Protective Pair
These two products may reduce the risk of fires. [Top photo: Courtesy Disaster Kleenup International]
Wood Treatment: Fire-retardant treated lumber is so expensive that most builders can only justify the cost in wildfire areas. A less costly alternative is offered by No-Burn, a fire prevention materials company located in Wadsworth, Ohio. It offers spray-on treatments for wood and drywall that the company says will greatly reduce the rate at which the materials burn. Company-certified dealers apply the wood treatment to the frame of a building after the rough framing is done but before the utilities are roughed in. Expect to pay roughly $1.25 per square foot of floor area for framing and $2.25 to $2.50 per square foot for drywall. (No-Burn says it has 150 dealers across the country.) The firm also makes treatments for furnishings and carpet. For more information, call 800-989-8577 or visit www.noburn.com.
Element Guardian: An unattended electric stove is a fire waiting to happen in an apartment building. The Safe-T element is designed to reduce that risk. It consists of an electronically controlled cast-iron plate that’s installed on top of a traditional electric burner. The element works like a thermostat, with a control board inside the stove continuously monitoring the temperature of the element. When the plate reaches a predetermined cut-off temperature, the sensor sends a signal to the control board, which shuts off power to the stovetop. (It will turn back on once the temperature falls below a specified point.) For more information, call 800-433-6026 or visit www.pioneeringtech.com.