The main image highlights key fire resilient features of Highlands Villas, a Spanish-style townhome complex that survived the 2025 Pacific Palisades Fire. The homes feature tile roofing, chimney caps, stucco exteriors, and BrandGuard Fire/Ember stopping vents that were installed in 2021.

Osvaldo Joya, the Director of Pre-Construction at LJP Construction Services, shares with Purgula the latest fire management strategies being applied to new planned communities in fire prone areas.

 

Wildfires are a natural and unavoidable part of life in certain regional biomes in the United States. Dry conditions, high winds, and scrub vegetation—shrubby plants that contain flammable oils—can create perfect conditions for devastating wildfires.

Given these endemic challenges, forward-thinking residential developers and homebuilders have been responding with a wide range of protective methods, such as: fire-adapted community designs, defensible space planning, fire-resistant building materials, and advanced landscaping strategies that reduce fuel loads for spreading fires.

Presented in this article are eight fire management strategies used in new communities within wildfire prone areas. Homeowners can take inspiration from these same strategies by adopting similar practices on a smaller scale. Even modest updates, like choosing drought-tolerant, fire-resistant landscaping and keeping gutters free of debris, can significantly reduce risk.

While many of these fire management strategies may be part of current building codes, homeowners with older homes can still incorporate several of these ideas into existing structures with renovations, additions or upgrades.

8 Fire Management Strategies to Protect Your Home Better

  1. Fire Sprinklers
  2. Windows
  3. Roofs
  4. Perimeter Fences
  5. Exterior Walls
  6. Community Access
  7. Defensive Zones and Firescaping
  8. Chimneys

Also see:

 

1. Fire Sprinklers

Although costly, if extreme fire protection is desired, adding a residential fire sprinkler system to a home can significantly improve its chances of surviving a fire. The sprinkler system can also include outside elements that activate once fires start adjacent to the property, within the “defensible space” around the house, for maximum efficacy.

Frontline Wildfire Defense Sprinkler System activated atop a roof

A Frontline Wildfire Defense Sprinkler System activated atop a roof
Image courtesy of Frontline

Examples of current innovations found in outdoor fire suppression systems include:

  • Smart wildfire tracking
  • Mobile apps with remote activation
  • Eco-friendly firefighting foamand water to saturate vulnerable surfaces (roofs, gutters, siding) before embers arrive
  • High-humidity microclimate systems that create moist and cooled perimeters
  • High-power mobile sprinkler systems that can be placed where needed
  • FACE (Fire Activated Canister Extinguisher) systems that are fully autonomous and self-contained—no need for external water or power—automatically activating at a set heat threshold by dispensing a biodegradable, non-toxic retardant over target areas or ember hotspots.

The embedded video below from NBC Bay Area reported on the success of Frontline Wildfire Sprinkler Systems used in the 2025 L.A. firestorm. At the time of this video, Frontline stated that 59 out of 61 homes—96%—that had their system and were in the fire zone survived.

See how new tech helped homes defend themselves from L.A. firestorm

 

2. Windows

To enhance your home’s fire resilience, install double-paned windows and upgrade existing skylights with fire-resistant materials. These windows will provide better protection from shattering when exposed to intense heat. Even without “fire rated or tempered glass”, dual-pane windows will perform better than single-pane. Most importantly, they will provide valuable time for fire fighters to get to the home before the windows shatter. Once windows break, they easily allow embers to enter the home, leading to catastrophic damage.

The latest in fire-resilient window technologies include:

  • Advanced Glazing Systems with Intumescent Gels: windows with heat-sensitive interlayers—or intumescent gels—that expand and form an insulating barrier when exposed to fire, effectively blocking heat and flames.
  • Multi-Layered Laminated & Insulated Glass Units (IGUs): Windows with multiple panes—tempered and/or laminated glass—and sealed air spaces add resilience, as a shattered outer pane still leaves layers intact to slow fire penetration.
  • Tempered Glass with Enhanced Resistance: Tempered glass boasts 5 to 10 times the impact strength of standard glass and resists heat-induced breakage more effectively, especially when combined with low-E coatings.
  • Fire-Resistant Framing Materials: Window frames made of one of the following fire-resistant materials: fiberglass; steel; composite frames with fire-resistant polymers for improved thermal performance; or aluminum with thermal breaks as an emerging, strong alternative.
  • Smart Fire-Detecting Glass: Windows with sensor technology that detects temperature changes and can be linked to property-wide suppressions systems.
  • Adaptive Glazing Innovations: Windows with self-healing, nano-coated windows, including intumescent nano-coatings that expand under heat to seal gaps.

