Wildfire Prepared Home Assessment

Get Started

This quiz will give you an idea of the actions you can take to help protect your home from wildfire. While the information is valuable for any homeowner, the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home™ designation is currently only available to homeowners in California and Oregon.

As you go through each question, consider not only the main house, but also any accessory structures or outbuildings within 30 feet of your home that are more than 15 square feet (for example, a shed, gazebo, ADU, or playset that is more than 3’x5’).

Note: Answering this quiz should take less than 10 minutes.

5 Foot Home Buffer

During a wildfire, embers can travel miles ahead of a fire front and accumulate at the base of your home’s exterior walls and within the first 5 feet. By implementing a 5-foot noncombustible buffer zone, you significantly reduce the chances of your home being ignited by wildfire.

To start, remove ALL vegetation and combustible ground covers like wood mulch within 5 feet of your home. This includes all bushes, grass/artificial turf, flowers, trees, succulents, etc. To make your buffer zone more attractive, this space can be filled with noncombustible hardscaping such as gravel, pavers, river rocks, DG base, stepping stones, or concrete.

Additionally, all combustible items such as firewood, potted plants, outdoor furniture, trash cans, pet houses, lawn tools, sheds, hot tubs, etc., should also be removed from this space, as well as any stored vehicles, boats, RVs, trailers, or ATVs. Ideally, relocate these stored items to a closed garage or park them at least 30 feet away from the home. It’s also important to regularly clear tree debris, weeds, leaves, and grass from the space, and trim back any tree branches that hang overhead.

Roofing & Gutters

To minimize the chances of your home’s roof catching on fire due to flying embers, wood shake/shingle roofs should be replaced with a Class A fire-rated roof cover. Most roofing materials are, including asphalt shingles; concrete, brick, or masonry tiles with bird stops; and metal shingles or sheets.

Similarly, plastic/vinyl gutters and downspouts should also be replaced with a noncombustible material such as metal.

Finally, your home’s roof, gutters, and downspouts must be cleaned regularly to prevent accumulation of debris such as leaves and pine needles.

Exterior Vents

Wind-blown embers can enter your home through vents in your attic, roof, gables, and crawlspace and ignite materials inside. To minimize this risk, install ember-resistant vents throughout your home, or cover all existing vents with 1/8-inch metal wire mesh (smaller than a golf tee).

Dryer vents specifically must be made of a noncombustible material like metal, and have a louver or flap to reduce ember entry. Due to their design and function, wire mesh should not be used on dryer vents.

Siding Ground Clearance

Embers can also accumulate against homes at the base of exterior walls and on other horizontal surfaces like decks, potentially igniting the home.

To reduce your risk, ensure there is a minimum of 6 vertical inches (measured from the ground up and from any attached horizontal surface like a deck) of noncombustible siding material around your home. This can include fiber-cement, brick, stone, stucco, or exposed concrete foundation. Additionally, metal flashing can be used above deck walking surfaces and posts.

Decks & Covered Porches

Decks attached to or near your home can provide a path for fire. In addition to maintaining a 5 foot noncombustible buffer around these structures, deck surfaces should be kept clear of fallen debris, trees, and shrubs, with no more than 10 small potted plants in noncombustible terra cotta or ceramic planters. Avoid large rugs and combustible furniture such as wood, wicker, or plastic, opting for noncombustible cast aluminum or metal instead, and ensure smaller items like chair cushions can easily be moved inside.

Nothing should be stored underneath a deck or porch, and the space should be kept free of vegetation. If a deck is less than 4 feet tall, the area beneath it should be enclosed with noncombustible wall covering or 1/8 inch metal mesh to keep out debris and embers that could ignite a fire from underneath.

Finally, any structures like a pergola or gazebo should be made of metal. These structures should also be free of hanging plants, vines, and any curtains, drapes or screens.

Fencing

If ignited, wood and vinyl fences can provide a pathway for fire to reach your home. To minimize this risk, fencing, posts, and gates within 5 feet of your home should be constructed of only noncombustible materials, such as metal (aluminum, chain link, or iron) or concrete blocks. This includes where fencing attaches to your home.

Landscaping

Beyond the 5ft noncombustible zone around your home, it’s important to create and maintain defensible space throughout your property to slow the spread of fire and reduce flame intensity. This means regularly removing fallen pine needles, leaves, and other debris from trees and bushes that may have accumulated in your yard, and removing dead vegetation.

Trim trees to a height of 6 feet or 1/3 the height for trees less than 18 feet tall and maintain a canopy-to-canopy distance of at least 10 feet. It's also important to space out bushes and trees, to remove ladder fuels that allow the fire to spread into the tree canopy. Choose low-growing, drought tolerant plants, and keep them spaced apart or in small groupings a maximum of 10 feet wide and spaced twice the height of the tallest bush from other plants or groupings.

Results

Well done! Based on your answers, you've done everything IBHS recommends to improve your home's wildfire resilience.

Click here to learn more about the Wildfire Prepared Home Certification program, and verify your eligibility to participate.

Results

Based on your answers, here are some things you can do to improve your home's wildfire resilience:

5 Foot Home Buffer

Roofing & Gutters

Exterior Vents

Siding Ground Clearance

Decks & Covered Porches

Fencing

Landscaping

Click here to learn more about the Wildfire Prepared Home Certification program that these recommendations are based on.