WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:04.040 KFI AM six forty. You're listening to Dean Sharp the 2 00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:10.439 House Whisper on demand on the iHeart radio app. You 3 00:00:10.519 --> 00:00:15.119 are home with Dean Sharp the House Whisper. That is me. Hey, 4 00:00:15.119 --> 00:00:17.280 I don't have my mic screen on here. Let me 5 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:19.519 put that on there. Makes it a little easier. I 6 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:22.120 can bang my face into the microphone. You don't hear it. 7 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:26.760 We just finished up an hour of coverage, special coverage 8 00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:31.679 of Governor Gavin Newsom's town hall in relation to the 9 00:00:31.839 --> 00:00:34.759 LA wildfires, and so we're starting an hour late, but 10 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:38.359 we're running till noon today as always, and I am 11 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:41.479 glad that you are with us. I want to jump 12 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:45.759 right in because I originally had three hours worth of 13 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:50.240 a very important information for you about fire hardening your 14 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:54.159 home that I now have two hours to cover. So 15 00:00:55.119 --> 00:00:59.159 let me just jump right in. Okay, last week I 16 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:03.600 spent both episodes of our show talking about fire, and 17 00:01:03.640 --> 00:01:06.599 it's rare that I would return again to the same 18 00:01:06.680 --> 00:01:08.680 topic two weeks in a row. But I am, and 19 00:01:08.840 --> 00:01:11.159 I'm sure you can understand why that is the case. 20 00:01:11.599 --> 00:01:13.879 I know that if you live in southern California, fire 21 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:16.879 coverage is just about all you have seen and heard 22 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:19.439 for twenty four to seven, for days and days now 23 00:01:19.799 --> 00:01:22.400 it appears at present, and let's hope that this is true, 24 00:01:22.400 --> 00:01:25.879 that the worst of the Eton and the Palisades fires 25 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:30.359 are behind us. Eaten is now at eighty one percent containment, 26 00:01:30.439 --> 00:01:34.920 Palisades at fifty two. That's good news. It's not over, 27 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:37.519 but it's good news. We have some wind events coming 28 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:41.719 and let's hope that those don't change those numbers in 29 00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:45.400 any way. But the point is, if you've not been 30 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:50.200 directly impacted by either fire, which despite this unprecedented devastation, 31 00:01:50.439 --> 00:01:53.840 is true for most Southern California residents, simply because this 32 00:01:53.959 --> 00:01:56.879 is such a large region, or if you live outside 33 00:01:56.920 --> 00:01:59.280 of SoCal and listen to the show as so many 34 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:03.239 people do, or if you're just exhausted, you might be 35 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:06.239 ready and hoping to talk about something else. And I 36 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:08.840 feel you on that, but I think you and I 37 00:02:08.919 --> 00:02:12.840 need to have at least one more very important conversation 38 00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:15.759 before we move on from this. There's a lot of 39 00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:19.280 talk now about what to do to get a home 40 00:02:19.560 --> 00:02:24.439 ready for the next wildfire event. Fire hardening is what 41 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:27.240 it is referred to, as I talked about it last week, 42 00:02:27.280 --> 00:02:32.639 and we are revisiting that topic solely this week. And 43 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:35.680 here's the reason why. In this last week, it has 44 00:02:35.719 --> 00:02:38.439 become very apparent to me that there is a lot 45 00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:46.400 of myth, misinformation, I'm being kind here, misunderstanding, fear, and 46 00:02:46.599 --> 00:02:50.919 general ignorance about how fire threatens our homes, and all 47 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:55.319 across social media and traditional media, we're now seeing all 48 00:02:55.360 --> 00:02:59.919 sorts of so called solutions from DIY ideas about that 49 00:03:00.199 --> 00:03:02.840 guy who rigged sprinklers on his roof or got his 50 00:03:02.919 --> 00:03:06.919 own water tank, to a slew of so called fire 51 00:03:06.919 --> 00:03:10.960 protection companies that have sprung up virtually overnight in southern 52 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:14.960 California and will happily install their so called safety systems. 