Improving the industry’s fire-resistant standards

By Dani Sheehan. 

With an exponential increase in wildfires throughout the country, get ahead of building code changes by strengthening the fire resistance of commercial roofs. 

As wildfires continue to increase in threat and severity across the U.S., particularly in the West, the need for fire-resistant building systems has never been more critical. In a recent episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Heidi J. Ellsworth talks with Greg Hudson, director of commercial DensDeck® sales at Georgia-Pacific Building Products, about how the roofing industry is addressing these growing fire risks, especially in low-slope commercial buildings. 

From urban sprawl to increased populations in wildfire-prone areas like parts of California and Texas, the exposure of buildings to fire hazards has significantly increased. “Not only are people moving from urban areas into more rural areas,” Greg explains, “but even urban areas are adding more green spaces, which could potentially become fuel for wildfires.” 

This rise in wildfire risk has led to a push for more fire-hardened buildings, especially in areas where the wildland-urban interface (WUI) puts structures at greater risk. Greg shares, “We’re seeing a lot of activity around fire hardening, getting structures to be more fire resistant, specifically from things like wildfire. And California has really taken the lead in construction for the future code. But other states are looking and taking things that make sense for them, building that fire hardening into their code requirements.” 

Cover boards play a key role in improving the longevity and durability of a roof system while also ensuring fire resistance. Greg explains, “A cover board, like a gypsum cover board, can get you significantly above the code resistance because of its non-combustible nature.” He’s seeing more conversations with building owners focused on exceeding minimum code requirements by adding system elements like gypsum cover boards. The more fire-resistant the system, the better it can protect occupants, increase longevity and offer a greater return on investment.  

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about how the industry is evolving to meet more stringent fire requirements.