated wood shingles to prevent embers from igniting the roof structure.
• Exterior walls – using non-combustible materials like brick, stone, stucco, fire rated treated wood, insulated metal panels, and other fire rated materials. 
• Sprinklers – installed throughout the structure, including the basement, deck (if flammable) and attic. Have the design include a secondary source (such as a pond, swimming pool or underground tank) for water with automatic change over if your normal source pressure is disabled. 
• Eves – install fire rated, certified protective, self-closing eve vents with fire-resistant (ember-proof) air filters. 
• Doors - use listed and tested fire rated doors and glass door vision kit openings for any exterior application. The glazing for large expanses is recommended to be 60-minute fire rated in these areas, like openings to patios.
• Windows – these require the greatest attention as they are the proven most likely source of fire entry and its spread of the fire. It is well understood that glass breaks and falls when subjected to temperatures above 300 degrees Fahrenheit, which is well below temperatures reached in a wildfire, which reaches 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. When this lower temperature is reached early in a wild fire, this becomes an invitation for the fire to enter into your home, igniting interior fuel sources such as drapes, furniture and carpets. Flaring up with this immediate access to fuel can quickly lead to the entire structure being engulfed in flames, resulting in its complete destruction.

Vulnerability Of Annealed Glass and Traditional Non-Rated Tempered Glass

Annealed glass is provided for most homes, and this material is the weakest point during a wildfire, shattering in as little as 1-3 minutes of exposure. 

Traditional non-rated tempered glass breaks and fails at higher temperatures and is unsafe and cannot be fire rated or used for fire protection.

The Advantages of Fire Rated Glass

Unlike annealed and traditional non-rated tempered glass, fire rated glass is tested, rated and designed to withstand these higher temperatures and physical stress subjected by a wildfire. This glazing material is used in areas where fire protection, up to 45-minutes protective, or 60-minute, 90-minute and 2-hour areas where resistive protection is required.

Wildfires are becoming an increasingly common threat and with more are areas being designated as Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) zones, it is all the more important to evaluate and research the many new and safer products for construction in these new areas and the stricter requirements to reduce risk and enhance protection.

Specialty Tempered Heat Reflective Glass

This type of glazing, SuperLite I-XL, was developed and patented by SAFTI FIRST in 1980 was the first such glazing sold in the US.  This glazing is SAFTI FIRST’s least expensive tested and listed fire rated product. Superlite I-XL is used for fencing for fire prone areas, and often seen along the California coast, used for fire safety and property separation. Superlite I-XL is a fire protective heat reflective glass that is tempered with a proprietary patented formula and a prescribed edge treatment. These patented processes allow it to be used for most fire protective areas and its reflective coating provides partial radiant heat protection.

Fire Rated Glass used in Windows, Doors and Fences