Vulcan Vent passes both ember & flame tests required in new wildland/urban interface California building codes

Good news for homeowners living in the Wildland Urban Interface or other high risk fire areas who desire eave and soffit vents that resist the intrusion of flame and embers and meet the new requirements of the California Building Code. Vulcan Technologies, Inc. and Gunter Manufacturing, Inc. announced today that Vulcan Soffit and Eave Vents are the first to be accepted in the CBC Ch7A Compliance Policy by the Office of the California State Fire Marshal (see www.osfm.fire.ca.gov). Vulcan Vent™ systems resist the intrusion of flames and embers, as called for in Chapter 7A of the California Building Code.  

The Wildland Urban Interface was recently enacted to address the devastating wild fires that destroyed no less than thousands of homes and ravaged hundreds of thousands acres in California in the last few years.. Because flame and ember intrusion in the vent system of a structure were major factors in home loss, the California legislation requires that builders use vents that resist the intrusion of flame and embers.

“Patented Vulcan Vent™ systems offer simplicity of design and ease of installation for new, remodel and retrofit construction,” said Bruno Tapolsky, director of Vulcan Technologies, Inc. “We are proud to offer the first available vent to meet the new California building standards.”

“Vulcan Vent™ systems can be designed in any shape or size, including matching the specification of existing open screen eave, foundation, gable, dormer and soffit vents,” said Larry Dumm, president of Gunter Manufacturing, Inc.

The Vulcan Vent™ has been accepted for use under eave applications by the California State Fire Marshal (CSFM) pursuant to Section 111.2.4 of the California Building Code. Vulcan Vent™ systems are the first vents to test successfully for both the Ember Intrusion Test and the Fire Intrusion Tests, and as such, have demonstrated the ability to resist flying embers and flame penetration.

A key component of the Vulcan Vent™ is the use of a proprietary formulation provided by Firefree Coatings, a leading manufacturer of fire safety products. Current screen vents being used in the construction of buildings cannot meet this new standard.