Good day, lovers of our paradise. Welcome to our periodic Firewise newsletter, where we introduce one topic pertinent to our neighborhood's Risk Assessment and 3-year Action Plan (on our Resources page). 

Today's topic is the importance of Vents. But first…

News and Events

Planning for Evacuation – We are planning an evacuation event led by Mark von Tillow from the Santa Barbara fire department. Mark will be talking about alerting systems, routes, go bags, how to monitor when re-population occurs, websites with real time information, and hi-lo sirens. Mark will answer just about any questions you might have. Let us know whether weekdays or weekends work best for you.  Click here.

Why it matters: When most of our houses were built and designed, house exterior vents had ¼-inch meshcovers. Yet this mesh is too wide to keep out embers from fire. 

What to do: The most cost-effective way to protect your home from fire is to install 1/8th", or ideally, 1/16th” mesh screens on attic, soffit, basement, foundation, and gable vents. These smaller screens keep embers from entering your home.

Vent screens are available from the Home Improvement Center on Gutierrez or Amazon, and can be installed by you or a handyman.

Premium options from Brandguard, Vulcan, and O’Hagin offer fire-safe vents in a variety of sizes and shapes, but they must be replaced if exposed to fire. Learn more here.

What our neighbors say: from neighbor Dan Waldman: “Installing smaller gauge wire on our vents has provided greater peace of mind knowing that we are now better protected from wildfire embers.  It was a bit time consuming to do and required a fair amount of bending over and lifting heavy grates as well as a do it yourself project .  Hiring a handyman is also a good option.“

               BEFORE                                                      AFTER

• Get emergency notification alerts by signing up at ReadySBC
• Text our Community Leader Allen Weiss at 323-854-8916 to:
  • Sign up for our neighborhood's WhatsApp mobile emergency text messages
  • Receive reporting reminders about your time and money investments to keep your home and property safe from fire. Many things count!
• Have you had a positive experience with a company that keeps us safe from wildfires (e.g., tree trimming, gravel, vents, gutters)? Please share your recommendations here for possible inclusions in future newsletters.
• Prepare in advance for smoke and ash. Get tips on setting up a clean air room from the Air Pollution Control District.

    We'd love to know what you thought of today's newsletter so we can improve it.

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