In Your Corner: Fire-proof paint

Looking for a way to protect yourself, your family and your belongings against the Oklahoma wildfires?

There’s a special type of paint that fends off fire and it could help during a raging inferno.

Wildfires are fast, furious and unpredictable.

Doug Stafford is part owner of RDR Technologies, a local distributor for fire-retardant paint. 

Woven into the special paint is a substance that swells as a result of heat exposure. 

The non-toxic compound works as a barrier to insulate walls and ceilings from flames and heat.

Special paint is one option.

Another is a flame-retardant spray that works on paper, wood, fabric or even farm equipment.

“You can actually hook it up to your garden hose and actually like a fertilizer spray and with your garden hose, you can actually treat it,” Stafford said. “This actually works as a fire-retardant on grass as well.”

Flame-retardant products slow fire but products like flame-suppressant spray extinguish it.

They’re more effective than water and a perfect fit for a glove box, shop, kitchen or the trunk of a patrol car.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokesperson Betsy Randolph said a fire extinguisher won’t always cut it when a driver is trapped in their burning car. 

Fire-suppressant spray gives troopers better odds of saving a life.

“They can spray it on the car door handle which drops the temperature where they can get in the vehicle,” she said. “They can spray it on a person. It won’t matter if it gets in their eyes. You can ingest it. It won’t hurt them at all. It’s non-toxic.”

Stafford believes his products will help give families a peace of mind.

“You want to do everything you can to protect it,” he said. “A product like this can go a long way in helping you do that.” 

The fire-retardant and suppressant sprays start at about $20 a bottle. 

A gallon of the retardant paint could run you anywhere from $60 to $100.

Get more information about these products and RDR Technologies here.