How Emerging Technology Can Protect Your Home Against Wildfire

JUNE 7, 2022

Our current weather pattern is not a "new normal," but a crescendo to a new, perilous future, according to a study from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Wildfires have become larger, more frequent and widespread across the U.S. since 2000, according to a new University of Colorado Bolder-led paper. Further, fires are spreading into new areas, impacting land that had previously not burned.

As weather events continue to increase in severity, money is pouring into startups to help create climate technology. More venture capital money was invested in climate technology in 2021 than any year prior, according to data provided by PitchBook. Nearly $26.7 billion has been invested in climate tech in 2021, up from $15.3 billion in 2020 and $11.8 billion in 2019.

After taking primary steps to protect your property, consider increasing your home’s protection with the latest technology. Taking advantage of emerging technology may substantially increase your home’s likelihood of survival when fire strikes.

Hydrating Homes and Vegetation

Various systems are now available to saturate a property prior to a wildfire. Taking this simple step greatly reduces the likelihood of the home igniting. Roof Saver Sprinklers, for example, provide wildfire rooftop sprinkler systems that thoroughly hydrate roofs, gutters, decks and surrounding combustible vegetation to help prevent ignition.

The Frontline Wildfire Defense system not only saturates the home and surrounding vegetation with water and biodegradable firefighting foam, but can also be activated remotely via an app, enabling homeowners to protect their home even if they need to evacuate.

Fire-Retardant Gel

Fire-retardant gel provides a thermal-protective coating when mixed with water that can protect structures from burning. Barricade Fire Blocking Gel and Thermo-Gel Homeowner Protection Kits are two examples now available to homeowners, and can be used with a hose attachment to spray your home and other flammable surfaces as a protective measure before evacuation.  

After fire danger, the solution can be removed by simply spraying the home with water from a garden hose. The solution is nontoxic and therefore safe to use on trees and shrubs and will not injure humans or animals.

Smart Smoke Detectors

In addition to the features of a standard smoke detector such as detecting smoke and sounding a warning alarm, smart smoke detectors provide you with alarm notifications or alerts on your smartphone and enable to you manage features using an app. Depending on the model, smart smoke detectors may be hardwired or battery powered, providing various installation options. The Nest Smart Smoke Alarm and Carbon Monoxide Detector even  provides a voice alert to give you early warnings of smoke or carbon monoxide and tells you where the hazard is, so you can respond quickly and safely. 

If you are not in the market to replace your current smoke detectors, your Amazon Echo Dot can listen and notify you about the sound of smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, or glass breaking and send alerts to your smartphone. Enable Alexa Guard in your Alexa settings to take advantage of these safety features.

Smart Heat Detectors

Consumers have the option between two types of smart heat detectors. The first type, such as the Kidde DS-HFS detector, triggers an alarm once a preset temperature is reached. The second type, such as the Smartzone Smart Heat Detector, has a rate-of-rise detector triggered by a rapid rise in temperature. Some heat detectors have both capabilities. Please note, heat detectors are not meant to replace smoke detectors. It is best practice to have both installed in your home.

Smart Batteries

Smart batteries connect to your WiFi, giving you the ability to check remotely if your smoke detector batteries are running low. Batthead and TetherCell are two examples. An added benefit is no more low battery chirps in the middle of the night.