53 00:03:15.439 --> 00:03:20.759 At worst, some of these ideas are scams at best, many, 54 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:26.080 if not many of most of these ideas are well meaning, 55 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:31.199 as they may be, but rooted in ignorance and deeply misguided. 56 00:03:31.240 --> 00:03:35.759 And nearly all of them are very costly costly to implement, 57 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:39.319 and potentially even more costly when a fire does threaten 58 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:41.639 your home after you've installed one and they failed to 59 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:45.840 do what they have promised to do. I do not 60 00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:47.759 want that to happen to you. I don't want you 61 00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:52.000 to spend one more dollar on fire hardening your home 62 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:56.120 then you reasonably need to. But also let me be 63 00:03:56.199 --> 00:04:00.599 really clear, I want all of you, all you, no 64 00:04:00.639 --> 00:04:06.520 matter where you live, to invest more toward fire hardening 65 00:04:06.599 --> 00:04:09.159 your home than you already have. The way to do 66 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:13.719 that is to do what I do every week, which 67 00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:17.399 is to help you, as I often say, better understand 68 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:21.519 that place where you live. We need to talk rationally 69 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:26.399 about fire and what your home's vulnerabilities to it really 70 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:31.199 are in real time as fires are actually happening. It 71 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:34.079 might surprise you what that is and what it isn't 72 00:04:34.160 --> 00:04:37.160 It will definitely inform you. I hope it equips and 73 00:04:37.319 --> 00:04:41.680 encourages you to take the right steps. So again, let 74 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.480 me be very clear. If you live in southern California, 75 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:47.399 you need to know that the greatest risk of disaster 76 00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:53.279 striking your home is fire, no, not earthquakes. Statistically, by far, 77 00:04:53.680 --> 00:04:56.759 the greatest risk of disaster striking your home in Southern 78 00:04:56.759 --> 00:05:01.720 California is fire. Earthquakes come in second, and the Greater 79 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:04.720 Los Angeles area is in fact the highest fire risk 80 00:05:04.879 --> 00:05:11.000 region in the country. But also let's remember, fire happens everywhere. 81 00:05:11.079 --> 00:05:14.560 What town anywhere in America does not have a fire 82 00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:19.000 department it's not just about wildfires. So if you live 83 00:05:19.199 --> 00:05:22.360 far enough away from LA or any open space, then 84 00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:26.079 if you think, hey, no worries, that's not good thinking. 85 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:30.079 We're having this conversation now because of the LA wildfires. 86 00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:33.240 But what we're about to talk about is for everyone 87 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:37.759 who is listening to my voice right now. Okay, so 88 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:40.639 I urge you to stay with me. Listen carefully. We're 89 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:43.279 going to get some news and then we'll begin. You 90 00:05:43.319 --> 00:05:46.040 are listening to Home with Dean Sharp, the House Whisper. 91 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:50.480 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 92 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:52.079 KFI Am six forty. 