WATKINS, MN and VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwire - September 10, 2008) - International Barrier
Technology Inc. ("Barrier") (
OTCBB:
IBTGF) (
TSX-V:
IBH) -- California
architects, builders and designers looking to meet new fire codes for
wildfire-prone areas now have a new, eco-friendly alternative -- Barrier
Technology's Blazeguard® fire-rated structural sheathing panels.
Blazeguard panels feature Pyrotite™, a patented, cementitious coating
over either oriented strand board (OSB) or plywood of various dimensions.
The coating not only resists ignition but adds structural strength to its
underlying substrate.
Blazeguard has been added to the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) products
list by the California Office of the State Fire Marshall, and is the only
product listed under three different categories -- exterior wall siding and
sheathing, under eave, and ignition-resistant materials.
"Blazeguard provides improved shear strength along with a non-combustible
layer preventing penetration of a fire from the outside into the structural
members of a house," says Michael Huddy, Barrier Technology President and
CEO. "We offer strength and fire protection from a single panel, without
the need for gypsum wallboard on the exterior of a house."
New fire codes -- Chapter 7A of the 2007 California Building Code -- went
into effect January 1, 2008, requiring more fire-resistant design and
materials in Fire Hazard Severity Zones. A full description and listing of
products approved for the zones can be found at
www.osfm.fire.ca.gov/strucfireengineer/pdf/bml/wuiproducts.pdf.
Factory-applied Blazeguard not only provides builders a WUI-listed product
and International Code Council (ICC) compliance (ICC ESR-1365), it offers
an economically-friendly, labor-saving way to provide a non-combustible
surface underneath traditional wood siding or roof shingles.
"Your product was really a life safer," notes Behzad Kafaie, an architect
with San Francisco-based Hart Howerton who is using Blazeguard in roof and
wall applications on a house in Monterrey County. "Our customer insisted on
traditional wood siding, wanted the look and feel of natural wood. We did
not have to go for another layer of substrate over the plywood we already
had. There were other products we might have tried to use to get the fire
rating, but that would have added more cost and more weight. This answered
our needs from a structural basis as well as meeting the new fire codes."
The product is being distributed in California by Bear Forest Products of
Riverside, Ca.
Further information on Barrier Technology and on Blazeguard Fire-Rated
Sheathing can be found at
www.intlbarrier.com or by calling 800-638-4570.
About International Barrier Technology Inc.
International Barrier Technology Inc. (
OTCBB:
IBTGF) (
TSX-V:
IBH) develops,
manufactures, and markets proprietary fire resistant building materials
branded as Blazeguard®. Barrier's award-winning Blazeguard® wood panels
use a patented, non-toxic, non-combustible coating with an extraordinary
capability: it releases water in the heat of fire. The panels exceed
"model" building code requirements in every targeted fire test and
application, and are unique in combining properties that increase panel
strength and minimize environmental and human impact. Blazeguard®
provides Barrier's customers a premium material choice meeting an
increasingly challenging combination of requirements in residential and
commercial building construction. Blazeguard® customers include many of
the top multifamily homebuilders, and commercial modular building
manufacturers in the United States.
INTERNATIONAL BARRIER TECHNOLOGY INC.
_______________________
Michael D. Huddy
President, Director
THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS PRESS
RELEASE.
Forward-Looking Information: The statements in this news release contain
forward-looking information within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve
certain risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including but not limited to
the ability to generate and secure product sales. In each case actual
results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements. The
company does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking
statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that any
projected results (expressed or modified) will not be realized.
Contact Information: Contact:
Melissa McElwee
Investor Relations Manager
International Barrier Technology
(866) 735-3519
For more information please visit:
www.intlbarrier.com