Why the glass is where homes are lost
Radiant heat breaks glass before flame reaches the wall. Once a pane goes, embers ride in and the room ignites from the inside while the walls are still standing. Tempered multi-pane glazing buys time. A closed metal shutter in front of it keeps the heat off the glass entirely and the embers out of the opening. On a home that is otherwise hardened, shutters close the last gap.
Steel or aluminum, sized to the opening
A roll-down curtain of interlocking metal slats in a slim housing above each window or door, with side guides that seal the edges. Aluminum for most openings: light on the motor, no rust in salt air, finished to match the gate, fence, and garage door. Steel where the opening is large or the design wants it. Housings can sit outside the wall or be built in during a rebuild so nothing shows when the shutters are up.
Motorized and controlled from anywhere
Every shutter is motorized and runs on the same system as your driveway gate, garage door, and access control. Close one or close the whole house from your phone, wherever you are. Set them to drop on a schedule or on a trigger you choose. Battery backup so a public safety power shutoff, which is when you need them, does not leave the glass exposed. A manual override so you are never locked in or out.
Security the rest of the year
A fire shutter is also a security shutter. Closed when the house sits empty, they stop the break-in, the sun on the furniture, and the wind-driven debris in a Santa Ana. Most owners use them far more for that than for fire, which is the point: a system you use every week is a system that works the night it matters.
Retrofit or new build
On a standing home the housings mount above existing openings, usually in a day or two for a whole house. On a rebuild or new build they are drawn into the wall so the shutters disappear when raised. Either way they are part of the same envelope as the windows and doors behind them and the hardening around them.
Questions we get about motorized fire shutters
Do the shutters close on their own?
They close from your phone, from a wall switch, or on a schedule. They can be set to close automatically on a trigger you choose, such as an evacuation order or a heat or smoke alert, and they run on battery backup so a power shutoff does not leave the windows exposed.
Can I close them when I am not home?
Yes. They operate and report from anywhere in the world on the same system as the gate and the garage door. Close the house from the airport, confirm every shutter is down, and see it on the log.
What do they protect against?
Radiant heat and embers at the glass, which is where most homes lose the fight. Glass breaks from heat before flame arrives, and once it does the interior ignites. A closed metal shutter keeps the heat off the glass and the embers out of the opening. They are also a security shutter the rest of the year.