Fire Safety

Fire, Flooding & Mudslide Safety

Earthquake SOLUTIONS

Structure fires are dangerous, fast. A single accidental flame can be out of control in as little as 30 seconds. In as little as three minutes you can have flashover, in which an entire room "explodes" with flames. You need to have an escape plan, and to do everything up front you can to prevent fires in the first place.

You should also be ready to shut down fuel sources, such as natural gas valves, when it is appropriate to do so.

News Flash! California Governor Schwarzenegger signed a new set of laws on Saturday, September 28, 2008, and several had to do with wildfire safety issues. The one of particular note for residents in high-hazard areas now requires residents to clear their brush within 100 feet of their homes. This is a new distance for many (some may already have had localized code requirements in this amount).

Are you in a wildfire zone? Homes were saved in the Southern California wildfires, 2007 season, by our Thermo-Gel Homeowner Kits. Various customers also deployed Thermo-Gel Homeowner Kits and a Proline Pool Pump in the recent Santa Anita Fire in 2008 (near Sierra Madre). Prepare NOW by putting some of these tools among your wildfire defense options. See below for more info!

Massive Station Fire, 2009

Courtesy of NASA - JPL, Pasadena

Fire Escape Ladders:

If your bedrooms are upstairs, you'd better have at least one escape ladder. We offer them in two-story and three-story sizes. Please remember that if you have building outcroppings, such as porches, under intended escape windows that your ladder may need more length.

These ladders have toe spacers that hold the rungs away from the wall so that you can get a better footing.

Always test the placement of an escape ladder, so that you are sure it will anchor safely on your sill. If not, make any modifications necessary before an emergency occurs.

Retail prices:

Two-story, $65.00

Three-story, $ 75.00

Sandbags

Large polyvinyl sandbags with ties.

Retail: $.50 each

Call for quantity pricing.

Sandbag tarps

Made of the same white material as the polyvinyl sandbags. Multiple uses. Approximately 8' x 8'. Fold down and store very compactly.

Retail: $3.25 each

Call for quantity pricing.

Flames approaching? Portable, quick & affordable protection for your entire home!

Thermo-Gel Homeowner Protection Kit:

A serious and common mistake when brushfires are burning is for homeowners to underestimate the speed with which a seemingly distant fire can be upon you like an 8 to 10-story wall of hell. In most cases evacuations should take place long before that is a possibility, but too many people wait too long. If you wait too late, you will increase the chances of losing your life, and losing your property. Your car may not start, or may stall out because of the smoke, but you can’t outrun 60-mph flames on foot. Many people are hurt or killed by running off cliffs or having accidents because the smoke is so thick, blinding and disorienting. Late evacuees can prevent fire officials from getting into position and almost ensure more houses will burn. They may also be pulling down the water pressure when it is most needed, by trying to continuously hose down their property for hours. Hose water is ineffectual in a brushfire situation, and the loss of needed water pressure increases the threat to the neighborhood as a whole.

Thermo-gel should be considered as one tool in a total fire protection toolbox. A homeowner fire protection plan needs to be more comprehensive than just buying any single item, no matter what it is. The plan FIRST, plus other mitigation steps should guide your decisions. Thermo-Gel Homeowner Kits offer added protection options that can compliment your total plan.

The water-borne and water-filled gel bubbles cling like glue to your windows, structure and surrounding shrubbery for significantly longer than firefighting foams. Foams are good for firefighters who are already on scene, but are lightweight and blow away as the fire approaches due to the firestorm’s wind. Foam air bubbles also expand and pop, leaving no coverage at all.

In contrast, insteading of lasting mere minutes like foams, Thermo-gel can allow the homeowner to leave hours before it gets to be a last stand situation. Use of Thermo-Gel actually typcially reduces overall water consumption in a fire situation. The cooling effect of the water-filled gel bubble can also help prevent spontaneous combustion from inside the home, which is very common. In the worst-case scenario, if you realize you have waited to late to evacuate, you might be able to spray down an area of your home and take refuge inside.

Thermo-gel attaches to your hose to apply, and later washes off with water. The clean-up is not always fast and easy. For instance, if the product has been left on and dried out, it will be necessary to re-mist the product before washing it down. In connection with a local fire marshal, we did an independent test in 2007, and were able to rerehydrate and clean the southern exposure of a 2-story residence after leaving the initial application on to dry out for days in very hot weather. We did not have any particular problems in this test, but have received comments from some users that clean-up involved more time and expense (if they hired someone to do it) than they anticipated. However, the clean-up issue, for most people, pales by comparison to perhaps avoiding having to sift through ashes for what's left.

Homeowners should also make sure they have considered all of the aspects involved with applying the product, such as wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (needed because of ash etc. anyway). As the product is very slippery, the application pattern must be planned in advance not only for fire protection reasons, but also in order to avoid potential injury from falls.

Thermo-Gel is environmentally sound, used and approved by the Department of Forestry, and saved over 500 homes, businesses and a lumberyard in the 2003 fires.

During the current season we are offering Thermo-Gel Homeowner protection kits at an unbeatable price of $349.00 for prepaid orders. Additional charges for taxes, shipping or delivery may apply. The product has a 3-year shelf life.

Retail Price: Only $349.00!

Provides enough product for coverage of most single family houses (more detail on request).

Or...you can invest in a major home improvement safety system with its own water supply.

