Who lives in a wildfire area?

[beerrun]

Anyone have this system?

 

[PlanB]

We are in one of the worst wildfire areas in San Diego County. I have placed sprinklers on our roof in the past when we have been in evacuation mode.

 

[shintoooo]

I do but if the fire gets that close, I want my place to burn down.

Have a friend that owns a house in Ventura and when the Thomas fire happened a few years ago, all the houses in her neighborhood caught on fire except for hers and her next door neighbors who is a firefighter. He saved both of their houses. She wasn't too happy about it though because the house was uninhabitable for six months due to all the smoke and water damage. They had to get all the furniture replaced along with a lot of the drywall etc.. She would have rather it burned down to the ground.

 

[EmpirE231]

I do but if the fire gets that close, I want my place to burn down.

Have a friend that owns a house in Ventura and when the Thomas fire happened a few years ago, all the houses in her neighborhood caught on fire except for hers and her next door neighbors who is a firefighter. He saved both of their houses. She wasn't too happy about it though because the house was uninhabitable for six months due to all the smoke and water damage. They had to get all the furniture replaced along with a lot of the drywall etc.. She would have rather it burned down to the ground.

please see the predatory homeowners insurance companies thread lol

 

[DUNEFLYER]

Well my insurance company seems to think I do.

 

[Tooms22]

I do but if the fire gets that close, I want my place to burn down.

Have a friend that owns a house in Ventura and when the Thomas fire happened a few years ago, all the houses in her neighborhood caught on fire except for hers and her next door neighbors who is a firefighter. He saved both of their houses. She wasn't too happy about it though because the house was uninhabitable for six months due to all the smoke and water damage. They had to get all the furniture replaced along with a lot of the drywall etc.. She would have rather it burned down to the ground.

Unless you've lost all your memories stored in your house before and you were fine with, I don't think you want that.

I got into my parents neighborhood by offroading in a buddy's jeep for the Freeway Complex Fire in Yorba Linda in 2008. It was just my dad, my neighbor with a water truck, and me. The rest of the whole hillside, hundreds of houses, evacuated. I've never seen so many grown ass men cry when they saw their houses burnt to the ground days later when they were allowed back up there. People had some major PTSD afterwards and regretted not staying to save their house and others.

In addition, most people were underinsured and had to sue their carriers to get a new build fully covered. It was wild.

My parents had $100k in damage just for getting the smoke smell out of everything. No water damage.

It was so bad the night of the fires that we were smoking cigars in the house and it didn't change the air quality in the house.

 

[napanutt]

Pretty sure nothing’s gonna burn around my house.

 

[beerrun]

We are in one of the worst wildfire areas in San Diego County. I have placed sprinklers on our roof in the past when we have been in evacuation mode.

This has been my thoughts too but this system can turn its self on the other way we have to be home to turn it on

 

[Taboma]

Before you spend money on that system, spend the money to upgrade all your roof vents to O'Hagen, then box all your eves, preferably with stucco.
Having lost a home in '07, I've watched a lot of live video and watched as home after home caught fire before any adjacent landscaping did.
You'd see smoke start pouring out of the attic, game over. In those same cases, it was the home burning that then caught the landscaping on fire.
You've got to keep the blowing embers out of your attic.

The other problem with roof sprinklers is --- they will be useless on the prevailing with side of the house, which is the side the fire and embers will be approaching from. The wind will blow that spray, especially that small jet, back up and over itself, it won't shoot out 5' against a stiff breeze, which is when our homes are in most danger.
If anything I'd see it as more of a "Why not, I've done everything else I can" approach.

One of my neighbors who lost their home sets up a large gas powered pump, feeding a huge rainbird that will easily shoot 70' or more with a lot of water. He doesn't start it, he leaves it ready to go, with the suction hose in this swimming pool. He's hoping when the fire crew shows up they'll fire it up.

 

[Nordie]

I find it odd that in the Sierras the Nevada side seems to do much better than California. California doesn't seem to allow any deforestation and leaves tons of fuel on the ground.

