Los Angeles Wildfire Relief

When Nature Strikes Home: The Pool Industry's Call to Action

The second week of January 2025 brought unprecedented devastation to the Los Angeles area as wildfires tore through communities like Altadena, Pasadena, and the Palisades. While the human cost is immeasurable, there's another story unfolding—one that affects an entire industry and the small business owners who depend on it. The Rule Your Pool podcast team, broadcasting from the Mid-America Pool and Spa show, pivoted from their planned content to address something far more urgent: how the pool industry can rally together to support those whose livelihoods have literally gone up in smoke.

The Personal Impact: When Your Service Route Becomes a Disaster Zone

Terry Arco, who grew up in the Pasadena area and serviced pools throughout the affected regions for years, brought a deeply personal perspective to the crisis. His intimate knowledge of the neighborhoods being destroyed on television made the disaster feel immediate and visceral.

I serviced pools in a lot of those areas, those neighborhoods they're showing. And when they're talking about, you know, at the top of Lake Avenue and these homes are being destroyed, well, I know that very well. So first of all, for me, it was something where it was family, it was heart.

— Terry Arco, Rule Your Pool Podcast

The reality extends far beyond the emotional impact. When homes burn down, swimming pools disappear with them—and so does the income stream for the service professionals who maintained them. While larger companies might absorb the loss of 30 or 40 pools, independent operators often face complete devastation when their entire client base vanishes overnight.

What about the independent person who that's their whole business is maybe those 30 pools and they're gone.

— Terry Arco, Rule Your Pool Podcast

Beyond the Flames: The Hidden Dangers of Wildfire Aftermath

The immediate danger from flames represents only part of the challenge facing pool service professionals in the affected areas. The composition of smoke and ash from urban fires differs dramatically from typical forest fires, creating serious health hazards that many in the industry might not anticipate.

When fires consume not just vegetation but buildings, automobiles, manufacturing plants, and gas stations, the resulting smoke carries toxic substances including benzenes and formaldehydes. This contamination affects pools and equipment far beyond the actual burn zones.

If you're in an area and you smell the smoke, you see the smoke, you see signs of the ashes in the pool and it's on the deck, then that's where you got to be careful.

— Terry Arco, Rule Your Pool Podcast

Pool service professionals working in areas affected by smoke and ash need to take serious precautions: wearing industrial-grade masks, using gloves, washing hands frequently, and treating any ash-contaminated water with extra caution. The toxic residue can travel hundreds of miles from the actual fire source, as evidenced by experiences with fires in Canada affecting air quality as far south as the Pacific Northwest.

The Ripple Effect: When Disaster Spreads Beyond Ground Zero

The scope of impact extends well beyond the 100,000 evacuees and destroyed properties. The unique geography of Southern California, with its foothill communities backed up against mountains, creates a natural basin that traps smoke and pollutants. This phenomenon, familiar to longtime residents dealing with smog, now carries the added burden of wildfire toxins.

Miguel Chavez, who grew up in nearby Monrovia, explained the regional dynamics:

Everything kind of comes to where we are and then stops and settles in there, in that area. And then it all tends to kind of head south and down towards, you know, like Palm Springs and Coachella... the ocean and all the pressure of the ocean, it just pushes everything up to where we are. And then the mountains, it stops at the mountains.

— Miguel Chavez, Rule Your Pool Podcast

This means pool service professionals across a much wider area than just the burn zones will be dealing with contaminated water and equipment. The use of salt water from ocean-based firefighting efforts adds another layer of complexity, potentially affecting soil and groundwater with long-term implications for pool chemistry and equipment.

Industry Response: A Call for Collective Action

The podcast team didn't just identify problems—they proposed solutions. Their approach centers on industry-wide collaboration to provide both immediate relief and long-term support for affected professionals and communities.

The immediate response includes:

• Formation of a coalition of pool industry companies and organizations
• Fundraising efforts specifically targeting those directly affected
• Free wildfire relief packages for pools in peripheral areas dealing with ash and soot contamination
• Leveraging upcoming industry events like the Western Pool and Spa Show to coordinate relief efforts

The timing is particularly significant, as the Western Pool and Spa Show takes place just weeks after the fires and in close proximity to the affected areas. Many attendees may be dealing with personal losses while trying to maintain professional obligations.

Practical Guidance for Pool Professionals

For pool service professionals working in or near affected areas, the podcast emphasized several critical safety and operational considerations:

Safety Protocols:

• Wear industrial-grade respiratory protection when working around smoke or ash
• Use protective gloves and clothing
• Wash hands and equipment thoroughly after each service call
• Be aware that toxic substances can be present even in areas far from actual fires

Service Considerations:

• Treat ash-contaminated pools as potentially hazardous
• Understand that traditional chemistry approaches may not be sufficient
• Document conditions for insurance and health purposes
• Communicate clearly with clients about additional risks and procedures

Business Impact Assessment:

• Evaluate the scope of client losses
• Consider the long-term impact on service routes
• Explore available resources and relief programs
• Connect with industry support networks

Looking Forward: Lessons for Industry Resilience

While the immediate focus remains on relief and recovery, the Los Angeles wildfires offer important lessons for the pool industry's resilience in the face of increasing natural disasters. From Hurricane Helene's impact on Western North Carolina to the Maui wildfires and Northern California's Paradise fires, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe.

The industry's response to this crisis could serve as a model for future disasters. By establishing networks for mutual aid, creating resources for affected professionals, and developing best practices for disaster recovery, the pool industry can better protect both its workforce and the communities it serves.

The human cost of these fires extends far beyond property damage. Families have lost everything, communities have been displaced, and small business owners face uncertain futures. Yet the response from industry professionals like Terry Arco demonstrates the potential for collective action to make a meaningful difference.

As the immediate crisis continues to unfold and the long process of recovery begins, the pool industry has an opportunity to demonstrate that community extends beyond business relationships. In times of unprecedented disaster, the measure of an industry isn't just its profitability or growth—it's how well it takes care of its own.

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction - Unplanned Episode on LA Wildfires
• 02:30 Terry's Personal Connection to Affected Areas
• 05:15 Impact on Pool Service Professionals and Small Businesses
• 08:45 Industry Relief Efforts and Coalition Building
• 12:20 Health Hazards from Wildfire Ash and Smoke
• 16:10 Geographic Spread of Contamination
• 19:30 Safety Protocols for Pool Professionals
• 22:45 Long-term Industry Response and Support Networks