Fire Retardant Paint for Rural Structures

Chilao School has launched a fundraising campaign to purchase and apply a fire retardant paint and sealer system to their school and caretaker residence. Donations made by September 15 will be matched one to one by a supporter who wishes to remain anonymous.

Manufactured by Fire Free Coatings, an industry leader which assisted in the creation of a rating system for fire retardant materials, the product Chilao School wants to use on their wood structures is rated to withstand temperatures of 2,000 degrees for up to two hours. While fire retardant paint is one of a number of measures that can be taken to improve a structure's ability to withstand fire, for buildings located in the middle of a forest, it's a critical step.

Chilao School was built in 1963 by La Canada Unified School District, serving the residents of the Angeles National Forest from 1963 to 1981. The buildings languished for thirty years until 2011, when they were donated to the non profit association Redbird.

Built of wood frame construction with exterior wood siding, the caretaker residence was locally known as "the house from hell" and needed immediate attention. The school had fared slightly better, except for the roof, which began to blow off in a storm in March 2014. Winds in Chilao regularly reach 80 MPH, and gusts nearing 100 MPH are possible.

Volunteers from Southern California Edison and a host of Redbird supporters addressed the deferred maintenance; the buildings were painted in 2011 and new roofs put on the school and the house in 2014 and 2015. It took several years to remove all of the post-Station-fire debris that had found its way to the property.

Retrofitting the buildings with a concrete-based exterior skin and new windows would be the best solution, but the cost - figuring in the expense of transporting materials 27 miles into the forest - would be prohibitive. A fire retardant coating combined with exterior emergency window coverings will provide the most affordable level of protection.

While there are no guarantees in the face of wildfire, especially wind-driven fire, there's good reason to make every possible effort to be fire-safe. The caretaker residence is inhabited year-round by Redbird staff, visiting guests, and "a family of four-leggeds" including the senior pack member, Tigger, a fourteen year old dachshund mix, Winnie, a five year old female German Shepherd, and two cats, Kit and Blue. At any given time there may be groups utilizing the property, or attending events there.

To support this campaign you can visit Redbird's Go Fund me page or donate directly via their website, or by check to their mailing address. You can also find a link to FireFree Coatings below.

https://www.gofundme.com/fire-...

http://redbirdsvision.org/geti...

https://www.firefree.com

Redbird's mailing address is:

Redbird, P.O. Box 702, Simi Valley, CA 93062

All donations received between now and September 15 will be matched dollar for dollar.