 

3. Roofs

Install ignition-resistant roofing like slate, clay or concrete tiles, or metal roof panels. These are known as Class “A” roofs under the building and residential codes. Since the roof is the most exposed portion of the structure to windblown embers, a Class “A” roof greatly reduces the risk of ignition and can potentially save the home.

Newly installed gray metal roof

A newly installed gray metal roof

Also, installing ember-resistant metal vents, with corrosion-resistant and noncombustible wire mesh screen with 1/16 to 1/8-inch openings, can significantly increase the resistance of the roof assembly.

The embedded video below describes the decision process that the Highlands Villas HOA, in Pacific Palisades, completed in 2021 to replace all of the old vents throughout their Spanish-style townhouse complex with BrandGuard Fire/Ember stopping vents, as required by the California building code and CAL Fire.

Customer Experience Feedback

This post on Instagram, published January 12, 2025, confirms that the entire townhome complex on Michael Lane “miraculously survived”.

The latest innovations in Class A roofing are moving beyond just flame-retardant materials—they’re focusing on complete assemblies, combining advanced underlayments, durable and ignition-resistant coverings, and fire-smart coatings and construction techniques. This integrated approach gives homeowners robust protection against ember ignition and wildfire threats, while delivering enhanced visual quality and long-term performance.

The latest advances in ignition-resistant roofing include:

  • Fire-Resistant Synthetic Underlayment
  • Stone-Coated Steel Assemblies with Improved Ignition Resistance
  • Innovative Synthetic Roofing that Mimics Natural Materials
  • Engineered Thatched Roofing (Synthetic Thatch)
  • Advanced Fire-Retardant Coatings and Assembly Innovations

Also see:

 

4. Perimeter Fences

Build fences from non-combustible materials (e.g. concrete, brick, stone, metal) or pressure-treated, certified fire-retardant wood. If wood plank fences are used, separate them from the house walls by a minimum of five feet, while leaving the space clear of vegetation, especially large shrubs or trees with natural oils or resins.

A non-combustible fire-rated fence and storage shed survived the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, aided by surrounding rocks, gravel and succulent plants.

A non-combustible, fire-rated fence and storage-work shed survived the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, aided by surrounding rocks, gravel, and succulent plants.

Non-combustible perimeter fencing is rapidly evolving—not just in materials, but in design, regulation, and practical resilience. From aluminum and steel to fiber cement and concrete, homeowners now have a wide range of stylish, high-performance options that prioritize fire safety without compromising aesthetics.

 

5. Exterior Walls

Use non-combustible materials for the exterior cladding of the home. A very popular and cost-effective option is stucco (a cement-based building material) or fiber cement boards on exterior walls, instead of wood siding.

Latest advances in non-combustible materials for exterior cladding include:

  • Fiber Cement Siding (e.g. James Hardie)
  • Magnesium Oxide (MgO) Panels
  • Fire-Retardant Treated Wood (e.g. Mataverde SaferWood)
  • Fire-Resistant Composite Panels (e.g. Parklex Prodema’s GRCLAD panels)

 

6. Community Access

Communities that are well-designed for emergency situations use wide roads and driveways to allow fire department equipment easier access, even if cars are parked along the street. Materials and landscaping along primary access roads are designed to resist ignition from embers, reducing the chance of fires blocking the main route.

New community with wide streets

New community with wide streets

Conversely, these communities define redundant strategic roads—for ingress and egress—in case roadways become blocked or unsafe: 1) ideally two options for residents to escape out of the neighborhood; and 2) ideally two options for first responders to move in. This planning is essential, as panic-driven gridlock is a common occurrence during firestorms, especially when visibility is poor.

