Key Takeaways
- Wildfire risk in residential areas is rising. Population growth in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) means local fire departments can’t protect every home during a wildfire.
- FRTW protects without sacrificing design. Pressure-impregnated, code-compliant fire-retardant treatment improves wood’s natural fire resistance without forcing a switch to concrete or steel.
- Residential codes are catching up to wildfire risk. Colorado’s Fire Hardened Building Materials Bill now mandates FRTW in certain residential applications. Having previously helped develop the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, Hoover is already deeply experienced in meeting these requirements.
- Multiple code bodies are shaping the standard. IBHS, the IWUIC and NFPA all inform how residential wildfire-resistant construction is evaluated.
In January 2025, devastating wildfires in California forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes, with many structures damaged beyond repair. Events like these have become a turning point for homeowners and single-family builders, raising urgent questions about how to make homes and residential structures more resilient against fires.
At the same time, population growth in wildfire prone areas — called the WUI — has increased, especially in the Western U.S. The expansion of subdivisions and other high-density developments has created conditions under which local fire departments cannot possibly protect all structures during a wildfire.
Increased wildfire severity over the years and growing populations in wildfire prone areas means the building materials we choose play a critical role in protecting people at home. Even better, those critical materials, like FRTW, can now be specified without sacrificing affordability or natural beauty.
Fire-retardant-treated wood: safety without sacrificing design
The growing emphasis on noncombustible materials in residential buildings does not mean homes must be built exclusively from concrete, steel or stucco. While those materials can play an important role, they often limit design flexibility and eliminate the warmth and character that homeowners value.
This is where fire-retardant-treated wood (FRTW) offers a powerful solution.
Contrary to common misconceptions, wood has inherent fire-resistant properties. And when it’s enhanced with pressure-impregnated, code-compliant fire-retardant treatment, its performance improves significantly — making it suitable for use in residential applications where safety and aesthetics must coexist.
Residential codes are evolving. FRTW could become part of the solution.
States and municipalities are increasingly updating residential building requirements to reflect wildfire risk. In Colorado, Hoover contributed to the development of the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code, Colorado’s own WUI code which came about after the passing of the Colorado Fire Hardened Building Materials Bill. The Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code is modeled after the International Wildland Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) and allows for the use of fire-retardant-treated wood in certain residential construction applications, in addition to other fire-resilient material options.
The code helps ensure new homes meet safety standards established by organizations such as the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), the International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) — while still allowing homeowners to build with wood.
Protection inside and out
As residential construction continues to evolve, fire-retardant-treated wood is playing an increasingly important role in helping communities build safer homes — without sacrificing durability, sustainability or design.
Fire risk may be changing the way we build, but with the right materials, homeowners and builders don’t have to choose between protection and performance. Fire-retardant-treated wood makes it possible to have both.
Sources:
Championing Fire Safety During Wildfire Awareness Month (And Every Month)
FireWise Construction: Site Design & Building Materials
