Nevada County, CA – Wildfire-Ready Coalition of Nevada County today announced a new program to help homeowners prepare their homes for wildfire.
The new Wildfire-Ready Homes Advisory Assessment program is unique in incorporating the science-based Wildfire Prepared Home requirements developed by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), the California Department of Insurance Safer from Wildfires standards, and CAL FIRE PRC 4291 Defensible Space Requirements into a single checklist and then translating it into actions for homeowners.
“Our trained volunteers give the homeowner prioritized recommendations that can improve wildfire survivability, strengthen insurance eligibility, and support available insurance discounts,” said Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman, president, Wildfire-Ready Coalition.
Studies by fire chiefs and researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have shown that home hardening and defensible space together can double the number of homes that survive a blaze.
The goal of the home advisory assessment is to educate, encourage and empower homeowners, explained Fites-Kaufman.
“Our advisors use plain language. They point out what is being done well and what needs improvement. They do not judge or criticize,“ she said.
Home Advisory Assessment visits, which can take one to one and a half hours, look at the home from roof to foundation, and from Zone 0 – the first five feet closest to the home – to 100 feet away.
“It’s a lot of information, and we know that homeowners can sometimes feel overwhelmed, so we provide a roadmap to follow, with the emphasis on easier-to-achieve, lower-cost actions.” Actions fall into two categories: reducing the intensity of a potential fire around the home and hardening the structure by using fire-resistant materials. Homeowners are provided with a list of CAL FIRE-recommended low-cost retrofit options.
“At the end of a Home Advisory Assessment visit, the homeowner will understand what matters most when preparing a home for wildfire,” said Dario Davidson, a registered professional forester and one of the Wildfire-Ready Homes workshop instructors.
The Coalition’s Wildfire-Ready Homes Program has already demonstrated strong community interest and impact. More than 60 residents have attended three free Wildfire-Ready Homes workshops that covered fire behavior, home hardening, defensible space, insurance readiness, and low-cost retrofits. More than 15 volunteer Home Advisory Assessors are available to conduct home assessments.
Insurance companies and insurance agents also are expressing interest in the program, said Fites-Kaufman.
“Their clients can receive insurance premium discounts by taking actions to prepare their homes for wildfire. This is especially valuable at a time when insurance premiums are rapidly rising,” she said. “Increasingly, it can make the difference in getting affordable insurance, or not.”
Rockrose Risk, an AI-enabled insurance brokerage specializing in wildfire coverage, is a Wildfire-Ready Homes Program sponsor.
Fites-Kaufman stressed, “Wildfire-Ready Homes Advisory Assessments are educational and advisory only. Information from the assessments is not kept by the Coalition or shared with any other agency or organization. Only the homeowner keeps the results.”
Sign up for a Home Advisory Assessment.
Sign up to attend a Wildfire-Ready Homes Workshop this fall.
About Wildfire-Ready Coalition of Nevada County
Formed in March 2025, Wildfire-Ready Coalition of Nevada County is a volunteer-driven nonprofit helping residents, businesses, and communities become better prepared for wildfire through education, Firewise Community support, collaboration, and action.
With growing support, the Coalition is looking towards developing a Fire-Adapted Youth Corps to help low-income seniors with basic home hardening and defensible space. See more about us on our Facebook and Instagram pages.