California has declared Wildfire Preparedness Week to remind every resident that the time to prepare is before fire season begins, not during it. If you live in a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) community in the San Francisco Bay Area, this week is not a suggestion. It is a deadline.
This year's campaign theme is "Building a Fire-Ready Future: Strengthening Our Defenses, Together," emphasizing shared responsibility among individuals, neighborhoods, and agencies to reduce wildfire risk.
This guide answers the questions Bay Area homeowners searched most during last year's Wildfire Preparedness Week: What is my fire zone? What is Zone Zero? How do I harden my home? What is the difference between a warning and an order? How do I sign up for county alerts? Are there grants to help with the cost?
Every answer is here. Start at the top and work through it this week.
What Is My Fire Hazard Severity Zone?
This is the most common question Bay Area homeowners search every May. The answer determines everything else on this list.
How FHSZ Designations Work
California's Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps evaluate hazard, not risk. They describe the probability of a particular area experiencing significant fire behavior over a 30 to 50-year period based on vegetation, topography, and climate, without accounting for mitigation measures like home hardening or defensible space.
There are three tiers: Moderate, High, and Very High. If you are in a Very High FHSZ, your defensible space requirements are stricter, your insurance options are significantly narrower, and your evacuation priority is higher during an incident.
Four phases of LRA FHSZ remapping were released between February and March 2025 by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Many Bay Area homeowners are now in a higher designation than they were in 2024 and have not been notified.
Check your zone now:
- CAL FIRE FHSZ Map Viewer at fire.ca.gov
- OSFM LRA Maps at osfm.fire.ca.gov
- Ask HydroIQ for your specific community's designation
Zone Zero: The Five Feet That Matter Most
The most searched defensible space topic during Wildfire Preparedness Week 2025 was Zone Zero. Here is everything you need to know.
What Is Zone Zero?
Zone Zero extends from zero to five feet from your home. It focuses on intense fuel reduction to protect against ember attacks. Research from CAL FIRE, NFPA, and IBHS consistently shows that most structure ignitions begin in this zone from ember cast, not from direct flame contact. Embers travel miles ahead of a fire front and ignite homes through gaps, vents, and combustible materials closest to the structure.
Zone Zero is not yet legally required statewide, but it is key for wildfire defense and preventing fires from spreading to your home.
What to Clear in Zone Zero This Weekend
Use gravel, pavers, or concrete instead of combustible mulch. Clear dead weeds, grass, and debris. Check roofs, gutters, and outdoor areas. Keep branches trimmed 10 feet away from chimneys and stovepipes. Minimize combustible items like furniture and planters on decks.
Also clear:
- Dead leaves and pine needles against the foundation
- Propane tanks and wood piles stored against the house
- Wood or vinyl doormats
- Wood fences connected directly to the structure (add a noncombustible break at the connection point)
Zone Zero clearance costs little or nothing and can be completed in a weekend. Download the official CAL FIRE Zone Zero Checklist at readyforwildfire.org.
Zone 1 and Zone 2
Beyond Zone Zero:
Zone 1 extends 30 feet from buildings, structures, and decks, or to your property line, whichever is closer. Zone 2 extends from 30 feet to 100 feet out. Both zones are required by law under California Public Resources Code 4291.
In Zone 1, cut or mow annual grass to a maximum height of four inches. Create horizontal space between shrubs and trees. Remove fallen leaves, needles, twigs, bark, and small branches. Keep 10 feet of clearance around exposed wood piles.
In Zone 2, reduce fuel continuity. Remove ladder fuels so fire cannot climb from ground to canopy. Space trees at least 10 feet apart crown to crown on flat ground and more on slopes.
Inspections happen. CAL FIRE and its partners conduct defensible space inspections in State Responsibility Areas where CAL FIRE has primary responsibility for wildfire protection. Local fire departments conduct inspections in Local Responsibility Areas. Homeowners who fail can face fines. Check your county's inspection schedule through your local fire safe council or at fireroofs.com/hydroiq.
