Survival Gear Review: Barricade Fire Blocking Gel

Looked at the news lately?  Hot, dry and windy.  Fire season is upon us again.  It is starting to really dry out up here in the high country of Rocky Mountains where wildfires are our biggest nemesis.  My paranoia level is around a 5 on a scale of 10.  Statistically the chances of your house going up in flames, due to wildfire,  is less than 1%.  Where did I get that number?  I made it up after reading a bunch of sites.  I really couldn’t find a real factual number, but if you take into account the number of homes in the danger zone and how many homes are lost, it isn’t hard to think that it is a realistic starting point.

By Pineslayer, a contributing author to Survival Cache & SHTFBlog

So why worry?  Because it will happen to someone everyday somewhere.  There is an additional risk (while more remote) of a fire caused by nuclear war.  If you really want to scare yourself, you can read this creepy theory put forward by Jerald E. Hill of the Rand Corporation called “Problems of Fire in a Nuclear War” from 1961 (click here).  But hey, even if the chances of fire by mother nature, careless campers, or nuclear war are remote, isn’t that why we prepare?  I don’t know about you, but my home is more than just a shelter.  It is filled with memories, dreams, food storage, and survival gear.    Losing my bug in location is not a good option.  So obviously no one wants to lose their home to fire and fighting a wildfire is a dangerous activity, so let’s improve our chances.

Options

Many of you have read about foaming systems that can be installed to suppress fires.  I have talked to local firefighters who have witnessed their effectiveness.  The downside is cost, thousands.  So for the average homeowner it seems a daunting project.  Enter Barricade FireGel.  If you can operate a hose or power washer, you can give home a fighting chance. Their site is packed with information, so go there and start reading.

Also Read: 6 Steps To Harden Your Home Against Wildfire

I cut trees all summer long.  It might be for forest health, new building sites, or defensible space.  Most people think that if they move the trees back away from their house they will be OK, but they are missing many key components of how a fire devours homes.  Flammable materials stacked next to the home, bad.  Wood decks, tall grasses, and shake roofs, all very bad.  The ember storm from a fire will find any chink in your armor.  Push all potential combustible items away from the structure.  The next step is Barricade Firegel.

So I was getting ready to make some mini-decks out of old cedar wood from my deck replacement project.  Take a blow torch to them and see how they fare with and without Barricade Firegel.  I spent some time on their website about an hour, and realized that would be a waste of time.  Their site has plenty of video’s and info, the stuff works.  Spraying the whole house might be your best option, but maybe a couple of sides would work too.  Consider general wind direction, slope, and where any flammable items are your property.   Fire likes to race uphill with the wind at its back.  Generally the wind is coming from the West, generally.  So consider how much gel you would need to spray that side down, any decks, vehicles, and out buildings.  If you have a wood sided home, consider buying a few gallons more.

Barricade FireGel Hard Use Video

How Much Do I Need?

This will require a little calculating on your part. Each 1 gallon container of Barricade concentrate will coat 500-700 square feet of area. The area you cover depends on how thickly you apply the product. A ¼ inch covering is recommended. The average home will take between three and five 1 gallon containers of Barricade concentrate.  Their FAQ section is packed with info.

Related: Gransfors Axe Review

We recently had a fire up by my house in the mountains.  Within a week it was 100% contained and completely put out.  2 firefighters lost their homes and I know one young couple who lost theirs as well.  The 2 that were arrested are…habitual losers and criminals from out of state who forgot to put out their campfire.  The forest is crawling with these types, leaving their fires unattended, feces everywhere, begging in parking lots.  Sorry to get off track here, but it does go to the need of protection/security.  I see pitchforks and torches in the near future.

Have A Plan

Now back to our story.  It is hard to imagine a prep more important than one that keeps a roof over your head.  Whether it be during good times or bad, when the balloon goes up and the fire is raging, you are the first line of defense.  If you do the grunt work ahead of time, your stress level will be exponentially lower.  Wait until the last minute and be prepared to suffer.  You don’t want to be that person who looks back and wishes they had spent that few hundred bucks to save what was.  Harsh?  Yep.  Mother Nature has a take no prisoners attitude, respect her, understand her and be prepared to fight under her terms, with a little help.  Here is a quote that I love when I think about fighting a larger opponent, “Like a reed in the wind, I will bend , but will not break.”  Name that movie.

Related: Understanding Axe Types

After writing this and doing my homework, I can think of no better product to fight wildfire.  If you surround your home with bales of hay and firewood, this might not save you, if it does I bet FireGel would love to hear your story.  Clean up your property, be smart and get some Barricade FireGel.  I have a couple gallons and I’m buying more for my outbuildings, cars, (insert here what you want to save).

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