In Anaheim Hills, Jim McLain watched the brush-filled hillside nearby with concern as he watched wildfires erupt in Los Angeles County destroying thousands of homes.
Now, McLain is taking steps to fireproof his home and his community in case of a nearby wildfire.
McLain has lived just south of Nohl Ranch Road for 28 years and urges others to follow his lead.
“What would happen if they went up and the extent of which the wind would carry embers across our entire neighborhood and what they would ignite,” said McLain.
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He actively blows leaves out of the area whenever there is a wind event and led the effort to install a remote-controlled sprinkler system for his townhome community.
His community also has fire hoses that can stretch around each of his neighbor’s homes and believes that each home should have one.
Ember-resistant vents are something that McLain’s townhome community has invested in. The vents prevent embers from getting into the attic space.
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“Oftentimes you do see the embers, blowing in – and they go straight into your attic vents .. once your attic is on fire – they can’t do anything about it,” said Kelly Berkompas, the co-founder of Brandguard Vents.
Berkompas started her company 20 years ago but since wildfires erupted throughout Los Angeles earlier this month, a new interest in her ember-resistant vents has emerged.
“Our phones have been ringing off the hook,” Berkompas said. “We have website inquiries …basically everyone is scared – they see what happened to these homes, how fast it can happen – how you really have to harden your home in advance.”
Berkompas added that 200 customers in the Malibu and Palisades area have her ember-resistant vents installed and almost all of their homes are still standing.