Roseville, CA – The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), in collaboration with CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal, showed the effectiveness of research-based wildfire mitigation during a live burn demonstration conducted as part of Wildfire Preparedness Week. Based on the latest research, IBHS’s Wildfire Prepared Home program provides a system of actions Californians can take to meaningfully reduce their home’s chance of ignition from embers, including creating defensible space.
The demonstration highlighted the importance of maintaining a noncombustible five-foot buffer zone, termed “Zone 0” around residential structures to mitigate the risk of ignition during wildfires.
Emphasizing the significance of this effort, IBHS CEO Roy Wright said, “This is a new mindset. While moving shrubs five feet from your home may not be the traditional method of landscaping, it provides the best opportunity to have a house to come home to when a wildfire comes through. It limits your exposure to embers. And the good news is there are attractive ways to do this so that homeowners can both mitigate their wildfire risk and maintain curb appeal.”
Demonstrations of this nature provide a comparative analysis of the impact of fire behavior on structures with and without mitigation measures in place and underscore the critical role of Zone 0 in preventing home ignitions, emphasizing the need for timely action given the approaching peak wildfire season.
State Fire Marshal, Chief Daniel Berlant, further emphasized how this demonstration should encourage Californians to take steps to harden their homes and create defensible space around their property.
“Although California received a substantial amount of rain this past winter, we must prepare ourselves for peak wildfire season now as the grass is already growing tall across the state. This demonstration showed how vulnerable a home can be and how much of a difference taking steps to prepare for wildfire can make,” urged State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant. “Now is the time to prepare your home for peak wildfire season. A few quick steps to take include removing all combustible materials, like vegetation and mulch, within five feet of your home, clearing your roof and gutters of leaves and debris and repairing holes or gaps greater than 1/8 inch in exterior siding, including vents.”
Beyond establishing a noncombustible Zone 0, Wildfire Prepared Home addresses other vulnerable areas of a home with a Class A roof and ember-resistant exterior home features such as gutters and vents.
For added protection against flames and radiant heat, IBHS offers another designation level – Wildfire Prepared Home Plus. Camp Fire survivor Gary Ledbetter, whose home was the first recipient of the Wildfire Prepared Home Plus designation in Northern California, spoke at the demonstration saying, “Today’s demonstration is about sharing knowledge, and it’s an opportunity to see what wildfire resilience looks like. May today be the start of a resiliency journey for more Californians at risk to wildfire to avoid the trap of thinking it won’t happen to me. The system of mitigations shown today gives us an opportunity to be empowered, proactive and to pursue resiliency in a way science shows is most effective.”
For more information on the importance of home hardening and defensible space, as well as the measures you can take to prepare your family and property for wildfires, visit readyforwildfire.org.
To learn more about Wildfire Prepared Home, visit www.wildfireprepared.org.
View and download photos of the demonstration burn at: https://calfire.box.com/s/2t4a0o59may43be1amphttlihh8zf996.
About the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
The IBHS mission is to conduct objective, scientific research to identify and promote effective actions that strengthen homes, businesses and communities against natural disasters and other causes of loss. Learn more at ibhs.org.
About Wildfire Prepared Home
Wildfire Prepared Home is the first-ever wildfire mitigation designation program. Based on the latest wildfire research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), it offers California homeowners a path to take the system of science-based actions shown to meaningfully reduce a home’s wildfire risk. Learn more at wildfireprepared.org.
About CAL FIRE – Office of the State Fire Marshal
The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is the CAL FIRE program that protects life and property through the development and application of fire prevention, engineering, training and education, and enforcement. The Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation Division works with federal, tribal state, and local agencies, as well as non-profit entities, and other stakeholders to prepare California communities against the devastating effects of wildfire. The various programs within the division allow CAL FIRE to continue to build local and regional capacity, as well as developing, prioritizing, and implementing strategies and projects that create wildfire prepared communities.