93 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:58.319 We are having a very very serious, as an organized 94 00:05:58.439 --> 00:06:04.560 and succinct conversation as possible about the essence better understanding 95 00:06:04.839 --> 00:06:07.519 how to fire harden your home. We talked about this 96 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:10.439 last week in conjunction with a whole lot of other things, 97 00:06:11.279 --> 00:06:14.000 and so the last two episodes, the last three episodes 98 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:17.079 of our program here, if you're a podcast listener, all 99 00:06:17.160 --> 00:06:23.639 dedicated to the themes surrounding the LA wildfires and homes today. Though, 100 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:27.879 I have a very very singular goal, and that is 101 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:33.279 to help you assess how a fire will most likely 102 00:06:33.319 --> 00:06:35.759 interact with your home so you can take the most 103 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:40.399 affordable and most effective steps to protect it aka what's 104 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:43.800 known as fire hardening. Okay, And I'm going to try 105 00:06:43.800 --> 00:06:47.240 and do this by doing these three things. Number one, 106 00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:51.279 explaining exactly what parts of your home are truly vulnerable 107 00:06:51.399 --> 00:06:56.000 to what and when? Okay. Number two to address the 108 00:06:56.120 --> 00:06:59.519 vulnerabilities most effectively, and then three to direct you to 109 00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:02.759 the resource verses that I recommend to get all of 110 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:06.319 this stuff done. Okay. And then along the way, as 111 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:11.279 a sidebar on this, we're going to be hopefully just 112 00:07:11.560 --> 00:07:14.720 by the process of doing it right, debunking fallacies and 113 00:07:14.839 --> 00:07:18.839 fantasies about what's going to help. There's already a lot 114 00:07:18.839 --> 00:07:22.439 of myths and fear based gimmicks out there that, in 115 00:07:22.480 --> 00:07:25.920 my opinion and in the opinion of just about every 116 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:31.680 professional fire personnel that I have talked to, these things 117 00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:34.120 are are set up mostly to waste your time and 118 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:37.439 your money while not making you significantly safer. Now, I'm 119 00:07:37.480 --> 00:07:40.399 not going to be getting down on any one particular thing, 120 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:42.120 nor am I going to tell you that if you 121 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:44.560 can afford it, that you you know, shouldn't put layer 122 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:48.360 upon layer upon layer of other things fire hardening for 123 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:51.959 your home. But here's what I know. If if we 124 00:07:52.040 --> 00:07:56.800 immediately jump to one of two extremes, one being you 125 00:07:56.879 --> 00:08:01.519 know what, I don't live anywhere near these wildfires. I'm good. Okay. 126 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:05.399 That's a big mistake. And the other big mistake is 127 00:08:05.480 --> 00:08:10.399 to imply from media coverage that we've seen, because it's 128 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:15.079 quite sensational, that everybody should get a ten thousand gallon 129 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:18.319 reservoir in their backyard and have a personal fire hydrant 130 00:08:18.360 --> 00:08:21.600 installed to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. 131 00:08:22.920 --> 00:08:25.800 Then guess what's going to happen. None of you are 132 00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:29.720 going to think seriously about fire hardening your home. Okay, 133 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:33.679 Only the wealthiest among us are going to make any efforts. 134 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:37.159 That's a problem too. The fact of the matter is 135 00:08:37.600 --> 00:08:43.279 everybody can afford to fire harden their home adequately. Nothing 136 00:08:43.399 --> 00:08:47.399 is a silver bullet, nothing nothing. Nature has its way. 137 00:08:47.879 --> 00:08:50.480 Right at the end of the day, things happen that 138 00:08:50.559 --> 00:08:55.600 you can take every imaginable preventative measure against and still 139 00:08:55.679 --> 00:09:02.639 suffer loss. But how reasonably and effectively and wisely can 140 00:09:02.759 --> 00:09:06.600 we actually hedge our bets. That's what we're talking about today. 141 00:09:07.159 --> 00:09:12.360 Lesson number one is this fire hardening should always, in 142 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:15.799 my opinion, be separated into two phases of a fire's 143 00:09:15.799 --> 00:09:20.120 approach that we prepare for in very different ways. All right, 144 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:24.080 two phases. There is number one, when the fire is 145 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:29.799 near near you. Number two is when the flames are here. Now, 146 00:09:29.879 --> 00:09:32.639 why do I make that distinction. I make that distinction 147 00:09:32.919 --> 00:09:39.080 very simply because your home is at risk when the 148 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:44.080 fire is near. In fact, statistically, your home igniting is 149 00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:50.039 at highest risk when the fire is near. And yet 150 00:09:50.279 --> 00:09:52.519 most people when they think of fire hardening their home, 151 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:55.279 and this is not irrelevant by any means, but most 152 00:09:55.320 --> 00:10:01.440 people prepare for when the flames are here. Okay, preparing 153 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:05.559 your home for when the flames are here is not enough. 