Even Governor brown cut funding

Governor’s Revised Budget Slashes Millions From Tree Mortality Funding | Sierra News Online

SACRAMENTO – Governor Jerry Brown’s $180 billion May revision to the 2017-2018 budget proposes cutting millions of dollars from funding to fight fires and support local tree mortality projects in California’s forestlands. The Governor’s updated budget, released on Thursday, May 11, cuts funding...

sierranewsonline.com

I grew up on a mountain, and the fire service would cut down dead trees, they would tell us where we could pick up the trees so we could have heat in the winter. Why this doesn't happen in California is beyond me.

At the end of the day you guys are signed up for it and know the risks, but at what point do you not get pissed that no one is cleaning up the fuel?

 

[C-2]

Do fire sprinklers work when the FD is sucking all the water out of the nearest fire plug? Or is a fire plug on a separate line? (legit question, not sarcasm)

 

[Nordie]

Pretty sure nothing’s gonna burn around my house.

View attachment 1263227 View attachment 1263228 View attachment 1263229

Easy, you're pretty much in Canada now!

 

[beerrun]

Do fire sprinklers work when the FD is sucking all the water out of the nearest fire plug? Or is a fire plug on a separate line? (legit question, not sarcasm)

Right I have heard that they turn off the water but they can't turn off the water to my house unless they turn off everyone then they would not have water

 

[Taboma]

Do fire sprinklers work when the FD is sucking all the water out of the nearest fire plug? Or is a fire plug on a separate line? (legit question, not sarcasm)

Once crews start laying hose, I'd expect a noticeable pressure drop. Also for giggles, go out during a stiff Santa Ana and take your best nozzle on a 1" hose, set for a tight strong stream and see how it performs against the wind. You might get a bit wet

 

[2Driver]

This what I have and about 300’ of hose. It has 3 outlets one main and 2 other smaller outlets to run to a big sprinkler system or just more hoses. My pool is my water source. Surprisingly it doesn’t use a ton of water but rather super pressurizes it…you have to lean into the hose when its on full. I bought it new plus the cart with all the accessories.

VERSAX® Multipurpose Pump

The VERSAX® is a versatile, rugged and economical twin-impeller self-priming pump powered by a Honda or a Briggs & Stratton Vanguard . It provides superior water-transfer performance as well as the ability to combat fire from greater distances and points of elevation. The VERSAX® is a...

www.waterax.com

 

[beerrun]

We are in one of the worst wildfire areas in San Diego County. I have placed sprinklers on our roof in the past when we have been in evacuation mode.

Where do you live can I ask

 

[Bobby V]

Do fire sprinklers work when the FD is sucking all the water out of the nearest fire plug? Or is a fire plug on a separate line? (legit question, not sarcasm)

Commercial fire sprinklers come off the same fire hydrant and are figured in the calcs for the fire flow. Residential fire sprinklers come off the domestic line. Commercial is to save livess and property. Residential is only for saving lives.

 

[Bobby V]

Unless you've lost all your memories stored in your house before and you were fine with, I don't think you want that.

I got into my parents neighborhood by offroading in a buddy's jeep for the Freeway Complex Fire in Yorba Linda in 2008. It was just my dad, my neighbor with a water truck, and me. The rest of the whole hillside, hundreds of houses, evacuated. I've never seen so many grown ass men cry when they saw their houses burnt to the ground days later when they were allowed back up there. People had some major PTSD afterwards and regretted not staying to save their house and others.

In addition, most people were underinsured and had to sue their carriers to get a new build fully covered. It was wild.

My parents had $100k in damage just for getting the smoke smell out of everything. No water damage.

It was so bad the night of the fires that we were smoking cigars in the house and it didn't change the air quality in the house.

Yep I remember that fire. Neighbors house burnt down and we are down by Smart and Final and not in the hills.

 

[Gramps]

How many of you have tried to stop a good size wildland fire with a piss hose????? Damn near impossible. the best a roof sprinkle can do is soak the area way BEFORE the fire gets there.

 

[Taboma]

This what I have and about 300’ of hose. It has 3 outlets one main and 2 other smaller outlets to run to a big sprinkler system or just more hoses. My pool is my water source. Surprisingly it doesn’t use a ton of water but rather super pressurizes it…you have to lean into the hose when its on full. It came on a cart will all the accessories.

