***NOTE: Please go to the last few posts here for the latest info, including testimonials
by those whose homes were saved by Barricade Fire Gel.


Mainly, I wanted to tell you about 2 products that can potentially & effectively protect your home
if you have at least a few hours warning to prep your home.

Thermo-Gel
Video showing application & cleanup of Thermo-Gel
Distributors: http://www.thermo-gel.com/fire...
FAQ: http://www.thermo-gel.com/imag...

Barricade Fire Gel
http://www.firegel.com/
Videos

I purchased 2 kits of Thermo-Gel from FireEtc.com in San Diego ($424 per 4gal kit including tax & shipping).
They also carry Barricade, but the Thermo-Gel is essentially the same, and costs $100 less per kit.

Each gallon will cover up to 1,000sqft. Each kit includes a nozzle that attaches the gallon container to your garden hose
and mixes the concentrate with the water to create a gel that clings to everything........eaves, siding, facia, windows,
vents, roses, etc.

In addition, to protect our eyes & lungs from smoke which can be very toxic, I bought goggles & N95 masks.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003U9VE94/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0742G1B4F/

***If you find this info helpful, and know anyone who may be at risk from a wild fire, PLEASE
tell them, too. There are so many just here in California who are potentially at risk, but
think they are safe, and don't know what they can do to protect their homes.

Note: Fire gels are not guaranteed to save your home, and you still need to create a defensible buffer zone,
cut down & clear dead vegetation, cover gable vents, etc......ask your local fire department for info
if you don't know what to do already. Mostly common sense.

Here are some articles that I found relating to these gels:
"Fire Retardant Slimey Gel can Save Homes"
(AP) --
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0742G1B4F/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0742G1B4F/

"Fire Retardants that Protect the Home" - LA Times
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0742G1B4F/

"Destructive Blue Cut Fire Failed to Burn Homes Protected by Gel"
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0742G1B4F/

"Fire Retardant Gel Saves Structures"
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0742G1B4F/

In use currently by Ventura County Fire Department (per Steven Swindle, VCFD, 10/18/17)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0742G1B4F/

BTW, I'm not selling Thermo-Gel, and do not get any kickback, etc.....just want to raise everyone's awareness about
these products while fire danger is on all our minds.

We live near a wild land that burned (the "Witch" fire) in late October 2007. We had to evacuate
for 3 days (to a local WalMart in our motorhome), and didn't know if we would come back to our home or ashes.

Thankfully, the choppers were able to stop the fire before it got to
the homes in our neighborhood, and our home was still there, even
our cat who we couldn't find when we left.

But all the brush has all grown back, and we are at risk again.

Be prepared.
Be safe.

Up at 4am.....again......thinking about the fires up north, and worried about
the 4 days coming next week when the Santa Ana winds come again.....dry, windy, and 100F.


The Witch Fire in Oct 2007 burned almost 200,000 acres in San Diego County,
virtually encircled our neighborhood in the south end of Escondido,
and came to less than 2 football fields away from our home before being contained.

The little blue star is where our home was & still is thanks to the brave fire fighters
on the ground and in the air using helicopters and tankers to bomb the fire.


We're very fortunate to live near Lake Hodges where they have been practicing
water drops all this month, and even have a fire hydrant at the entrance to our
driveway.

But in a wild fire, it's very hard for the fire units to cover every home in every neighborhood.
Every home owner is responsible making their property and home as prepared to survive
a wildfire as possible.

It takes some thought and effort. The fires in the Santa Rosa area of California
reminded me of 2007, and helped me think about it ahead of time for our area.

I'd rather think about other things, and have so many things on my "to do" list already,
e.g. plant the rest of those dang sweet peas! Put a new door on the greenhouse!

But I need to focus on the most important thing......protect our home.

I put info sheets about the fire retardant gels in each of my 20 neighbors' mailboxes, but haven't heard back from them yet.

I hope you, too, are taking steps to protect your home, and keep in touch with your neighbors.

BTW, please comment if you find the info helpful so the thread doesn't get buried.

