By Marcelle Dibrell

The recent Los Angeles wildfires were widely discussed at the Western Pool and Spa show, which ended its three-day run on February 8 at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Ric Burgess, owner of Ric Burgess Pools in Santa Clarita, California, was among the hundreds of pool service professionals who were affected. He services pools on the west side of Los Angeles, including the Pacific Palisades. He reported losing six pools in the fires — about 20 percent of his business.

Despite the loss, Burgess considers himself fortunate compared to colleagues who lost entire service routes.

As a member of IPSSA, Burgess has Arrow Insurance, which provides financial loss coverage up to $10,000 per year. IPSSA’s Arrow Insurance is unique in offering assistance to pool service professionals who lose business due to natural disasters. Burgess has found the claim application process straightforward, requiring three months of customer invoices, proof of payments, and pictures of each account. Claims are typically processed within a month.

“It doesn’t cover the total loss, Western

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but I’m not complaining,” Burgess said. “I feel very lucky and very appreciative.”

Most of his remaining pools were coated with ash, and he plans to drain them. He also anticipates mosquito problems in the affected areas in the coming months. He noted that whether fire-abandoned pools are drained or not, they pose safety hazards — undrained pools present a drowning risk, while drained pools create a fall hazard. All need to be properly fenced.

Several industry professionals reported that ash from the fires had traveled as far as San Dimas, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, and Glendora due to strong winds. Many service technicians said they are relying heavily on their Rip Tide vacuums to clear debris.

James Cawthorne of Alan Smith Pools, a Southern California pool construction and remodeling company, said that he has been fielding calls from past customers and friends needing help with firedamaged pools. “There are different things we can do depending on the severity of the damage,” Cawthorne said. “The best option is when we can clean it out and save the existing plaster. The worst case is when the fire reaches the house, and the pool needs a full-blown remodel, including replastering, resurfacing, and fixing plumbing and electrical issues.”

For pools with moderate damage, Cawthorne’s company has been performing acid washes and “revive and shine” treatments.

“We just finished one in Pasadena,” he explained. “The ash was sticking to the plaster, so we drained the pool, polished it with diamond sanders, and applied Microglass with a cement penetrator to strengthen it.”

So far, Alan Smith Pools has completed five similar restorations and the company expects many more.

The Western Show featured a well-attended Thursday night party, organized in part by Eric Neilson.

“We had an absolutely incredible, awesome party on Thursday night, the first day of the show,” Neilson said. “Thank you to HASA, Heritage, AquaStar, Century, and Step Into Swim for helping put that on. We sold 800 tickets and raised close to a quarter of a million dollars for the wildfire relief fund.”

Neilson also emphasized the show’s core mission.

“At the Western Show, our whole goal is educating the industry. It’s simply why we exist. People can take three days of classes for a little more than $100, and it’s the best education in the country.”

Eric Pahmeiers, a 32-year veteran pool service technician from Vista, California, won the show’s $20,000 grand prize. Over the years, Pahmeiers has won various tools at the show, but this year’s prize was his biggest win. A regular attendee for 25 years, Pahmeiers values the Western Show for its education, networking, and new product introductions. His favorite classes this year included chemistry and business liability, particularly “Lawsuit Protection & Tax Reduction Strategies,” taught by Larry Oxenham of the American Society for Asset Protection.

“I love my job because I love owning my own business, the freedom of being my own boss, and my customers,” Pahmeiers said. “It’s a great community, too.”

In addition to the $20,000 grand prize, the event awarded major prizes to nine other finalists. These included:

• A Master Temp 400

• Two Intelliflow 3 pumps

• A Raypak Avia heater

• A Fluidra conversion kit

• An AquaStar Pipeline filter

• Several Track Vac pool cleaners.

Big crowds at the 47th Annual Western Pool & Spa Show, Feb. 6-8, 2025, Long Beach, California Convention Center