Home Wildfire Protection Systems:

The portable Thermo-Gel Homeowner Protection Kits described in the above listing use the most effective fire retardant gel application on the market, in a totally environmentally sound way. As you can see, that level of protection, however, does require your own water source. The question is, is your property's water source likely to be unavailable? Some neighborhoods lack appropriate pressure even times of ordinary demand, let alone with a fire approaching. We've also talked to some hillside residents whose supplies are delivered through PVC pipes, which can melt in a fire.

If you are prepared to make a more major investment to protect your life and property, measured in the thousands, we can help you connect with the manufacturer of Thermo-Gel to quote on installing a permanent wildfire protection system, which has it's own self-contained water tank. This is an especially good option for those who are going to build out a new property, or who are doing other major capital improvements to a property. Installing such a system may also help with obtaining fire insurance or perhaps negotating for lower premiums. The most important thing to remember is this:

If you cannot evacuate, your life may depend on having a protection system in place. Please contact us for more information at earthquakesolutions@earthlink.net.

On Duty Gas Shut-Off Wrench:

This is probably the best gas shut-off wrench on the market. Designed by a fireman, it is spark-free, strong and durable.

Please do not rely on plastic or nylon wrenches that are often given away as promotional items at safety fairs. Valves get frozen, those promo wrenches will break, and you will have a large problem.

The On Duty wrench has several other virtues besides being strong and spark-free. Built into the design are a water key, pry bar and digging tool. That's why it's often called the "Four in One". A single tool can get you through a jammed door, and to your utility shut-offs. Furthermore, the pry bar and digging tool help you to gain torque, especially if you use leather-palmed gloves (see personal protective equipment link). This may be critically important as gas valves are rarely turned off, and can be very, very difficult to budge.

Want to do something for yourself? Give one to your neighbors! If their house is the one that starts a post-earthquake fire, where do you think that fire is going to spread?

Retail price: $15.00

Bulk pricing: Significant bulk pricing discounts are available beginning at 10 or more units.

Powerful Pinpoint Spray For Ember Control

Bulls-Eye Hoze Nozzle:

This is an unbreakable, leakproof all-brass nozzle that has a differentiated internal design from all other hose nozzles. Delivers powerful pinpoint stream that is great for ember suppression while conserving valuable water. Because the power it delivers is "upped", the stream's reach is exceptional even when pressure is low. Has two other settings in addition to pinpoint stream.

Retail price: $9.95

Best Defense Fire Pumps:

Unfortunate fact: A typical garden hose can only deliver about 5 gallons per minute, and hose sprays in advancing fire conditions evaporate in the heat almost instantly (if you have water at all) and are ineffectual in fighting wildfires.

Most hot tubs hold about 500 gallons of water, and average fire truck also about 500 gallons of water. Using a 25,000 gallon swimming pool therefore gives you the water capacity of 50 fire trucks!

This complete system has been carefully engineered with sturdy, quality materials that won't corrode when subject to the chemicals in pool water. It's a 6.5 horsepower and is incredibly well-designed in all of the features and accessories.

In the Witch Creek Fire on October 23, 2007, a homeowner threatened by that fire had done his prior work on defensible space on a regular basis, and had also obtained a Proline Pump just days before the fire. Recognizing that the fire was fast-moving, very early on they used the pump to systematically wet down the house and closest landscaping, and then up to 200 feet away. They were able to deliver 100-ft streams of water in large volume until the firefighters arrived, and then evacuated immediately upon the official request.

The responders then took over use of their pump. In the end, one palm tree was burned that was 50 feet from the house, but the rest of the property was saved. Furthermore the Fire Department used their pump for the next TWO days to refill fire engines. It took only an average of 3 - 5 minutes to refill each engine. Standard fire hydrant threads on couplings and the capacity to pump up to 300 gallons per minute is what made this possible.

Buying something just to have is not the answer. Defensible space and other protective steps taken well before flames advance are still the most important factors. You must also have a PLAN ahead of time for every aspect of what to do when you become aware of an oncoming fire. Do not take unnecessary risks, and cooperate with official requests immediately. A Proline Pump is just one part of the equation, even though it is a very dynamic tool.

In the event of an earthquake, pool water is likely to be the only water available with which to fight quake-induced fires. Also, the pump can feed water into your lines so that you can flush toilets (if sewer lines are still intact).

This item is a special order item that must be pre-paid by check. The 6.5 horsepower model is $2,995 plus tax and delivery.

Air-Kwik light vehicle or homeowner stationary water delivery systems:

We don't sell these, but these amazingly simple to use, "first on fire" tanks are well-worth looking into for homeowners in the wildland-urban interface, or in certain industries, such as racing, construction, mining, and light industrial applications, especially in Southern California. First on scene to fight fire with water can make a life or death difference. Also, in a major seismic event, post-quake fires will not be stopped by those in fire service alone, with roads blocked and water supplies cut off. There is a prospect for whole neighborhoods to burn to the ground. Emergencies in certain other types of business activities will also need quick response before official responders can geet there. When you have Air-Kwik, you are more likely to stop a small fire before it is out of control. Better quick with a little, than late with much.

We recommend that you request a demonstration from us, and/or contact www.air-kwik.com or toll-free at 877-777-KWIK for more information. Please mention you were referred by Earthquake Solutions. We are all working together to save lives!

Call us for information on erosion control blankets of various types.