If only one life & home is saved in the next wildfire, it will have been worth the effort!

Now it's 6:10am, and have to get some zzzzzzzzzzzzzz's. At least it's going to be cool today
with a chance for light rain. Will make the most of it, and enjoy it while it lasts.

The "calm before the storm".

Updated to include video of application & clean up of Thermo-Gel.
(see in first post above)

During the last fire in our area that was close to our home, our insurance company called us and offered to spray that gel stuff on our house and come back afterwards and clean it up. It was kind of surreal - the fire was moving our way, but with a ridge in between. We're packing our go-bag at a level 2 evacuation status, and the phone rings. They're looking at some map that shows our home is in potential danger and they have a crew in the neighborhood. The wind changed and we didn't take them up on it - I hadn't had time to read up on the toxicity or anything else about it, so I wasn't ready to spray mystery chemicals all over my house and yard just yet. We have a huge greenspace around our home and in-ground sprinklers, which we were running fairly constantly and there was a ton of air support on the fire, because it was so close to town and so many homes in danger. I had forgotten about that stuff, but will read your links to be better informed for the next time.

Glad you made it through without it.
It's supposed to be non-toxic to plants, but I'd hose it off asap after the danger is past.

I'm surprised it isn't widely known or that fire departments (in general) don't seem to be
promoting the gels....I'm trying to find out why.....seems like a no-brainer to give folks
something to protect their homes.....i.e. spray and leave it, vs just leave it and hope
it's there when you get back.

The fire departments are heroes, and it's mind blowing how they go out in the heat with
all that gear to put themselves at risk to save not just us, but our homes.
But in a wildfire, they're stretched thin, and just can't save everyone or every home.

I know I feel a whole lot safer knowing I have it to use if necessary, and that my home (and plants)
will have a much better hope of being there even if a fire moves through.

It's not a sure thing, but it gives me good hope!

Just an update....

Fire-Etc.com had 42 kits of Thermo-Gel last Friday, and are out already,
and the supplier is out of now, too.

However, Fire-Etc.com has Barricade Fire Gel on order, and hopes to have it
by tomorrow morning.

I only have links above to Thermo-Gel and its suppliers, and it still may be in stock at other suppliers.
Please call Barricade to find distributors in your area.

I highly recommend you order asap if you think you may still be at risk for a wildfire,
as demand is greater than the supply, at least for Thermo-Gel.

Don't wait till the fire is coming & it's too late.
Order it today.

Protect your home and your neighborhood.

This is all I'll say about the fire retardants......it's up to you to take advantage of the info.

Update.......
Here we are.....again!......in extreme wild fire danger mid December.
Who would have thought?

The reality is, we have to assume a Santa Ana wind-driven
wild fire is possible any time, and do what we can well in advance to protect our families,
-including pets, horses and livestock, homes.......and get to safety.

Do you have a plan in case you have to evacuate?
Have you spoken with your neighbors about their plans?

Did anyone get some kind of fire retardant, e.g. Thermo-Gel,to have on hand in case there is a fire coming, and you have at least 2 hours to spray your home and get to safety?
Would appreciate some feedback, hopefully saying you took my advice.......300+ views, but very few posts.
Am I just flapping my gums here???

Hate to be a nag, but if it causes even one person to get prepared (hopefully ahead of The Day, like today)
then it will have been worth it.

Here's a list of items I purchased from Fire-etc.com in San Diego to protect myself if I have to stay and
fight a fire......may not be complete, but better and just a garden hose & shorts!

BTW, initially, I just purchased one kit of Thermo-Gel, then realized I should have some protective gear, just in case, so
added another kit of Thermo-Gel, goggles, hat, mask, etc, in addition to the N95 masks and goggles I got from Amazon for
my wife & I if we have to go through a lot of smoke when we leave in our motorhome to find a safe place to stay like we did in the 2007
Witch Fire here.

