Metal Roofing An Attractive Option For Fire-Prone Areas
By Ed Thomas, Follansbee
It wasn’t too awfully long ago that wildfires devastated the southern California landscape, scorching some 500,000 acres of land between Santa Barbara and the U.S. – Mexico border, and destroying thousands of homes in the process. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger joined President Bush in declaring a state of emergency in the five most affected counties, with damage estimates topping $1 billion in San Diego County alone.
As evidenced by the homes that were lost in this recent tragedy, an extremely important consideration when building a new home or renovating an old one is the choice of a roof material. Picking a system made of metal offers not only a beautiful appearance and a long life, but a Class “A” fire rating as well.
| |
 |
| |
A northern California home featuring Follansbee roofing metal.
|
Evidence of metal’s superiority can often be seen after the fact, when aerial photographs of fire-damaged neighborhoods show nearly all the homes destroyed except those few topped with metal. This occurs when windswept embers rather than encroaching flames actually caused these homes to burn. Homeowners know this. That’s why we see them in the news coverage of these fires wetting their roofs with garden hoses. Logically speaking, it would have been better had many of them simply put on a non-combustible roof in the first place.
Metal roofing is certainly not the end-all solution to wild fires but there’s no question it can work to save individual homes. And fortunately, that type of protection doesn’t come at the cost of appearance. No matter the style of home—traditional to modern—there’s a metal roof to match it. And this holds true for my company’s products as well.
Follansbee’s roofing metals—TCS®, TCS SatinTM, KlassicKolors® and Terne II®—offer fire resistance, great looks and extreme durability. The key to their longevity is in the ZT® (zinc/tin) alloy that all Follansbee products are coated with. This special alloy makes Follansbee products among the most durable on the market. We also offer an array of accessories to work in conjunction with our roofing products, including gutters, downspouts, caps, flashing and snow gems.
We would love it if all homeowners chose a Follansbee product for their next roof, but whether it’s from us or one of our competitors, we would strongly encourage them to think metal, especially in areas of the country where wildfires are prevalent. It’s the most logical option for safety and performance reasons, and an attractive-looking choice for both new construction and re-roofs.
Edward Thomas is vice president and general manager for Follansbee, WV-based Follansbee, the only manufacturer of prepainted or natural terne roofing. Thomas can be reached at ethomas@follansbeeroofing.com or (304) 527-1260.