Home Hardening: Passive Defense That Lasts
Passive Defense vs. Active Defense
There are two categories of wildfire home protection. Passive defense is built into the structure and resists ignition without requiring action during a fire. Active defense involves systems that detect and respond to a wildfire threat automatically.
Passive defense is the foundation. Start here.
The Home Hardening Upgrades That Matter Most
Because embers cause many home ignitions, reducing ember entry is essential.
Vents: Replace standard vents with ember-resistant or fine-mesh-screened vents. Vents are the most common ember entry point into a structure and one of the most affordable fixes a homeowner can make.
Roof: A Class A fire-rated roof is the standard in Very High FHSZ communities. Metal, tile, and composition shingles qualify. Wood shake does not. Keep gutters clear of dead leaves year-round.
Windows: Dual-pane or multi-pane windows resist heat significantly longer than single-pane. Tempered glass is the preferred option in high-risk zones.
Eaves: Enclosed eaves eliminate the gap where embers accumulate and ignite. Box them in with noncombustible materials.
Decks: Combustible decking connects the home directly to a fire pathway. Composite or concrete alternatives are significantly more resistant. Clear everything combustible from under and around decks as part of your Zone Zero work.
Fences: Wood fences connected to the house give fire a direct path to the structure. Install a noncombustible break at the point where the fence meets the home.
The City of Berkeley's Home Hardening Mesh Program provides free metal mesh and gutter guards to Berkeley hill residents in high-risk zones. Check with your local fire department for similar programs in your community.
For detailed home hardening standards see NFPA 1144 and the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home program.
Document Every Upgrade
Keep a detailed digital folder with receipts, invoices, and before-and-after photos of every improvement. This documentation is a powerful tool that can help you maintain your coverage by proving you are a responsible homeowner who is serious about reducing risk. Save it to the cloud and put a copy in your go-bag.
Active Defense: When Your Home Responds on Its Own
Passive defense prepares your home to resist ignition. Active defense means your home responds when a wildfire approaches, even after you have evacuated.
How Automated Exterior Defense Systems Work
Automated exterior wildfire defense systems mount to the roof, eaves, and perimeter of a structure. When a wildfire threat is detected through dual layer wildfire detection, combining regional satellite monitoring with on-site cameras, the system activates automatically and applies water to roof surfaces and surrounding areas. The goal is to suppress ember ignition and reduce heat load during the critical window when fire is nearest.
These systems are installed by licensed contractors, use copper pipe throughout, and connect to the home's existing water supply. Pool connections, water tank connections, and booster pump configurations are available for properties with limited water supply.
For San Francisco Bay Area homeowners interested in whether an exterior wildfire defense system is right for their property, FireRoofs offers free evaluations at fireroofs.com/book-evaluation.
For general questions about how these systems work, ask HydroIQ.
Evacuation Planning: The Part Most Homeowners Skip
Warning vs. Order: Know the Difference
An Evacuation Order means an immediate threat to life. It is an order by law enforcement to leave immediately. The area is lawfully closed to public access. An Evacuation Warning means a potential threat to life and property. Those who require additional time and those with pets and livestock should leave immediately.
Do not wait for an order. Communities that leave during a warning, before an order is issued, have better survival outcomes. If a warning is issued for your zone, go.
Know Your Evacuation Zone
Most Bay Area counties use zone-based evacuation systems. Orders and warnings reference zone numbers, not neighborhood names. If you do not know your zone you will not know if the order applies to you.
Find your zone now:
Santa Cruz County: CruzAware evacuation warnings and orders reference zones and not geographic areas. Find your zone using Genasys Protect by searching your street address.
Marin County: Visit emergency.marincounty.org, pull down the Evacuation tab, and type your address into the map to see your evacuation zone.
For all other Bay Area counties, visit your county Office of Emergency Services website or ask HydroIQ for your county's evacuation zone lookup tool.
Sign Up for County Emergency Alerts Right Now
Every Bay Area county has an official emergency notification system. Most Bay Area homeowners are not signed up.
Santa Cruz County: CruzAware is the county's comprehensive community alert and warning system. Text your zip code to 888777 to opt in, or sign up online for alerts by phone call, text, or email. CruzAware replaces CodeRED. If you were previously registered with CodeRED, your account will automatically roll over to CruzAware, but log in to update your profile and select your preferred alert types. The free CruzAware mobile app is available on all platforms. Sign up at scr911.org.
