Sun Fire-Defense: Wildfire’s Worst Enemy

It was just before 6:30 pm, December 4 – which happens to be Feast Day for the beloved Saint Barbara, the Patroness of Fire and Lightning – when what turned out to be the largest wildfire in California’s recorded history started to burn. The Thomas Fire started just north of Santa Paula. That same night, the adversarial warmth of the Sundowner Winds (another foe of wildfires) quickly spread the raging flames and flying embers to the city of Ventura, where 500 residences were burnt and destroyed. 

But, as you probably already know, that was only the beginning of the year-end disaster: as of New Year’s Eve, more than 1,000 structures have been totally destroyed, nearly 300 damaged, and at least a quarter-million acres charred to a crispy rubble of dark-grey ash. 

Just in the last few years, California’s dealt with, not only the Thomas Fire but other burning disasters such as the Valley Fire of 2015, which scorched its way through Lake County, California, destroying nearly 2,000 structures and killing four people. In the interim, CEO of the thriving fire protectant company Sun Fire-Defense, James Moseley (also a Grammy-nominated trombone player, who other musicians call “the Bone Man”), had been finalizing a post-treatment, interior/exterior fire retardant and wood preservative product that can be sprayed, rolled, brushed, even immersed; and, according to Mr. Moseley, has the strength and chemical bond that will protect the thousands of structures from the deadly flames, which California’s annual wildfires either threaten, or destroy, just about every year on the West Coast.

“We just got everything approved this year. This stuff can be a real game-changer; plus, it has termite and rot repellent, so it’s for everyday use as well, not just fires,” said Mr. Moseley, who says his product “contains mold and mildew inhibitors, which are effective against black mold,” and “once cured for 48 hours, the treated material may be painted with most latex-based paints.”

In addition, Mr. Moseley claims the silicon-ceramic fire retardant not only provides insulation, while protecting the structures paint and wood as well, but will defend up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit – two times hotter than a wildfire, which is 1,472 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Natural History Museum of Utah. He also recommends that the Sun Fire-Defense gel should only “be reapplied after five years,” a standard length of time for exterior upkeep on one’s home or business (according to Networx.com, which states “3 to 7 years” is average). 

Since February 2017, the Golden State has only received 10 inches of rain (CNN.com). We California natives know this occurs nearly every year: the humidity drops, the foliage dries out, and as soon as the Santa Ana winds pick up, the wildfires rip through the state without remorse, burning hazardous materials from people’s homes and businesses, which contain chemicals that disappear into the opaque, smoky air before settling in a person’s lungs. But Mr. Moseley, who has played with Frank “Ol’ Blue Eyes” Sinatra and pianist Roger Williams, says his product that “develops a self-extinguishing reaction when the treated material comes in contact with an open flame” is also “nontoxic, noncombustible, and noncarcinogenic” and contains no PBDEs – which are chemicals that are known to be deleterious to the environment and its inundating population. 

Mr. Moseley concluded our conversation with a story of a house that caught fire – a blaze that nearly killed Thomas R. Richards, Sun Fire-Defense’s COO and retiredNavy SEAL admiral, and his wife. The water heater had gone up in flames. The downstairs of their home was immediately engulfed, as well as the admiral’s wife, who leaped through the 2nd-story window and ended up with a pair of detached biceps, and, in the end, 70 to 80 percent of her body was badly burned. “If the area was treated, it never would have happened,” said Mr. Moseley, who also claims the Sun Fire-Defense gel-like fire retardant drys in one single day.

Mr. Moseley and company are looking for contractors to help apply the silicon-ceramic “gel” on people’s homes before the burning wrath of the next wildfire returns. “We have a service where we come out and gel the house,” said the company CEO. “We already have an appointment January 3 in Montecito.”

Sun Fire-Defense is located on 4300 Promenade Way, #116, in Marina del Rey, California. Their primary phone number is (818) 486-4662.