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Around the United States, wild fires are becoming more and more common. So much of the spread of these fires can be mitigated by the correct property fireproofing measures. One of these measures is the right fence. See below to see the best fire proof fence options for you.
It is extremely important to think about the type of fence you are choosing depending on the landscape you are building on. For example, if you are in an area prone to wildfires, a wood fence could lead a fire directly through your property and towards your home. While a wood fence or a landscape wall may be what you are visually going for on your property, below is a list of wood fence alternatives that are fireproof and have the same visual concept:
The best fireproof fencing options are made from stone, masonry, or concrete. Signature Stone’s fencing products are made from high-quality, eco-friendly, and cost-effective precast concrete. All of our concrete fencing incorporate American made rebar-enforced, ensuring that they can weather all kinds of inclement conditions. Our privacy fence is engineered to withstand winds speeds up to 140 MPH. Our split rail fence looks just like wood but is 100% concrete. Unlike fences made from materials such as wood, vinyl or metal, concrete is nonflammable.
A stone fence can be made to look like any material while keeping the security and durability of a strong, fireproof material.
A masonry fence refers to a type of fence or wall that is built from smaller pieces or units joined together like brick or Signature Stones Redi-Rock.
Concrete fences are most common around larger properties and can stop a fire in its tracks.
Customers often ask us whether we supply fireproof fence or fire-resistant fence materials.
While they may seem like they refer to two different purposes or two different materials, both fireproof and fire resistant refer to the same thing. Technically, they can be used interchangeably to describe their ability to deflect flame and/or heat. Flame-resistant or fire resistant materials are designed to prevent the spread of fire and withstand heat.
Fire or flame retardants are also a term commonly used and mistaken for fireproof. Fire retardants are chemicals that are applied to materials to prevent the start or slow the growth of the fire. They are most commonly spread on top of flammable material as a preventative measure to keep the material from burning.
According to researchers from the institute for Business & Homes Safety the wood fences in the neighborhoods involved in the Marshall fire acted as a pathway to spread the fire. They said the way that fire spread from one house to another was similar to falling dominoes. When you install fireproof fencing, you are reducing the amount of material that burns in a fire, including the fencing itself, the surrounding materials, and your home or business.
As explained above, the most common way to lose your house to a fire is by the spread from one house to another. Having a concrete fireproof fence can stop the spread from one property to another saving not only your house but the houses around you that may have been lost had you not had a preventative measure around your property.
Fences that are not fireproof are the perfect gateway for a fire to overtake your property, however, a fireproof fence is your first line of defense in the case of a wildfire. A concrete fence with a five-foot perimeter away from the closest flammable object could be the difference between saving and losing your property and/or fence.
The short answer, your fence should have a 5 Foot Defensible Perimeter around your property.
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety recommends placing noncombustible fencing within five feet of a building; never connect the fence directly to your structure. A neighborhood is most resilient to wildfire if all the homes have a five-foot noncombustible zone.
That’s another issue they’ve been researching in their lab. Recreations show fences acting like matchsticks that are directly attached to homes. “We’re looking for product innovation,” said Gorham. “Manufacturers that can create fences that can both achieve what the homeowner wants, that privacy fence look, but are also made of noncombustible materials that we know are really important to wildfire resistance.”
Signature Stone’s split rail and privacy fence products provide this protection. American made, maintenance free, and fireproof. The IBHS research team found examples in the Marshall Fire where homes were saved because the fences were blown down in the wind preceding the fire. And they also found that firefighters saved homes from burning by knocking down fences during the fire.
The use of fencing has actually been shown to slow or even stop the spread of a wildfire, but the fencing needs to be the right material. Combustible fencing on your property can increase your vulnerability to wildfires. Materials made of wood or covered in vegetation are especially susceptible. For homes with wood or vinyl fencing, the damage to the area is likely to be much higher. Not only can a wood fence burn entirely, requiring replacement, it can also need repairs, but it does nothing to stop the fire from continuing on. In fact, a wood fence can provide dangerous fuel to the fire and make it much hotter and more robust. FEMA recommends the use of precast concrete, stone, or masonry fences.
This is not only due to the fact that the fences themselves are extremely unlikely to burn – concrete is a non-combustible material. They also help stop the spread of the fire by handling extreme heat, having the inability to release or burn chemicals, is resistant to structural collapses, and can create separate areas to help contain fires from building to building
Non-combustible materials are building materials that do not burn or ignite when subjected to expected or high levels of fire or heat. As explained above, examples of non-combustable fence materials would be concrete or stone. There are also types of Non-Combustable glass and silicone materials that would be applied for further preventative measures against fire.
Using non-combustible fencing where it attaches to the building reduces the opportunity of a burning fence igniting the exterior of the structure. Fencing products are often available in eight-foot pieces and use of that full section of non-combustible material is recommended. Observations made during the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs, CO provided evidence that burning fencing generates embers that can result in additional ignitions downwind.
You can replace the wooden fence with non-flammable, maintenance free materials such as concrete split rail or privacy fence. Using a nonflammable gate to separate the building from the fence usually prevents the fence fire from igniting the structure.
Signature Stone products have freed homeowners from the burden of replacing fences every few years. When calculating the cost of wood, paint, repair time and replacement effort that goes into maintaining standard fences, it becomes clear rather quickly that Signature Stone has the advantage.
Some states experience wildfires on a regular basis, but homeowners everywhere have to address the risk of fire damage. Being absolutely fireproof, Signature Stone’s fence products provide a substantial first line of defense against spreading fires. Peace of mind is a valuable fringe benefit of a Signature Stone fence installation