Wildland Urban Interface – Your Personal Plan to Mitigate, Protect, and Respond
Global climate change is real and combined with several other factors, residents in the USA and Canada know first-hand the increased realities of wildfire. In many Western states, insurance companies are non-renewing thousands of policies due to inevitable wildfires and the associated high risk to their bottom line. Now, homeowners, homeowner associations, and businesses have a choice that gives them the services they need to protect their personal residences and businesses before, during and after a wildfire.
Solomon Safety Wildfire Group is one of few private wildfire companies led by a former California firefighter who has over 21 years’ combined experience in the municipal firefighting world as well as the private insurance industry. He co-pioneered an internal wildfire private resource team at one of the largest insurance companies in the world which quickly became one of the most accepted private wildfire mitigation and response resources in the business.
Unlike other providers in the industry, Solomon Safety Wildfire Group provides a comprehensive inspection of the property annually or as needed. Following nationally recognized Firewise principles and IBHS standards, trained wildfire inspectors can inspect a given property for hazards that could cause damage and loss during a wildfire.
While most other companies only patrol the fire, trained and experienced wildland firefighters will respond to a given property to prepare and protect it. Common actions performed include:
- Removing hazardous materials around the home such as bark mulch and flammable plants.
- Taping over vents and openings to prevent ember intrusion.
- Removal of debris from roof and gutters.
- Application of a fire blocking gel or retardant to vulnerable areas.
- Extinguishing small fires around the property to prevent spreading to structures.
- Performing mop up to ensure all burning material and hot spots are fully extinguished.
- And additional specialized tactics to protect a residence.
As a critical first step with Solomon Safety’s preventative services, a custom mitigation plan will be created and a detailed report with all findings and recommendations will be provided. Mitigation examples include home hardening, hazardous fuel removal, and creating defensible space around any structure.
To note, hardening a property greatly increases its resistance to wildfire embers and other forms of heat transfer. A variety of products include ember-resistant venting, gutter guards, and other products proven to prevent loss from embers during a wildfire.
In addition to hardening, one of the most important advance changes a property owner can make is to create defensible surrounding space which is designed to stop a fire from spreading to one’s home or commercial enterprise. Defensible space does not always mean completely removing all surrounding fuel sources. A lot can be accomplished through trimming and thinning of trees and vegetation. Solomon Safety Wildfire can help create a custom defensible plan and, if needed, do all of the work required to properly clear and create the needed space.
As needed, another service is a long-term fire retardant that can be applied to key areas of the property. Should there be a wildfire that threatens a home or business, this retardant will help prevent fuel sources from igniting. This retardant is safe for plants, pets, and humans and has been approved by the US Forest Service for use around homes.
Another option worth consideration is securing from Solomon Safety Wildfire a gasoline-powered water pump that allows a home or business owner to apply a fire blocking gel or retardant to the property and vegetation before evacuating to safety. The pump uses water from a pool, spa, pond, creek, or stream near the site. Solomon Safety’s specialists will deliver the system and train the property owner on the proper storage, use and cleaning after each use. Solomon Safety Wildfire Group (www.solomonsafety.com) is one of the only companies to provide full-service wildfire protection. Combining this with years of frontline actual experience, a homeowner or business can have peace of mind in the best resources available in mitigating, protecting, and responding during the greatest time of need.