VERSAX® Multipurpose Pump

The VERSAX® is a versatile, rugged and economical twin-impeller self-priming pump powered by a Honda or a Briggs & Stratton Vanguard . It provides superior water-transfer performance as well as the ability to combat fire from greater distances and points of elevation. The VERSAX® is a...

www.waterax.com

View attachment 1263236

Yup, now that works !! So long as you've got a "If all else fails, run" way out of there. If I recall, you may not.

 

[PlanB]

Where do you live can I ask

Gopher Canyon area in Vista. Our property is next to a 330 acre farm so it gives us a little buffer but we have brush that comes down right behind our house.

 

[PlanB]

How many of you have tried to stop a good size wildland fire with a piss hose????? Damn near impossible. the best a roof sprinkle can do is soak the area way BEFORE the fire gets there.

Thats what I do. Turn it on and let it soak the house down.

 

[Taboma]

Commercial fire sprinklers come off the same fire hydrant and are figured in the calcs for the fire flow. Residential fire sprinklers come off the domestic line. Commercial is to save livess and property. Residential is only for saving lives.

That's fine for a commercial area, but in our rural environment, there's one 12" feeding homes and hydrants that are close to 700' apart.
All of that comes off the same large storage tank up behind us on the hill and on a great day we see 45psi. Homes up the hill a tad more are down around 36psi.
The homes built post '07 fire like ours, all are interior sprinklered, and also have pressure booster pumps on the sprinkler side, some on both.

 

[2Driver]

Yup, now that works !! So long as you've got a "If all else fails, run" way out of there. If I recall, you may not.

Its more for a spot fire like a lightning strike. If it was a wall coming hard id exit. i wouldn't want to live here if the land was reduced to ashes.

 

[Taboma]

Gopher Canyon area in Vista. Our property is next to a 330 acre farm so it gives us a little buffer but we have brush that comes down right behind our house.

After about four so far his year in your Gopherville - hood, how's about putting away the matches man.
I'd pump out of Hodges, but it's damn near empty cuz all the big bucks Richie Riches below us at RSF are scared of that wittle 100 years old damn busting and screwing up their golf course.

 

[Bobby V]

That's fine for a commercial area, but in our rural environment, there's one 12" feeding homes and hydrants that are close to 700' apart.
All of that comes off the same large storage tank up behind us on the hill and on a great day we see 45psi. Homes up the hill a tad more are down around 36psi.
The homes built post '07 fire like ours, all are interior sprinklered, and also have pressure booster pumps on the sprinkler side, some on both.

Yep. 45psi won’t help without a booster pump once you do the calcs and figure in the fire sprinkler starting pressure.

 

[PlanB]

After about four so far his year in your Gopherville - hood, how's about putting away the matches man.
I'd pump out of Hodges, but it's damn near empty cuz all the big bucks Richie Riches below us at RSF are scared of that wittle 100 years old damn busting and screwing up their golf course.

Yeah, we get a lot of fires that popup in the area. We are always on the lookout for smoke.

 

[Taboma]

Its more for a spot fire like a lightning strike. If it was a wall coming hard id exit. i wouldn't want to live here if the land was reduced to ashes.

The one redeeming factor after ours burned --- was, the new one was good to good for another 5-7 years while Ma nature worked hard to restore the Chaparral. Fire ? Who gives a shit, there's nothing left to burn around here. ---- Now it's all back.

I put two hydrants for 1.5" hoses on my property for those spot fire deals on a non-hurricane wind day. I'm not going to put myself or my wife in harms way to save the house we've got well insured. At least this time, all our pictures and documents are backed up on drives in a safety deposit box. The toys are all at Havasu and the rest of the shit is a drive to the store away.

 

[PlanB]

We have almost 200 psi of water pressure out here. My neighbor has a 2" line with a firehose and nozzle. He can reach out pretty far with that pressure.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

I was in the Grass Valley fire in 2008 in Arrowhead. I was renting a house at the time, but I treated it as if I owned it.

I did the dry fuels abatement about 2 weeks before the fire broke out. Even though I managed to get some personal possessions out, the house itself was wood shingle and I had no illusions it wouldn’t go up if it got the chance and take everything else with it.

Before I left I wet the house roof down and the walls and surrounding area right up against the house with a garden hose.

I got to go back about two days later and the house was one of two still standing on the block. Later I saw firefighter video of them hosing the house down themselves from the street.