154 00:10:06.720 --> 00:10:09.919 It is not enough by far. And so I want 155 00:10:09.960 --> 00:10:13.440 you to get this into your brain. Less than one. 156 00:10:13.639 --> 00:10:17.600 Fire hardening separated into two phases, when the fire is near, 157 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:22.799 when the flames are here, lesson two. Let's talk about 158 00:10:22.840 --> 00:10:27.120 when the fire is near, the first and biggest threat. Okay, 159 00:10:27.240 --> 00:10:29.559 Now you talk to all sorts of people. You can 160 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:32.120 watch all sorts of TikTok. I guess you can watch 161 00:10:32.159 --> 00:10:35.960 TikTok videos again for the moment you can talk to, 162 00:10:36.120 --> 00:10:37.799 you can watch all sorts of videos. You can see 163 00:10:37.799 --> 00:10:40.360 all sorts of social media stuff talking about oh, we 164 00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:42.480 do this, we do that, look at this, look at that. 165 00:10:43.080 --> 00:10:47.399 If you actually and here's my suggestion, if you're online 166 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:50.000 looking for videos about how to fire harden your home, 167 00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:53.360 make sure the person who is staring at you is 168 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:56.320 you know, has a badge on all right, has a 169 00:10:56.360 --> 00:11:00.600 badge and actually comes from works in you know, fire 170 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:06.399 protection services, in the sense that they actually are firefighters, captains, commanders, 171 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:10.039 experience firefighters. They will tell you what they know to 172 00:11:10.080 --> 00:11:13.399 be true. Okay, everybody else, you know, it's hit and 173 00:11:13.480 --> 00:11:19.279 miss at best. So the first and biggest threat, the 174 00:11:19.320 --> 00:11:22.480 first and biggest mistake that most homeowners make in their 175 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:26.639 fire hardening thoughts is focusing solely on face two when 176 00:11:26.679 --> 00:11:29.600 the flames are here. Why is that a mistake, Because 177 00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:35.080 the first and biggest threat embers. Embers, not forty foot 178 00:11:35.080 --> 00:11:39.600 walls of flame burning at fifteen hundred degrees. If that 179 00:11:39.759 --> 00:11:43.080 happens and is near your home, you know what, we 180 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:46.519 are all rolling the dice at that point, right. But 181 00:11:47.279 --> 00:11:50.440 the thing you have the biggest control over, the thing 182 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:54.720 that is most affordable for you, and the thing that 183 00:11:54.840 --> 00:12:00.080 is repeatedly proves out the statistics ninety percent of the 184 00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:05.679 homes that burn in a wildfire event ignite before the 185 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:09.480 fire line arrives at the house. And you wonder how 186 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:13.960 these things get out of control so quickly, Okay, even 187 00:12:14.679 --> 00:12:17.639 you know, in a windstorm like we've just experienced in 188 00:12:17.639 --> 00:12:20.159 the last few weeks, it's because the fire line is 189 00:12:20.159 --> 00:12:22.759 out there. It's out there in the in the area right, 190 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:25.519 it's in the hillside, it's and the next thing, you know, 191 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:30.000 before anybody knows it or realizes it, a house one 192 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:33.639 block in is on fire, and then a house two 193 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:36.720 blocks over is on The fire is not here yet, 194 00:12:37.240 --> 00:12:40.480 or we so we think, But the fire has arrived 195 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:46.320 in the form of embers, those tiny little golden sparks 196 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:50.759 that are flying through the air. Those embers floating through 197 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:52.960 the air are the greatest threat to your home when 198 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:55.399 