Helping To Protect Your Home From Wildfires Fire-resistant Fiber Cement Siding (NAPSA)—Recent years have seen wildfire disasters of epic proportions, particularly in the Southern and Western United States. Thousands of acres of wildland and hundreds of homes are destroyed by fires each year and, with exceedingly dry conditions, the traditional “fire season” is becoming a year-round challenge. Protecting one’s home from the wrath of nature may at times seem like a losing battle, but there are ways to increase your home’s chancesof survival. Among the more effective strategies is to incorporate fire-resistant building products, as required by many new and developing local building codes in areas prone to wildfire. Fiber cement siding products can be a good alternative for homeowners who have faced the threat of wildfire and whose homes survived to tell the tale. When a massive wildfire hit the resort town of South Lake Tahoe, one homeowner, whose cabin happened to be near the center of the fire, was among the lucky. While all surrounding homes burned to the ground, his cabin remained intact. According to the homeowner, “The firefighters said Melted Vinyl Siding After Firestorm because the fire was so hot, if James Hardie’s fiber cement siding had not been there, I would not have a cabin.” Fiber cement products were first introduced in the U.S. by James Hardie Building Products in the early 1990s as a durable, lowmaintenance alternative to wood and vinyl. Due to their increased ability to resist fire, wind, impact and flood, as compared to wood or vinyl siding, products such as Artisan Lap and Artisan™ Accent Trim have been specified for homes in wildfire- and hurricane-prone areas throughout the U.S. “Today, people can still have the look of wood on their home but with reduced worries, especially in areas of high fire danger. Artisan Lap creates the natural look of cedar, but because it’s made with fiber cement, its susceptibility to fire damage is muchless,” said P.J. Rosch, Senior Product Manager, Artisan for James Hardie Building Products. For more information about Artisan, including availability and pricing, call (888) 800-7864 or visit www.ArtisanLuxury.com. For more information about James Hardie, visit www.jameshardie.com.
