Home Hardening

Hardening your home against wildfire is crucial because it significantly increases your property’s chances of surviving ember storms—the primary cause of home destruction—and direct flame exposure. By using non-combustible materials and sealing vulnerabilities, you can protect your investment, reduce insurance risks, and prevent your home from becoming a fire hazard to neighbors.

Buildings ignite during wildfires as a result of one or more of these three basic wildfire exposures: embers, radiant heat, and direct flame contact.

The most common source of home ignition is from embers.

Home hardening means making changes to your home to reduce the risk of wildfire.

It is critical to ensure that your home can resist ember ignition by installing proper vents, removing combustible materials next to your home, sealing any openings into the home, enclosing soffits, installing tempered glass double-pane windows, and correctly installing gutters and gutter guards.

Click on the interactive image below to learn more about the important areas of Home Hardening. (Best viewed on a computer.)