Case Study · Foster youth campus · Altadena
How Five Acres hardened 217,800 sq ft of campus before fire season
After the Eaton Fire, the Five Acres board needed a partner to harden the Altadena campus before next fire season. Every opening was counted, photographed, replaced with CAL FIRE listed hardware, and signed off.
The challenge
A 1888 campus in a Very High FHSZ, with a fire season weeks away
Five Acres has served foster youth in Altadena since 1888. The campus sits directly in the path of Santa Ana driven fires, with the Eaton Fire footprint running adjacent. After January 2025, the board faced a hard reality: the residents on the property cannot self-evacuate the way a homeowner can. The building has to defend them.
Pre-mitigation, the campus scored 8/10 on structure risk and 9/10 on community risk. The board needed a partner who could move at pace, document everything their insurer would ask about, and complete the work before fire season started.
What we did
Every opening counted, photographed, replaced, and signed off
The Five Acres campus mixed commercial buildings and residential units. Foundation vents were poured into concrete, which meant standard retrofit kits didn't fit. RF1 built custom foundation vents using frames and defense mesh. Across the property, more than 8 different vent styles needed solutions.
Walk-through and risk scoring
Every building on the 217,800 sq ft campus. Structure, landscape, and community risk scored. Phased plan delivered to the board.
Custom solutions for non-standard openings
Foundation vents poured into concrete required custom frames with defense mesh. 8+ different vent styles addressed with the right product per opening.
CAL FIRE listed hardware throughout
530 vents replaced or hardened. All materials from the California State Fire Marshal's listed-products registry.
Insurance-ready documentation package
Pre-mitigation photos, opening counts, material specs, install receipts, post-mitigation photos. Packaged as a single board-ready PDF.
Why it matters
Stewardship before the next red-flag day
Five Acres isn't a building. It's a 138-year continuity of care for foster youth in Altadena. The board's job is to protect that continuity, and after Eaton the wildfire risk to the campus moved from theoretical to immediate.
RF1 is proud to help Five Acres get prepared and protect the invaluable services they provide to local foster youth.
Does this look like your property?
If you're running a campus, care facility, school, club, or any commercial property in a California fire zone, the Five Acres playbook applies. Free walk-through, no obligation.