No idea how that worked out, but we went back and guarded the house against looting after the fire moved on. Cleaned up the best we could and I used non-potable water to put out hotspots I could see around the property. Sheriff’s dept wasn’t too estatic I was there but someone had to be.

Got the rest of the personal belongings out and left when what food and water we had in the house ran out. Went and stayed in a hotel for about a month. Went back when the utilities got the power and cable and other things back up.

Anyway, I thought the owner of the house would be happy. They weren’t. They were wanting it to burn. They let the bank foreclose on it about a month after we got back into it. So we had to move.

Anyway, the point is, you’re probably going to get less grief from your insurance if the house burns to the ground rather than fighting to fix it/ clean it, if it doesn’t.

Now that I own up in Arrowhead, I’m pretty much ok with starting over if that’s the way it goes. We get fixated on stuff. In the end it’s just stuff, and if you die you can’t take it with you anyway.

 

[Taboma]

Yeah, we get a lot of fires that popup in the area. We are always on the lookout for smoke.

Anybody reporting the causes ? Vehicle accidents or bean cookers in the brush ? I recall back in the early 80's when we lived in Rancho Penasquitos and we were surrounded by tomato fields. I'd drive up Black Mountain to fly my RV glider and I could see the smoke down in coming up through the oak trees down in Carmel Valley from the Mexican farm workers who'd made a make shift village down there.
Now it's the homeless in the river valleys setting them on fire.

 

[PlanB]

Anybody reporting the causes ? Vehicle accidents or bean cookers in the brush ? I recall back in the early 80's when we lived in Rancho Penasquitos and we were surrounded by tomato fields. I'd drive up Black Mountain to fly my RV glider and I could see the smoke down in coming up through the oak trees down in Carmel Valley from the Mexican farm workers who'd made a make shift village down there.
Now it's the homeless in the river valleys setting them on fire.

I don't think we have anyone living in the brush anymore. We had illegal camps (field workers) years ago but they are gone now. I have a feeling it's the amount of traffic on Gopher Canyon these days. The fires always seem to start next to the road and spread from there. Could be cigarettes or catalytic convertors.

 

[spectras only]

My dentist lives on a 10 acre lot in Langley with farms around. His house is too far from the road with hydrants for FD hose to reach quickly. He had a 500.000 gallon pound dug to be able getting fire insurance. My neighbour, who's house burned down during our fire had a swimming pool, pumped dry by the firemen, couldn't save the house. Average pool size holds about 20.000 gallons, won't last long enough to deal with fire when strong winds prevail. According to fire smart experts, even the storage tanks for the locals would run out of water fast. We have 3 large water tanks servicing our hill, water pumped up from the lake.

 

[scottchbrite]

Before you spend money on that system, spend the money to upgrade all your roof vents to O'Hagen, then box all your eves, preferably with stucco.
Having lost a home in '07, I've watched a lot of live video and watched as home after home caught fire before any adjacent landscaping did.
You'd see smoke start pouring out of the attic, game over. In those same cases, it was the home burning that then caught the landscaping on fire.
You've got to keep the blowing embers out of your attic.

The other problem with roof sprinklers is --- they will be useless on the prevailing with side of the house, which is the side the fire and embers will be approaching from. The wind will blow that spray, especially that small jet, back up and over itself, it won't shoot out 5' against a stiff breeze, which is when our homes are in most danger.
If anything I'd see it as more of a "Why not, I've done everything else I can" approach.

One of my neighbors who lost their home sets up a large gas powered pump, feeding a huge rainbird that will easily shoot 70' or more with a lot of water. He doesn't start it, he leaves it ready to go, with the suction hose in this swimming pool. He's hoping when the fire crew shows up they'll fire it up.

This (bold section)^^^^ or a window breaks, etc. People underestimate the amount of embers that blow around during a legit fire. Palm trees are a disaster and should be banned from certain areas of CA because of their ember cast IMO. Wood mulch can also cause big problems. The nice homes that burned during the Thomas fire were helped due to all the wood mulch on the properties that turned into massive piles of burning embers that were being blown around.

The absolute best way to help your house is defensible space and update your building construction. I live in a wildfire prone area in Murrieta. I am constantly weed whacking, mowing, and trimming all my oak trees.

