Library notes use the label Fire. This page is the wildfire guide. They are not scored here.
This guide is not written. No score is published, and no technology is ranked on this page.
Compare technologies on wildfire. That page is reserved and not written.
Related drafts
Filed notes
SCIP
Not scored
A foam core with welded steel mesh on both faces, sprayed with shotcrete on site. Walls, roof, and floors can be the same system. Crews and shotcrete workmanship decide whether it is the right shell.
ICF
Not scored
Reinforced concrete poured inside a stay-in-place foam form. Mass, continuity, and continuous insulation in one wall. It costs more than frame up front, and crew familiarity varies by region.
ICCF
Not scored
Stay-in-place forms that are not all-foam, filled with concrete. The form material varies by manufacturer. This note does not prefer a product line.
SIP
Not scored
A foam core bonded between structural facings, often wood. Fast to crane into place. Wind, wetting, and insects are the questions a finished note has to answer with sources, not adjectives.
Precast
Not scored
Concrete panels cast off site and joined in the field. Joints, lifting hardware, and the connection to the foundation decide the wall. The concrete itself is not the whole argument.
Shotcrete
Not scored
Concrete sprayed onto reinforcement in place, rather than cast in a form or onto a panel. Used as its own wall and as the faces of a SCIP shell. Nozzle skill is part of the system.
Mass timber
Not scored
Thick engineered wood, such as CLT or glulam, used as structure. Fire design is a char calculation and a code path. Moisture during construction is a known risk to plan for, not a footnote.
Steel frame
Not scored
Light-gauge steel studs and joists in place of wood framing. Termites do not eat it. Thermal bridging and corrosion detailing are the trade-offs a note has to specify.
CMU + foam
Not scored
Concrete block with a continuous insulation layer, usually outside the block, so the masonry is not a thermal bridge. Openings and the attachment of the foam still have to be detailed.
Reinforced masonry
Not scored
Block or brick with steel and grout where the engineer calls for it. Unreinforced masonry is a different wall. The note has to say which one is being discussed.
AAC
Not scored
A lightweight concrete masonry unit cured in an autoclave. It is not the same as CMU, and a finished note has to cite the unit, the thin-set or mortar, and the exterior finish as one assembly.
Metal roof
Not scored
Steel or aluminum panels or shingles, fastened to a deck or battens. The panel is not the assembly. Clip spacing, underlayment, and the edge detail are the assembly.
Class A roof
Not scored
A covering tested to the highest of the common external fire classes. Class A describes the covering’s response to fire from outside. It does not describe the deck, the vents, or the eaves.
Ember-resistant vents
Not scored
Attic and crawlspace vents detailed to resist wind-blown embers. Relevant where wildfire, not storm surge, is the opening problem. Cite the listing or the code section before calling a vent compliant.
Mineral wool
Not scored
Stone or slag fiber used in cavities or as a continuous layer. It does not burn the way foam does. It still has to be detailed for bulk water, and a cavity fill does not fix a missing drainage plane.
Soffits
Not scored
The underside of an eave built so embers and flame have a harder path into the attic. A wildfire detail. It does nothing for storm surge, and it is not implied by a Class A roof.
Defensible space
Not scored
The managed zone around a house: fuel, spacing, and what is stored against the wall. It is site work, not a wall assembly, and it is often what decides a wildfire outcome when the wall was already adequate.
Safe room
Not scored
A room sized and built to a refuge standard, often ICC 500 for wind and debris, sometimes discussed for wildfire shelter. It protects occupants for a defined event. It is not a way to make the rest of the house stronger.