Cart Items SKU Qty Item Price Item Total
Bullard Wildland Fire Fighter Helmet Full Brim with Ratchet
(Color: Yellow)
21214 1 $60.00 USD $60.00 USD

Crew Boss Ear, Neck and Face Shroud, Unlined,
16848 1 $27.00 USD $27.00 USD

ESS Striketeam XTO Wildland Goggle
14764 1 $35.00 USD $35.00 USD

Thermo-Gel Firefighting Homeowners Kit
14839 1 $369.00 USD $369.00 USD

Veridian Wildland Glove
(Size: Large)
34360 1 $33.00 USD $33.00 USD

WHIFFS TAC AIR PRO Air Mask
11110 1 $49.95 USD $49.95 USD

Subtotal: $573.95 USD
Shipping: $27.77 USD
Tax: $44.50 USD
Grand Total: $646.22 USD

Be safe! Don't wait.....just go do it!
Cal

[soapbox]

Thankfully, we dodged the wildfire bullet here.....for now.

Very grateful for the brave firefighters & law enforcement who keep us safe at the risk of their own lives.

Still grieving for the horses lost in the training facility last week in the Lilac Fire......that fire took only ~6hr to burn 4,100 acres.
I hope we all learned a hard lesson, and do whatever is necessary to prevent such tragedies in the future.

It hit me as I drove to the local Home Depot the other day, how much potential fuel surrounds us.
We don't notice it or think about it during the safe times, when the weather is nice, and wildfire is
something that happened somewhere else. It really scared me to realize how dangerously overgrown
our area is.

We all need to take care to create a defensible space around our homes.
http://www.sandiegocounty.gov/...

So many trees, so much brush, so many homes with wood shake roofs, wood decks........just takes one spark and a strong wind, and it can all burn & ruin lives.

One sobering thought......the fire officials acknowledge that a wildfire is basically unstoppable under
the conditions we live in now if it isn't contained when it's still very small.

Protecting our homes & property also protects our neighbors' homes & property.

Be safe. Be responsible.

[/soapbox]

Grieving for Cory Iverson, a brave firefighter, best of the best.....
https://www.10news.com/news/sa...

To all the men & women who put themselves in the line of fire to protect us.....

God bless you for your service & sacrifice.

Hope to have updated info on Barricade Fire Gel soon.

BTW, Barricade will come to your neighborhood for a demo if you want.
I'm arranging one for us (~100 homes) after New Year's to get the best turnout.

Also hope to share some success stories of those whose home was saved by Barricade or any other fire retardant.

In the mean time, please tell your neighbors, friends, co-workers, family about these gels, and ask them to pass it on.
You never know, it could prevent their home or someone they tell from being lost down the line.

Fire Season is basically anytime now in Southern California.

Think about it, and DO what you need to get ready, TODAY!

Witch Creek Fire ....we survived this one.
https://www.google.com/search?...

Tubbs Fire 2017
https://www.google.com/search?...:

Thomas Fire 2017
https://www.google.com/search?...:

Don't wait to protect your home, family, neighbor, and neighborhood.
It's a matter of life & death.

FireEtc has a good supply of these 2 fire retardants for homeowners.
http://www.fire-etc.com/thermo...
ThermoGel $369/ 4 gal
Barricade $379/ 4 gal (not shown on website, but is in stock)

BTW, they ran out of ThermoGel last year.
Get yours before supplies run out, and you're SOL.

FireGel.com is the website for Barricade http://firegel.com/

Fire season hit sooner than we expected......(See fire map of major fires in California http://www.fire.ca.gov/general... )
https://www.mercurynews.com/20...
"Why California's Fire Season is off to the worst start in 10 years" https://www.mercurynews.com/20...

Several homes lost in San Diego County in the past few days.

Since I started this thread I've:
1. switched to Barricade Fire Blocking Gel as it uses canola oil (vs diesel for ThermoGel), and easier to wash off later.
Plus it will protect up to 72 hours (according to rep). I can't prove any of the claims, but I trust George Lucia, ex-fire chief, fire marshal
on Palomar Mt. who has saved homes using fire retardant gel.
George gave a 5-star demo of Barricade 2 weeks ago on our street. It was much more than I expected or hoped for, and
was very impressed.