any kind of fire erupt any kind of fire, by 199 00:12:55.440 --> 00:12:58.960 the way, erupts anywhere within miles of you, period, because 200 00:12:59.000 --> 00:13:02.879 they can they they a single ember itself, we know, 201 00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:06.240 can travel two miles on the wind and still be 202 00:13:06.600 --> 00:13:10.720 an effective source of ignition. And I say any kind 203 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:12.879 of fire, and this is why I want everybody listening 204 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:16.120 to me, because it isn't just the wildfires burning like, 205 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:18.960 I don't live anywhere near you know, I live in Torrents. 206 00:13:19.080 --> 00:13:22.960 I don't live anywhere near an open space. Well, what 207 00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:26.159 if your neighbors, you know, smoking in bed two houses 208 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:28.519 down from you or on the next block, and their 209 00:13:28.519 --> 00:13:31.960 house catches on fire. When that house starts spitting embers, 210 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:36.639 you are at risk. Okay. When the car fire that 211 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:39.840 happens over on the freeway for some reason ignites some 212 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:43.200 palm fronds and starts throwing embers in the wind, you 213 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:46.519 are at risk. I'm not trying to make anybody panic, 214 00:13:46.679 --> 00:13:49.080 just the opposite. I just want to be reasonable to you. 215 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:55.320 That fire carries its first and major threat to your 216 00:13:55.440 --> 00:14:00.799 home on the breeze via embers. Okay, Now take a 217 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:05.559 moment to understand the implications of this statistic. Ninety percent 218 00:14:05.559 --> 00:14:09.279 of homes that burn in a wildfire event ignite before 219 00:14:09.399 --> 00:14:13.320 the fire arrives. Am I saying that if the homes 220 00:14:13.320 --> 00:14:17.799 in the Palisades and Altadena had been ember resistant, and 221 00:14:17.879 --> 00:14:22.000 forget about fireproof for the moment, just ember resistant. Am 222 00:14:22.080 --> 00:14:26.720 I saying that those fires would have likely moved somewhere 223 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:29.159 in the area of maybe ninety percent slower, and those 224 00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:36.679 neighborhoods may have suffered ninety percent less damage, And yeah, 225 00:14:36.919 --> 00:14:41.879 that's exactly what I'm saying. Okay, likely because the speed 226 00:14:41.919 --> 00:14:47.240 at which a fire moves through an open brush area 227 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:50.840 is almost entirely dependent upon the fuel that's available to 228 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:53.240 it and the wind. But the speed at which a 229 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:59.440 fire moves through a structured neighborhood area is almost entirely 230 00:14:59.440 --> 00:15:02.600 dependent on on how vulnerable those structures are to the 231 00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:05.200 front of the fire, which is not the flames but 232 00:15:05.279 --> 00:15:08.240 the ember's blowing. Okay, let's take a look at your home. 233 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:12.960 What parts are ember vulnerable? Okay? Defensible space that is, 234 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:16.279 you know, and normally the number gets thrown out as 235 00:15:16.279 --> 00:15:18.440 one hundred feet, but let's face it, the reality is 236 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:21.480 most homes have little five foot sideyards and you can't 237 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:23.919 control what's on the other side of that five foot wall. 238 00:15:24.679 --> 00:15:26.600 But the point is this, get the junk away from 239 00:15:26.600 --> 00:15:29.519 your house, the stuff that can burn, Get it away 240 00:15:29.559 --> 00:15:34.559 from your house. That is ember ignitable and gutters, not 241 00:15:34.639 --> 00:15:37.279 the gutters themselves, but all the dry leaves sitting in 242 00:15:37.320 --> 00:15:45.080 your neglected gutters are vulnerable atticts and crawl spaces via 243 00:15:45.639 --> 00:15:50.399 the vents that keep those things by code ventilated. These 244 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:53.240 are the major threats. Now, notice I did not say 245 00:15:53.240 --> 00:15:56.720 your exterior walls, or your windows, or your roof these 246 00:15:56.840 --> 00:16:00.919 are or should be Class A fire rated surfaces. They 247 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:06.440 are not necessarily vulnerable to embers. Okay, not