Today we’d like to introduce you to Thaddeus Foster.
Hi Thaddeus, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Over the past few years, I started getting more concerned about the growing wildfire risk in Texas. I was worried for the safety of my family, my home, and my community.
In August of 2021, there was a large fire outside of San Marcos called the Oak Grove fire. The massive smoke plume on the horizon was the tipping point for my interest in wildfire preparedness. Later that month, I took my family on vacation to Napa Valley. The region had been heavily impacted by big fires over the previous two years. One winery was completely untouched by the fires, while all around it was utter devastation. The owner told me she had found a service that sprayed a fire retardant called PHOS-CHEK around their property that was safe for people, animals, and vegetation. Her property was so safe that when the firefighters were taking a break from fighting the wildfire all around her property, they would camp in her vineyard.
We started to research more about PHOS-CHEK long-term fire retardants, first for our personal use, and found that no one in Texas really knew about this specific product. They were familiar with Texas A&M Forest Service dropping it in pink clouds from airplanes on active wildfires, but not in the preventative application that we were interested in. We soon became the exclusive service provider and distributor for PHOS-CHEK long-term fire retardants for the entire state of Texas.
From there we incorporated risk assessments, traditional home hardening such as tree/land work and ember-resistant vent and mesh installation, remote sensing analysis for entire neighborhood assessments, and hydroseeding into our service offerings. We are the first full-service wildfire mitigation company in Texas that will not only advise you on your risks but help you undertake the work to reduce those risks.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
While Texas has the 2nd most wildfires in the country and Austin has the most homes with wildfire risk of any city outside of California ($40 billion of risk in Austin), most Texans are not aware of how at-risk they personally are. For a city like Austin, where we have seen a massive influx of people from other parts of the country, wildfire has traditionally been viewed as a rural issue. Many residents will remember the wildfires that impacted the Austin area in 2011, particularly the Bastrop Complex Fire and the fire in Steiner Ranch. The Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles are a more recent reminder that this can impact cities like Austin or San Antonio as well.
The biggest challenge has been helping people understand their immediate risks and what needs to be done to reduce that risk. Some clients understand their risk better than others, but it is still confusing to know where to start. Wildfire Prevention Co. can assist homeowners the most by creating their custom risk assessment and breaking down their individual projects into manageable pieces. Whether it is cutting trees back from houses, installing ember-resistant vents, or applying PHOS-CHEK around the perimeter of their property, we manage these projects from start to finish so that homeowners feel secure that their mitigation plans are being executed to the highest quality.
Additionally, like in California, insurance companies in Texas are now dropping many homeowners’ coverage. The monetary exposure of homeowners, financial institutions, and local governments from not being properly prepared is incredibly high and very concerning. We are working to help our lawmakers understand this risk so that legislation can be used to make mitigation work more accessible and reward people’s investment in wildfire prevention.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Wildfire Prevention Co.?
We are the first full-service wildfire prevention business in Texas. We begin our service with a full custom appraisal of your property which generates a report that both educates the homeowner of their risks and provides a list of actions to reduce your risk.
We can then assist with mitigating the wildfire risk with some or all of our services: from home hardening with fire-resistant BrandGuard vents or Wildfire Defense Mesh, to providing tree or land service to reduce fuel load or create fire breaks.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I started working as a teenager in restaurants and had a 40 year career in that industry before pivoting to helping fellow Texans protect their homes and families.
Pricing:
- Every home is different, so every service is customized to your home.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://wildfirepreventionco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fwildfirepreventionco%2F&is_from_rle
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Wildfire-Prevention-Corp/61562849065226/
