Fire experts recommend home hardening to protect properties ahead of expected dry winter in SoCal
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- With another dry winter on the horizon in Southern California due to La Niña, fire experts are urging home hardening as a precautionary means of protecting properties before the next red flag event.
The smallest details could make the difference.
"A properly hardened home should be able to withstand an ember storm and need no response to it," Bobby Milstein, a former licensed pyrotechnician, said in an interview with ABC7.
Milstein is now the owner of So Cal Fire Supply, a company that specializes in wildfire defense systems.
In an interview, he said there are multiple layers to making a property defendable - including small details -- down to your doormat.
"Elevated wood decks are a problem," Milstein said. "A sisal doormat can bring your entire home down, with a wood door behind it, a couch, a wood pile behind your house."
Homeowners are urged to do whatever they can to prevent embers from intruding -- like sealing gaps.
"Some of the things are really inexpensive to do," Milstein noted. "Ember-proof vents -- they make really good professional ones, or you can go buy an 8-inch screen at the hardware store or cover your vents yourself with the screen."
Even the type of paint on your house matters. If you have the means, look into intumescent paint. Fire-free coatings can help reduce the spread of flames.
Federal grand jury subpoenas LAFD for text messages regarding Palisades Fire, report says
New construction has an even better option, although it could be expensive for bigger houses.
"If you're constructing a new home, they have a product that all interior wood framing could be painted with and basically in essence makes it fireproof," Milstein said.
