Ahead of high fire season, the Montecito Fire Department is replacing vents at local homes with fire-resistant materials. The 2022 Vent Retrofit Program is an effort to go beyond defensible space by hardening homes in Montecito to make them more resilient to wildfire.
During a wildfire, embers can make their way through vents and other crevices. Those embers may ignite combustible material inside the home and potentially lead to a home being damaged or destroyed.
The Montecito Fire Department and its partner agencies stand ready to respond to fires, but recent events have underscored the importance of implementing as many wildfire mitigation strategies as possible.
Recent post-fire assessments have found hardened structures had more than three times the likelihood of surviving compared to non-hardened structures. Additionally, studies analyzing the impacts of the Camp and Woolsey fires of 2018 found many structures were lost due to ember-intrusion through vents.
To reduce the impacts of future wildfires in the community, the Montecito Fire Department budgeted funds to initiate a Home Hardening Assistance Program. Montecito residents are urged to take advantage of the free service.
Interested homeowners may apply to participate in the 2022 Vent Retrofit Program at montecitofire.com. Wildland fire specialists will identify properties in Montecito that will most benefit from upgraded vents, based on their risk of being adversely affected by a wildfire.
The California Fire Code was recently updated to require vent screens are 1/8-inch to 1/16-inch apart. Newly designed vents provide excellent ventilation while preventing flames and embers from entering the home. The ember-resistant vents will keep embers out and reduce structural ignitions during a wildfire.
Montecito Fire is one of the first fire departments in the West to provide free home hardening assistance to community members. In 2021, the debut of the Vent Retrofit Program proved sccessful in the community. Montecito Fire is talking with other local government agencies about how to implement a similar program based on Montecito Fire’s model.
Direct questions to Christina Favuzzi, 805-680-5526. For more about home hardening strategies, visit montecitofire.com.