And we probably wouldn’t be starting the pump for that sprinkler unless we knew about it already. More often than not, the fire crew that you see doing work is probably another department on a strike team assignment.
During structure triage, we are looking for houses that are defendable, ie- someone has done the work to protect their own property beforehand. We have pretty limited resources during these events and a big, fast moving fire takes a ton of resources to stop (luck and Mother Nature too).

 

[Bobby V]

We have almost 200 psi of water pressure out here. My neighbor has a 2" line with a firehose and nozzle. He can reach out pretty far with that pressure.

200 psi. Hope you have PRVs for the house. Most high rises / warehouses set their fire pumps at 175 psi max.

 

[PlanB]

200 psi. Hope you have PRVs for the house. Most high rises / warehouses set their fire pumps at 175 psi max.

I have a valve at our meter and two on the outside of our house where the water comes in. I finally put the one on the meter because it was blowing up our irrigation system. Crazy pressure.

 

[25Elmn8r]

Unless you've lost all your memories stored in your house before and you were fine with, I don't think you want that.

I got into my parents neighborhood by offroading in a buddy's jeep for the Freeway Complex Fire in Yorba Linda in 2008. It was just my dad, my neighbor with a water truck, and me. The rest of the whole hillside, hundreds of houses, evacuated. I've never seen so many grown ass men cry when they saw their houses burnt to the ground days later when they were allowed back up there. People had some major PTSD afterwards and regretted not staying to save their house and others.

In addition, most people were underinsured and had to sue their carriers to get a new build fully covered. It was wild.

My parents had $100k in damage just for getting the smoke smell out of everything. No water damage.

It was so bad the night of the fires that we were smoking cigars in the house and it didn't change the air quality in the house.

That was a crazy time. We got to our friends house right as the fire dropped over the ridge and raced down towards their house. We helped them get their 5th wheel and a few essentials out of the house. He got the family out and I stayed behind and got hoses and sprinklers going. The neighbor right next door had no idea there was a fire. I was pounding on the front door to get them out. I ended up dragging hose with the fire department to knock down the hillside before it got to the houses in that cul de sac. We had other friends that weren't so lucky and lost everything.

We now live in a fire zone backing up to Rathdrum mountain. There is only one company that we could find to insure the property. We haven't added anything as of yet. Was thinking of burying some water tanks and well pump that we used for temp water while building, but in reality 3000 gallons wont do much. Still might do it just because we have it.

 

[Willie B]

… I definitely lived in a burn area… Did I have any fire protection? Nope… Beings that it was thick forest there is probably

no way I could’ve protected it???… the huge fire, which I cannot remember the name of right now jumped a quarter mile…a half mile etc… most of the town of Berry Creek burned to the ground… But there were a few places that did not… There was no rhyme or reason to it???

 

[FreeBird236]

Commercial fire sprinklers come off the same fire hydrant and are figured in the calcs for the fire flow. Residential fire sprinklers come off the domestic line. Commercial is to save livess and property. Residential is only for saving lives.

You're kind of making it sound like there are two water mains, which there usually wouldn't be.

 

[CLdrinker]

Unless you've lost all your memories stored in your house before and you were fine with, I don't think you want that.

I got into my parents neighborhood by offroading in a buddy's jeep for the Freeway Complex Fire in Yorba Linda in 2008. It was just my dad, my neighbor with a water truck, and me. The rest of the whole hillside, hundreds of houses, evacuated. I've never seen so many grown ass men cry when they saw their houses burnt to the ground days later when they were allowed back up there. People had some major PTSD afterwards and regretted not staying to save their house and others.

In addition, most people were underinsured and had to sue their carriers to get a new build fully covered. It was wild.

My parents had $100k in damage just for getting the smoke smell out of everything. No water damage.

It was so bad the night of the fires that we were smoking cigars in the house and it didn't change the air quality in the house.

PTSD huh? That term gets thrown around way to easy nowadays.
Let’s not cheapen that term.

 

[Bobby V]

You're kind of making it sound like there are two water mains, which there usually wouldn't be.

I guess it depends on what side of the property line you’re on. But you’re right in most cases. But I have seen dedicated fire mains. 1 line for the fire main and 1 line for the domestic with DDCs connected to the main in the street for commercial side.