in the 248 00:16:06.480 --> 00:16:12.679 way that exposed wood and eves and at events. Are 249 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:16.720 all right now to talk more about this, We're gonna 250 00:16:16.720 --> 00:16:20.000 have my special guest on, Kelly berkampas who is the 251 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.879 co founder and vice president of brand guard Vents, my 252 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:26.399 number one recommendation for your ember proofens, especially if you 253 00:16:26.440 --> 00:16:28.559 live here in southern California. I'm going to have her 254 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:31.960 on next, but first let's hear some news and then 255 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:33.840 we will continue. 256 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:37.240 You're listening to Home with Dean Sharp on demand from 257 00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:38.840 KFI A M six forty. 258 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:43.879 You are Home with Dean Sharp, the house whisper. That's 259 00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:48.399 me continuing to do what I hope I accomplish every 260 00:16:48.440 --> 00:16:51.279 week that we're together, which is helping you to better 261 00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:56.320 understand that place where you live. We're talking about fire hardening. 262 00:16:56.399 --> 00:17:00.360 I'm talking about reasonable effective. May this be Let me 263 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:03.360 just you know, I'm not trying to toot a horn here. 264 00:17:03.600 --> 00:17:06.599 I'm just trying to underscore the importance of the topic, 265 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:09.640 and that is this may be one of the most, 266 00:17:09.720 --> 00:17:12.920 if not the most important conversation that you and I 267 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:15.480 are going to have this year in regards to just 268 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:19.400 the big things in life. And what we were just 269 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:25.279 talking about before the break was the lesson, this critical 270 00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:30.000 lesson that I need every homeowner everywhere, but especially living 271 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:33.440 here in southern California to understand, and that is when 272 00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:37.799 it comes to fire hardening a home, the most important 273 00:17:37.839 --> 00:17:41.960 thing that you must do first before worrying about anything else, 274 00:17:42.519 --> 00:17:48.279 is to get your home emberproofed. We'll talk about flame 275 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:53.480 proofing if that's even possible, on what level that's next, 276 00:17:53.559 --> 00:17:59.440 But emberproofing your home is critical because, to repeat this 277 00:18:00.279 --> 00:18:04.279 critically important statistic, ninety percent of the homes that burn 278 00:18:04.359 --> 00:18:09.839 in a wildfire event ignite before the fire line actually 279 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:12.559 arrives at the house. Was that true of the Palisades, 280 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:16.160 Yes it was. Was it true of Alta Dina and 281 00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:20.720 the Eaten Fire, Yes, it's true of every fire. Embers 282 00:18:21.000 --> 00:18:24.960 come first. They are the first and greatest enemy to 283 00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:27.880 your home being threatened in a fire. Now, to help 284 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:31.559 me further deep dive into that, I have a very 285 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:35.599 very special guest on the phone line, Kelly berkampas co 286 00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:39.319 founder and Vice president of brand Guard Events. Brand Guard 287 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:44.240 is unashamingly my number one recommendation for your Ember proof events. 288 00:18:44.279 --> 00:18:48.079 If you live here in Southern California or anywhere, just 289 00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:51.480 know that. And Kelly, are you on the line with me? 290 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:55.519 Hi Am Dean, Hello, good morning. 291 00:18:55.759 --> 00:18:59.279 Good morning. I know you are tired because you guys 292 00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:03.519 have been filling orders like crazy, and actually I don't 293 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:05.359 want you to get any rest. I want you to 294 00:19:05.400 --> 00:19:08.119 continue to fill orders over there because I want everybody 295 00:19:08.119 --> 00:19:16.039 in Southern California to effectively make their house safe. And 296 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:20.079 that starts as we were saying, with embers, right. Can 297 00:19:20.119 --> 00:19:23.400 you just you can just to start here? Tell me 298 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:27.039 how did brand Guards start? Where you guys headquartered? Give 299 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:28.599 us a quick story Rundown. 