Protect Chilao School from Wildfire
The Chilao School complex was built in 1963 in the heart of the Angeles National Forest. Thought to be the last operating one-room schoolhouse in California, this facility stopped educating schoolchildren in 1981. Now operated by Redbird, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, it’s been reborn and currently houses a variety of arts, cultural, and environmental/fire safety programs.
In recent years, wildfires have become the greatest natural threat to rural facilities like ours. We’re fundraising currently to paint all of our structures with a highly tested and proven exterior fire retardant paint made by FireFree Coatings. This paint has been shown to withstand temperatures of up to 2000° Fahrenheit for up to two hours.
As both the schoolhouse and the caretaker’s residence are wood-frame construction with wooden siding, this is crucial for us and a necessary addition to our fire safety plan. We would be the first location in our area to add this level of fire protection to our structures.
Paint is just one element of a fire safe plan. Defensible space is critical; keeping heat and embers out of a structure with properly screened attic vents and protective window coverings are other preventative measures that need to be in place. But we're located in the heart of a forest...there's only so much defensible space we can make. We need to address the structures directly. Fire retardant paint is the most cost-effective way for us to improve the survivability of our wood structures in a flammable environment.
Being conscious of fire risks benefits first responders too, whether they are US Forest Service Firefighters, Los Angeles County Firefighters, or from somewhere else. They are our real first line of defense, and we are committed to creating the safest space we can for first responders.
Our schedule, if we achieve our goal, is to paint and seal all of our buildings in mid-to-late October 2018.
If we fall short on funds, we’ll begin with the occupied caretaker’s residence and continue to raise funds to protect the school building. Each building will cost about $2000 to coat in this fire retardant, and we also need professional assistance to do it right.
Why the caretaker residence first? Because in addition to its year-round occupancy by staff and visitors, the residence is also home to some very precious four-leggeds...meet Winnie, Tigger, Kit and Blue.
While we hope that you’ll help us, it’s not a one-sided request. Redbird is active in promoting an understanding of fire ecology, fire safety and fire management, and we offer educational programs and engage in fire management policy decision making.
To that end, we encourage you to learn more about how to survive and recover after a wildfire at our After The Fire website (linked below). The site provides educational discussion on a number of fire-related topics and is being updated regularly.
We’d also like to invite you to view the photo galleries of our Forest Recovery Project, which documents in pictures the recovery of the Angeles National Forest after the Station Fire of 2009. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the earth’s natural ways of recovering from fire damage.
And if you’re curious about the paint we plan to use, we’ve provided a link to FireFree Coatings’ website below. There, you can see the technical specs for their flame retardant and fire resistant coatings and learn more about them.
Your assistance in protecting our structures is so greatly appreciated.
Wopila, Megwich, Pilamiya, Gracias, Wado... Thank You!
FireFree Products website
Forest Recovery Project Photo Gallery
After The Fire website
Chilao School Facebook Page
In recent years, wildfires have become the greatest natural threat to rural facilities like ours. We’re fundraising currently to paint all of our structures with a highly tested and proven exterior fire retardant paint made by FireFree Coatings. This paint has been shown to withstand temperatures of up to 2000° Fahrenheit for up to two hours.
As both the schoolhouse and the caretaker’s residence are wood-frame construction with wooden siding, this is crucial for us and a necessary addition to our fire safety plan. We would be the first location in our area to add this level of fire protection to our structures.
Paint is just one element of a fire safe plan. Defensible space is critical; keeping heat and embers out of a structure with properly screened attic vents and protective window coverings are other preventative measures that need to be in place. But we're located in the heart of a forest...there's only so much defensible space we can make. We need to address the structures directly. Fire retardant paint is the most cost-effective way for us to improve the survivability of our wood structures in a flammable environment.
Being conscious of fire risks benefits first responders too, whether they are US Forest Service Firefighters, Los Angeles County Firefighters, or from somewhere else. They are our real first line of defense, and we are committed to creating the safest space we can for first responders.
Our schedule, if we achieve our goal, is to paint and seal all of our buildings in mid-to-late October 2018.
If we fall short on funds, we’ll begin with the occupied caretaker’s residence and continue to raise funds to protect the school building. Each building will cost about $2000 to coat in this fire retardant, and we also need professional assistance to do it right.
Why the caretaker residence first? Because in addition to its year-round occupancy by staff and visitors, the residence is also home to some very precious four-leggeds...meet Winnie, Tigger, Kit and Blue.
While we hope that you’ll help us, it’s not a one-sided request. Redbird is active in promoting an understanding of fire ecology, fire safety and fire management, and we offer educational programs and engage in fire management policy decision making.
To that end, we encourage you to learn more about how to survive and recover after a wildfire at our After The Fire website (linked below). The site provides educational discussion on a number of fire-related topics and is being updated regularly.
We’d also like to invite you to view the photo galleries of our Forest Recovery Project, which documents in pictures the recovery of the Angeles National Forest after the Station Fire of 2009. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the earth’s natural ways of recovering from fire damage.
And if you’re curious about the paint we plan to use, we’ve provided a link to FireFree Coatings’ website below. There, you can see the technical specs for their flame retardant and fire resistant coatings and learn more about them.
Your assistance in protecting our structures is so greatly appreciated.
Wopila, Megwich, Pilamiya, Gracias, Wado... Thank You!
FireFree Products website
Forest Recovery Project Photo Gallery
After The Fire website
Chilao School Facebook Page
Organizer
Corina Roberts
Organizer
Pasadena, CA
Redbird
Beneficiary