 

[pixrthis]

In 2015 we had a fire in our neighborhood, we were lucky it wasn’t very windy. Thank God for kick ass fire fighters, convicts with shovels and great friends and family we didn’t lose one structure. It burned within 50’ of two of the guest houses. They used all 26,000 gallons in the pool to save our house and our neighbors. I learned you don’t just make everything wet because you will run out of water, we’re on a well and they turned the power off. Also when I asked if we (me and my friends and family) could help I got “ do you want your house to burn down?”. Message received , we all fought fire after the leading edge passed us and the fire fighters went with it. There were still a lot of things burning a spreading slowly for a couple hours. We were very lucky the wind wasn’t howling and I learned a lot. I pray my house doesn’t burn down mostly because of the family heirlooms and pictures that can’t ever be replaced. I know there are people here that have lost everything due to fire and feel for them.Theres no way to not lose shit that can’t be replaced and that will hurt.

 

[LuauLounge]

Nationwide said I was in a wildfire risk and non-renewed. 2 fire station's within 2 miles and the Sacramento River 700 feet away.

 

[Taboma]

PTSD huh? That term gets thrown around way to easy nowadays.
Let’s not cheapen that term.

Yup, wouldn't want to do that, like as one prime example.

The Navy shrinks awarding my useless X-son-in-law a life time 90% disability for PTSD he claims he got from being at sea to long as an electronics chief PO on a damned aircraft carrier.
So considering the Navy's handing out those PTSD disabilities like they are the drugs they provided, that are more than likely responsible.
I certainly think the public fleeing their homes in thick smoke, flying embers and total darkness, then losing every personal belonging they've ever owned, is far more deserving of some title for suffering long term issues than a person who served on a floating city.
Do they get a fat check from the US Tax Payers for a drug problem the Navy has decided sounds better if it's labeled as a PTSD long term disability ? No, Hell no they don't.

Yes it does get thrown around and it's unfortunate the military is using it as a "Disability" scapegoat in many cases for a drug problem they're responsible for.

 

[FreeBird236]

I guess it depends on what side of the property line you’re on. But you’re right in most cases. But I have seen dedicated fire mains. 1 line for the fire main and 1 line for the domestic with DDCs connected to the main in the street for commercial side.

Once in a while, when I'd flush a hydrant or do a fire flow test someone would ask can you drink that water, they were usually surprised it was the same water.

 

[Bobby V]

Once in a while, when I'd flush a hydrant or do a fire flow test someone would ask can you drink that water, they were usually surprised it was the same water.

Haha. Most cities make you use a chlorine type diffuser when doing flow tests these days.

 

[jetboatperformance]

from my back pasture , the house is about 800 ft, beyond that about a half mile away are tones of homes in amongst those Native Oaks . Those people are haveing difficulties getting insurance at all

 

[Luvnlife]

Defensible space and boxed eves. Fire Dept won’t even waste their time on a place that isn’t defensible. I do agree though that getting water on the area before the fire gets there is a good idea.

 

[Xtrmwakeboarder]

Yup, wouldn't want to do that, like as one prime example.

The Navy shrinks awarding my useless X-son-in-law a life time 90% disability for PTSD he claims he got from being at sea to long as an electronics chief PO on a damned aircraft carrier.
So considering the Navy's handing out those PTSD disabilities like they are the drugs they provided, that are more than likely responsible.
I certainly think the public fleeing their homes in thick smoke, flying embers and total darkness, then losing every personal belonging they've ever owned, is far more deserving of some title for suffering long term issues than a person who served on a floating city.
Do they get a fat check from the US Tax Payers for a drug problem the Navy has decided sounds better if it's labeled as a PTSD long term disability ? No, Hell no they don't.

Yes it does get thrown around and it's unfortunate the military is using it as a "Disability" scapegoat in many cases for a drug problem they're responsible for.

100% correct. I know someone that retired from the Navy that is taking 90% disability from the “PTSD” incurred by tripping and breaking their leg on a carrier. 0 loss of function years later that I can see after plenty of serious workouts together.

 

[FreeBird236]

Haha. Most cities make you use a chlorine type diffuser when doing flow tests these days.

We were special county district and kind of did what we wanted, but I could see that crap coming. You can drink it, water your lawn, but can't run it in the street, give me a break. I was dechlorinating disinfected lines towards the end of my career, but even that was ridiculous unless you were right next to a stream.