Gated communities are integrating automated emergency override systems that allow fire personnel immediate access without needing keys or codes, while keeping regular vehicle traffic controlled. Some communities implement RFID or smart card systems for residents, ensuring gates open quickly during evacuation.

Some communities are also integrating staging areas for emergency vehicles to park and deploy resources without blocking evacuation lanes.

 

7. Defensive Zones and Firescaping

For communities situated in high-risk, fire-prone areas, with high density or single-road access, protective buffer zones need to be incorporated between houses and structures. Increasing the space between houses and adding non-combustible obstacles, such as hardscaping, will help slow the rate of fire, or even starve it. This principle of defensive zones can be further enhanced by the practice of firescaping.

Lush succulent rock garden providing a protective zone around a home

Lush succulent rock garden providing a protective zone around a home

Firescaping is the practice of creating defensible space around your home using a combination of fire-resilient landscaping and hardscaping. Firescaping also involves reducing the risk of fire by avoiding highly combustible plants, shrubs, or trees with natural oils or resins, such as pines and eucalyptus.

Tree cutters removing a combustible eucalyptus tree next to a home

Tree cutters removing a combustible eucalyptus tree close to a home

Choose trees with fire-resistant traits, or those that do not drop all their leaves at once, which can create fuel for a fire if not removed. Also choose plants that retain high water content, like succulents, cacti, aloes, etc. These plants can help create a natural fire barrier for wind driven embers, making it difficult to ignite around the home. This allows homeowners to create a defensible space around the home by trimming, reducing, or clearing vegetation that can serve as fuel for a fire.

A 5-foot defensive zone—also referred to as an Ember-Resistant Zone—should be maintained around the perimeter of a home (0 to 5 feet outward from home). This zone is the most important area to protect as it abuts the exterior walls of your home. In general, you will want use as many ember-resistant materials in, on and around your home as possible. For landscaping in this zone think gravel, concrete or brick walkways, as well as other hardscaping features, including non-combustible fencing. No trees or large shrubs should be placed against the house walls within this zone. Regular irrigation, consistent trimming, removal of weeds, and early clearing of dropped leaves and flowers also should be done.

Note: Fire increases speed moving down slopes, the distances of defensive zones should be greater if the house sits next to a slope, bluff or hill.

Also see:

 

8. Chimneys

Implementing the following practices will significantly reduce the risk of chimney-related ignition during a wildfire, especially in ember-prone areas:

  • Cover the chimney or stovepipe with an approved spark arrestor.
  • Remove any combustible debris (leaves, branches, pine needles) within at least 10 feet of the chimney.
  • Enclose the chimney with a fire-resistant cap
  • Regularly clean and inspect your chimney: creosote buildup is highly flammable; inspect for cracks or gaps where embers could penetrate.
Stylish cornice pan atop a chimney by Chimney King

A stylish cornice pan (also called a chimney top pan) atop a chimney, made by Chimney King
Image courtesy of Chimney King

Also see:

 

Closing Thoughts

Wildfires are an inevitable reality in many regions of the United States, but homeowners, builders, and developers can take meaningful steps to reduce risk and improve resilience. From fire-adapted community designs and smart access routes to non-combustible building materials and advanced landscaping practices, there are multiple layers of protection that work together to safeguard lives and property.

New technologies, including smart sprinklers, ember-resistant vents, and automated emergency systems, further enhance protection for both homes and communities.

Whether building a new home or retrofitting an older property, adopting these eight fire management strategies—from sprinklers and roofs to fences, windows, community access, spacing, and chimney protection—provides a comprehensive approach to wildfire preparedness. By integrating these measures, homeowners not only mitigate fire risks but also contribute to the long-term safety and resilience of their neighborhoods.

About the Author

Osvaldo Joya is the Director of Pre-Construction at LJP Construction Services. LJP’s services encompass pre-, during- and post construction scopes of work and specialized risk management training. For more information, visit: www.ljpltd.com.

 

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