300 00:19:30.279 --> 00:19:30.519 Yeah. 301 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:32.279 Well, first of all, I want to thank you for 302 00:19:32.319 --> 00:19:36.240 having me on because you're giving me a platform to 303 00:19:36.279 --> 00:19:39.440 reach so many people to educate on the topic of 304 00:19:39.559 --> 00:19:44.400 Mber resistant events. Because I've been doing this for almost 305 00:19:44.440 --> 00:19:50.680 twenty years now and it's difficult to reach and educate 306 00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:53.720 and let everybody know. So thank you first and foremost. 307 00:19:55.119 --> 00:20:00.319 But yeah, so the idea the company was founded by 308 00:20:00.599 --> 00:20:05.640 a Southern California firefighter named Brent and he's actually still 309 00:20:05.680 --> 00:20:09.119 a firefighter in Orange County, and he was on a 310 00:20:09.160 --> 00:20:12.039 fire back in two thousand and three called the Old Fire. 311 00:20:12.599 --> 00:20:15.799 It was a very distructive fire in San Bernardino. They 312 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:19.680 lost twenty four homes, I'm sorry, five hundred homes in 313 00:20:19.720 --> 00:20:23.519 twenty four hours. And his engine was one of the 314 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:26.119 first to respond. And what they noticed was they were 315 00:20:26.200 --> 00:20:30.319 driving street after street after street, unable to save these 316 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:33.880 homes because the attics were already on fire. And I 317 00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:36.759 think it's public knowledge that if the attic is already 318 00:20:36.759 --> 00:20:40.519 on fire, there's not much the firemen can do, especially 319 00:20:40.599 --> 00:20:43.799 in a time of chaos like what happens during a wildfire. 320 00:20:44.519 --> 00:20:46.839 They have to keep driving and they're going to look 321 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:49.839 for a home that actually has a chance of being 322 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:53.759 saved once they pull up. And so he started wondering 323 00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:56.039 why these attics were all on fire, and so he 324 00:20:56.160 --> 00:21:00.559 was observing while they were driving the embers, amount of 325 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:04.240 embers that were getting blown directly into the ad events, 326 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:07.720 and he realized that that was how they were catching 327 00:21:07.799 --> 00:21:11.480 fire so quickly, because they cannot compete with the speed 328 00:21:11.599 --> 00:21:15.839 and the amounts of embers that are flying during these wildfires. 329 00:21:16.279 --> 00:21:18.640 And so he came away from that fire, just feeling 330 00:21:18.680 --> 00:21:24.000 completely frustrated and you know, devastated at the loss and 331 00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:26.319 the lack of being able to do anything about it 332 00:21:26.359 --> 00:21:29.119 while he was there, and so he went on a 333 00:21:29.200 --> 00:21:33.119 mission to try to find a solution that homeowners could 334 00:21:33.119 --> 00:21:35.920 put in their homes to prevent that from ever happening again. 335 00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:40.480 And so when I heard about his idea, of course 336 00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:43.599 I was, you know, very passionate, excited about it from 337 00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:47.279 the start, and you know, we started our journey from 338 00:21:47.279 --> 00:21:53.519 that point on of creating the design, getting it approved, 339 00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:55.640 getting it tested. We had a lot of help from 340 00:21:55.680 --> 00:22:00.440 industry people. California has enacted their building codes in two 341 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:05.039 thousand and eight specifically you know, for ember resistant events 342 00:22:05.079 --> 00:22:08.799 and many other things as well. But yeah, it is 343 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:11.960 a thing for new construction in the wildfire zones, and 344 00:22:12.440 --> 00:22:15.519 we're just trying to get the word out. Also, do 345 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:18.759 the millions of homes that are already existing and already 346 00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:22.000 built to get retrofitted with vents as well? 347 00:22:22.680 --> 00:22:27.799 Exactly exactly now, your vents are on the Fire Marshal's 348 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:30.240 approved list for the state of California. They are cal 349 00:22:30.359 --> 00:22:36.000 fire approved essentially, just to put it succinctly, what is it? 350 00:22:36.079 --> 00:22:39.319 Give me a real truncated version of what is the 351 00:22:39.880 --> 00:22:43.240 hairy process of going through all of that and getting 352 00:22:43.240 --> 00:22:44.480 your vents on that list. 353 00:22:47.720 --> 00:22:51.759 It is definitely a difficult process. What you have to 354 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:54.440 do to be a vent that's listed on that process 355 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:59.599 is you have to show that your vent can resist embers, 356 00:22:59.599 --> 00:23:04.039 playing and radiant heat. It's a three part test, and 357 00:23:04.119 --> 00:23:07.640 even in the flame and radiant heat portion, it goes 358 00:23:07.720 --> 00:23:11.799 into a horizontal position and a vertical position. So you're 359 00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:15.920 listing with the fates can be you're listed, but it 360 00:23:15.960 --> 00:23:21.039 also will designate what position your vent is approved to 361 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:24.640 be installed in. Some people are only vertical, some are 362 00:23:24.680 --> 00:23:28.519 horizontal and vertical. Brand Guard Events is both horizontal and 363 00:23:28.599 --> 00:23:31.279 vertical position because vents are installed in many ways on 364 00:23:31.400 --> 00:23:36.279 the home. And then also the mber test as well. 365 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:40.799 I got you, and so you're on the list. Okay, 366 00:23:40.799 --> 00:23:42.839 So I'm dying to ask you this question because I've 367 00:23:42.839 --> 00:23:46.960 been talking about the fact that nine homes ignite before 368 00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:50.160 the fire line gets and this has been true of 369 00:23:50.359 --> 00:23:56.200 the Palisades and the eaten fires. I want to hear it. Now. 370 00:23:56.200 --> 00:23:57.759 We're going to go to a break real quick. When 371 00:23:57.799 --> 00:24:00.640 we come back, I want to know if you guys 372 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:05.599 have clients in the palisades and if so, how did 373 00:24:05.599 --> 00:24:06.720 those houses fair? 374 00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:06.920 So? 375 00:24:07.319 --> 00:24:08.519 Can you hang on with me? Kelly? 376 00:24:09.799 --> 00:24:10.319 Of course? 377 00:24:10.880 --> 00:24:15.519 All right, more talk about amberproof fire events with my 378 00:24:15.599 --> 00:24:19.640 special guest, Kelly bercompas co founder and vice president of 379 00:24:19.680 --> 00:24:20.759 Brand Guard Events. 380 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:26.079 When we return, you're listening to Home with Dean Sharp 381 00:24:26.200 --> 00:24:28.720 on demand from KFI AM six forty. 382 00:24:31.960 --> 00:24:38.960 We are talking about sane effective ways of affordably fire 383 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:42.880 hardening your home. Lot of crazy thoughts out there right now, 384 00:24:43.039 --> 00:24:46.240 a lot of misguided thoughts and some scams also, And 385 00:24:46.279 --> 00:24:48.359 I'm not gonna I'm not going to get on any 386 00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:52.440 one particular you know, rant against any one particular group 387 00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:55.799 of people or company. I'm just letting you know as 388 00:24:55.799 --> 00:25:00.160 a homeowner that there is a way to sanely and 389 00:25:00.359 --> 00:25:04.519 provenly provenly is that even word fire hard in your home? 390 00:25:04.680 --> 00:25:07.039 We're talking about that today. In fact, right now, we're 391 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:09.640 talking about one of the most if not the most 392 00:25:09.680 --> 00:25:14.799 important first conversation, and that is ember proofing your home 393 00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:19.720 where ninety percent of homes ignite before the fire ever arrives. 394 00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:23.200 And to do that, I've got online with me Kelly 395 00:25:23.240 --> 00:25:26.640 berkampas co founder and vice president of Brand Guard vents. 396 00:25:27.240 --> 00:25:29.920 Brand Guard has been a vent company that I've been 397 00:25:29.960 --> 00:25:36.079 recommending to you four years. Now, what's different today, I'll 398 00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:39.680 tell you what's different. You know, because of this recent disaster, 399 00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:43.200 I probably have your attention a little bit more. So 400 00:25:43.400 --> 00:25:46.480 I'm taking advantage of it in order to get you 401 00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:49.559