Sonic Fire Tech launches an infrasound defense system against wildfires in California

“My mother-in-law called me for the first time, and when she FaceTimed me, I could see in the background that the fires and flames were right behind her house. When I heard that trauma and that fear in her voice, my heart skipped a beat and I said, ‘You know what, leave everything behind. Everything is replaceable, save your life, get out of there,” he shared.

Shortly after the fire, Hotchkis joined Sonic Fire Tech, which had spent the last several years developing the technology behind the home defense system. It is the first system on the market to use low-frequency sound waves to extinguish fires. While it may sound like a crazy concept to the uninitiated, it works – and there are a few benefits.

The Eaton fire spread quickly due to high winds that carried embers great distances, in some cases more than a mile. Traditional home fire defense systems don’t extinguish embers before a fire breaks out, but the Sonic Fire Tech system can, with a detection capability of 5,000 feet.

“When those embers get into the area around the home and build up, the system prevents the ignition of anything flammable near where those embers end up,” Hotchkis says.

The Sonic system uses no water, an important feature in an arid state like California. Unfortunately, water quickly ran out and was unavailable to many homeowners affected by the Los Angeles fires, rendering traditional defense systems ineffective.

The traditional systems that use water and chemicals can also wreak havoc on a home’s interior once they fail.

“When you deploy those water sprinklers, now you’re dealing with mold remediation. Now you’re dealing with total destruction of personal property, and the situation is only going to get worse,” Hotchkis explains.

The Sonic Home Defense system is installed on both the outside and inside of a home. Inside is a “sprinkler” system that floods a room with inaudible sound waves when a fire hazard is detected.

“We feel it. We detect it. We deploy it. There’s no water waste, no collateral damage, and you get on with your life,” Hotchkis explains.

The commercial rollout is still fresh, but the goal is for the Sonic Home Defense system to cost about 1% to 2% of a home’s value. The technology could also expand to other states and other building types, such as data centers, in the future, while local fire departments have expressed interest in using the technology as a water conservation measure.