A Lifetime of Community Service
Neighbors Helping Neighbor
Stan Luhr is a native San Diegan who has experienced wildfires first-hand over many decades living in the East County. For over 45 years he has been a nationally recognized forensic expert in construction, building science and risk management. He developed the construction industry's first risk management programs in 1996 and built the first field mobile software for managing construction risk. Living on the edge of the East County wildland interface, his home has been a testing laboratory for innovative fire-resistant and fire suppression technologies.
Observing firsthand the devastation of the Los Angeles Fires in 2025, he concluded that homeowners need to do much more to protect their homes--and their lives. As a former EMT and Search & Rescue volunteer, he is saddened that the majority of deaths from wildfires could have been prevented. This started his investigation journey, teaming up with firefighters, educators and equipment suppliers to find a better way to save life and property.
His team of fire professionals and contractors has researched and tested hundreds of fire protection products to find the most effective yet affordable products suitable to home fire protection. Most importantly, his deep insurance risk knowledge spanning 30 years is helping insurers return to the market and offer incentives to support science-based fire risk mitigation strategies.
This website is an evolving passion to create a complete one-stop shop for home hardening, fire suppression and survival. The products he endorses here have been specifically tested to provide low-cost but durable alternatives to the professional fire equipment sold at inflated prices.
A devoted volunteer, Stan is a member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and is a trained FEMA first responder. He recently launched the Granite Hills FireWise(R) and FireSafe(R) Communities, and founded the Community Fire Response Organization, a non-profit dedicated to saving lives and property.
More info at www.communityfireresponse.org
We Support Our Communities!
We Live Amongst Wildfire
Why Robust Home Defense?
As a native San Diego resident and a homeowner who lives on a steep canyon, surrounded by native chapparel, I thought I was adequately prepared for wildfire. As a contractor and forensic expert, I built my home 36 years ago with fire protection in mind. My home is a one-hour fire resistant stucco and clay tile home, with heavy treated timbers, dual glazed windows and concrete decks. To add peace of mind, I installed a 10,000 gallon storage tank that feeds 12 high volume sprinklers in my canyon. My vents are 1/8-inch or less, and I have a pressurized attic to reduce ember entry.
But witnessing the 2025 LA Fires, I knew I could do more. My neighbors could do more. So I spent months researching, testing, and procuring reliable and affordable fire suppression equipment to help my neighbors protect their homes from wildfire. All while still running two companies and spending time with my grandchildren!
I found that there was no single source where homeowners could purchase the many pumps, hoses, valves and fittings needed to build their own fire suppression system. So I decided to build a website to provide all the equipment you need to build your own custom system, or purchase our popular FyreWagon complete ready-to-deploy system at a fraction of the cost.
Robust Home Defense helps homeowners harden their homes against ember ignition, with the added benefit of using stored water to drench a property's perimeter to keep the wildfire at bay. By using stored water from a pool or tanks, and sharing that water with your neighbors, you can survive a wildfire using science-based home hardening, defensible space and active fire suppression.
We now serve the USA and have equipment deployed in several states. Our proactive but simple and affordable fire suppression systems have been featured in news stories and have gotten positive feedback from fire professionals who understand that water puts out fire.
We are proud supporters of the Community Fire Response Organization, a 501(c)3 non-profit that supports wildfire mitigation and education. I serve as its Chairman and and urge you to get involved, donate a tax-deductable gift, or volunteer to help us save our communities from wildfire.
At Robust Home Defense, we stock a complete line of the right kind of fire hoses, affordable and tested pumps which run on LP fuel for many hours of unattended use, and other products to help you defend, protect, and survive the next wildfire!
And if you are in San Diego, please drop me a note and I will be happy to share the information I have learned to help you in your journey!