Here is a 3 min video of the demo with contact info at the end.


I highly recommend calling or emailing George Lucia, ASAP, to arrange a demo and/or an evaluation of your property for
fire risk/safety. (760) 644-9933

2. Following George's recommendation, I purchased a gas powered pressure washer to spray on the gel. It is much faster and easier
than using city water pressure. Also good for removing it once the danger is past. He sells the washers, but I purchased mine at Amazon.

3. I also bought Personal Protective Equipment to keep me safe as possible if I choose to stay
and fight the fire.....hat, goggles, mask, gloves, jacket......all purchased from FireEtc.com in San Diego.
George also can supply any PPE necessary.

4. Found a 3rd fire gel product by Altira Systems which claims to be even more biodegradable, but is not available yet in
kits for homeowners.....possibly in a few weeks according to Randy at Altira. I don't know what the price per kit
or who will distribute it.

I recommend everyone research these products to make the best decision.
But I'm sold on Barricade, and have replaced the ThermoGel with it.

I hope you will think seriously about purchasing one of these fire retardants for your home, and will talk with all
your neighbors.......set up a demo for your neighborhood.....have a plan......think ahead.

If I protect my home, I'm protecting my neighbor's home, and my neighborhood.

Be a good neighbor.
Be ready, be safe.

Today we are on High Alert for wildfire in San Diego County......humidity very low, and winds picking up.
Predicted 60 mph starting tonight through Wed.

Why did multi-million dollar homes burn but not the trees all around them?
Embers get into the vents, under decks, under eaves. That's all it takes when
there is a strong dry wind to fan the flames.

Here are several testimonials how Barricade Fire Gel saved people's homes.
http://cal3d.com/barricade/bar... (3mb download)

***Please take time to check them out***

***NOTE: as of 3:00pm today, Fire-Etc.com has only 5 kits of Barricade available, and
will not be re-stocking due to price increase. http://www.fire-etc.com/fire-b...
They still have 32 kits of ThermoGel, and will continue to carry it.

Each kit contains 4 gallons of concentrate, and should cover 1000 sq ft per gallon.

Still recommend Barricade as it is environmentally safe, lasts longer (72hr once applied), 5yr shelf life,
and is easier to clean off later.


Don't assume it won't happen to your neighborhood.
Don't rely on the fire department to save your home.....they just can't be everywhere at once.
Protect your home with Barricade. Don't put it off!

Remember Santa Rosa, Ventura, Malibu, and Paradise!

God bless & protect the brave firefighters who risk their lives for us.

Thoughts going out to all our California friends. The fires are so scary; so many people and homes lost. Please be safe y'all.

Thanks for the good thoughts, Lin. So far, so good here in San Diego County.
The power company, SDGE, has cut power to areas where power lines might
spark a fire.

Here is a new webinar from yesterday about using Barricade.
https://www.facebook.com/Barri...

I've encouraged the company to expand their advertising.
So many lives in harm's way in California for the foreseeable future from wildfires.

All of the fire departments I've spoken with are either using Barricade or similar retardant on
their trucks, or agree it's a good thing, but cannot publicly promote it because they are
concerned about liability.

The liability in my mind is not promoting something that home owners can use to protect
their homes.

We have close friends who live in San Diego county; one family is in the Carmel Mountain Road/Ted Williams Parkway area, another family is farther west in the Del Mar area and another family, also in the western part of the county in San Marcos. Haven't heard if any of the fires are affecting them.

That Barricade Fire Gel sounds amazing and I'd certainly recommend it to those in fire zones!!

We live near Lake Hodges, just south of Escondido, right in the middle of your friends' area.
I hope you will tell them about this thread, and to tell their neighbors, too.

I've never seen an ad or commercial for Barricade or any of the other retardants.
Right now, it appears to be mostly word of mouth, so I'm telling anyone, any where, any time.

It's cheap insurance, but necessary, and I'm determined to do all I can to protect our home,
and get the word out.

Cal, I will definitely pass along the information to them, thank you for sharing and please be safe.