Roofing with wildfires in mind

AAR Expert Bridgit Wilson shares insights into the roofing side of fire preparedness.

Editor's note: The following is a transcript of a conversation with Bridget Wilson, of Cardinal Roofing.You can Read the interview below, Listen to the recording or Watch it on YouTube.

Emma Richardson: Hi everyone, I'm Emma Richardson here for AskARoofer.com and I'm chatting to our AskARoofer Expert Bridget Wilson. Bridget, how are you?

Bridget Wilson: I'm doing great, I'm doing great.

Emma Richardson: Well our topic today is our October Expert topic, wildfire protection and code compliance. Do you have anything you'd like to go into for that?

Bridget Wilson: Luckily in Florida we are in the Tampa Bay area. So more of a subtropical area. So wildfires aren't usually a huge thing for us because it rains almost every day here during certain seasons. But it is something definitely that you know needs to be worried about and when people look at their roof material, they definitely want to make sure that it is fire rated and that it's gone through the proper testing to make sure that your house or your commercial building is not left with with anything that may cause a problem if a wildfire fire does occur within your area. So luckily it's not something we worry about too too much here. We're more of the hurricane area, but it is something to always keep in the back of your mind and to make sure that all the materials you use have been fire tested.

Emma Richardson: For sure. Where do you think homeowners should be looking to find those materials?

Bridget Wilson: So as long as you hire a licensed roofing contractor...In Florida, you it's very heavily licensed here because of the severe weather that we have. So in the Florida area, as long as you're hiring a licensed roofing contractor, they will be using the proper materials. But I would say, check all of your local roofing affiliates, see if that roofer, even if they don't have to be licensed in your state, are they members of those local affiliates? Are they educating themselves where are their materials coming from?

And honestly, when the materials show up on your property with labels, take pictures of the labels. That lets you look up the product for that fire rating and also means you have a picture of all of that for your insurance needs in the future. It's really about doing your due diligence to see what's getting delivered at your house. Also ask the questions. Google it, chat it, ask all the question. Anybody who's worth their salt and roofing is going to love the questions. You know, just ask during business hours, maybe not Sunday at 7 p.m. But yeah, definitely ask the questions and make sure you're doing what's best for you and your family and your business.

Emma Richardson: Awesome. Well that's great advice advice, Bridget. Thank you so much. We really appreciate it. And we'll catch you again next month.

Bridget Wilson: You're welcome. Thank you. Yes, ma'am.