Innovative Fire-Resistant Paint to be Tested in California Amid Growing Wildfire Threat
Press release from Cal Poly Humboldt:
As wildfires become more frequent and destructive, especially in California, the need for innovative fire-resistant technologies has never been greater. Australia’s Flame Security International (FSI) in partnership with The University of New South Wales (Sydney), has developed a novel fire-retardant acrylic paint, designed to protect buildings and other assets from the high heat exposure prevailing in wildfire conflagrations. Developed and designed in Australia, this innovative paint will be available in Ace Hardware stores in California this August.
In order to test the effectiveness of FireCoat against untreated surfaces, FSI has partnered with the UC Berkeley Disaster Lab to conduct a structural burn test in Korbel, CA on June 5. This is a unique opportunity for those interested in the area to witness a field test of FireCoat on small sheds constructed with typical California timber materials.
“California faces an increasingly severe wildfire crisis, and it has been crucial for researchers, scientists and manufacturers to work together to build the resilience of our homes and communities,” says Thomas Azwell, PhD, the Founder and Director of the UC Berkeley Disaster Lab.
Media are invited to attend the burn test, and to interview on-site experts. Please contact Nicola Waugh to register.
June 5, 2024
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Interactive Burn Test & Evaluation
North Fork Lumber: 1165 Maple Creek Road, Korbel, CA
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Lunch & Presentation
Blue Lake Casino Ballroom: 777 Casino Way, Blue Lake, CAThe event is presented in partnership with academic leaders, industry experts and partners including: Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal Fire, USDA, CalForest WRX, North Fork Lumber Company, FSA Firecoat and UNSW Sydney.
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Looking forward to the video on YouTube.
just needs 6 inches of concrete primer, and viola, instant fire protection for your small shed
Fire-resistant paint is of no use, nor is fireproof paint. There are much safer building material for homes. Many articles cover this subject.
Perhaps you should visit their website to see the qualifications of these products (www.fsafirecoat.com.au) and please note the products are to protect existing homes that are made entirely of combustible materials like T1-11, OSB, Asphalt roof shingles, pine framing, etc. These houses are tinder boxes and the reason why CA homes are incredibly susceptible to both wildfire and conflagration.
The paint is useless if you live in a forested area…
It may be a game changer … or it could be another asbestos -like contaminatoon disaster.
“The resulting product is a type of intumescent paint which means it is designed to expand as a result of heat exposure.
The specific chemicals in the paint also produce a thick layer of char which offers an insulating barrier and effectively deflects the heat from the fire away.”
So what residue? Toxic? Forever chemicals? Biodegrades or needs to be scraped off and toted to a hazardous waste site? How durable? A lot of fire retardant chemicals are pretty toxic.
There are a lot of questions that are not clear. I can just see the insurance industry lobbying the State to make it mandatory then the State coming back ten years later to make it mandatory to remove by special safety measures. I’ve become pretty sceptical of anything that looks good.
https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2023/11/fire-retardant-paint-first-to-protect-homes-from-extreme-fire-co