Marin County: AlertMarin is the primary emergency notification system used by agencies across the county to issue critical information and potentially life-saving instructions during emergencies like flooding, wildfires, and evacuations. Register at alertmarin.org. For general fire information during an incident when action may not be required at your specific address, register for Nixle separately by texting your zip code to 888777.
WatchDuty: Available statewide. The WatchDuty app alerts you of nearby wildfires and firefighting efforts in real time. Download it at watchduty.org.
Have Two Ways Out
Do not assume your primary route will be clear. Highway 9 closed during the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex. Know at least two ways out of your neighborhood and practice both before fire season. Know multiple evacuation routes from your home and neighborhood.
Build Your Go-Bag This Week
A go-bag packed and by the door is not an overreaction. It is basic preparedness.
Include:
- Water (one gallon per person per day for three days minimum)
- Medications (at least one week's supply)
- Important documents in a waterproof bag: insurance policies, IDs, deed or lease, financial records
- Phone charger and portable battery
- Cash in small bills
- Change of clothes for each family member
- Pet food, leash, carrier, and vaccination records
- N95 masks for smoke
Insurance: What Bay Area WUI Homeowners Need to Know
Why Homeowners Are Losing Coverage
Non-renewal notices in WUI communities have surged across the San Francisco Bay Area since 2020. The FAIR Plan, California's insurer of last resort, carries a $3 million coverage cap. For homeowners in Los Altos Hills, Saratoga, Mill Valley, or similar communities with properties worth significantly more, that gap is uninsured by any conventional means.
Even for homeowners in communities with lower median values like Boulder Creek or Ben Lomond, the FAIR Plan's terms have become the primary insurance option rather than the backup it was designed to be.
How Mitigation Affects Your Insurance
California's Safer from Wildfires program offers real insurance discounts for homeowners who complete specific, documented hardening steps. The steps are verifiable and the discounts are required by law. Documenting your mitigation work with receipts, invoices, and before-and-after photos gives you evidence for insurance carriers that you are a responsible homeowner serious about reducing risk.
AB 38: If you are selling a home built before 2010 in a high fire risk zone, California's AB 38 requires you to provide buyers with a report on fire mitigation measures taken. This home hardening disclosure details fire-resistance measures and gives buyers a clearer picture of the home's wildfire preparedness.
SB 429: California's new public wildfire catastrophe model law, effective January 1, 2026, will eventually give homeowners access to the same risk modeling data that insurance carriers use to make non-renewal decisions. The model is being developed by a university consortium under CDI oversight. Track progress at insurance.ca.gov. Ask HydroIQ what SB 429 means for your specific county and fire zone.
For current FAIR Plan details and insurance options for your community, ask HydroIQ or visit fireroofs.com/insurance-wui.
Grants and Financial Help
Many homeowners do not realize mitigation grants exist. State programs and grants are available to help cover the costs of defensible space, upgrading to fire-resistant materials, and other safety upgrades. Your local Fire Safe Council is an excellent place to start looking.
Community Wildfire Mitigation Program (CWMP): Cal OES administers grants to eligible communities and homeowners for wildfire mitigation work. Communities with recent fire history such as Boulder Creek and the San Lorenzo Valley may have active grant cycles. Check at caloes.ca.gov.
AB 888 California Safe Homes Act: Effective January 1, 2026, this law establishes a new grant program within the California Department of Insurance to assist qualifying residents in obtaining fire-safe roofing and Zone Zero mitigation. Details at insurance.ca.gov.
Ask HydroIQ what grants are currently available for your specific county.
Local Resources for San Francisco Bay Area Homeowners
Your local fire safe council is the most important community-level resource for hands-on support, fuel reduction programs, and Firewise USA certification.
- Fire Safe Santa Cruz County: firesafesantacruz.org
- Fire Safe Marin: firesafemarin.org
- California Fire Safe Council: cafiresafecouncil.org
- CAL FIRE Defensible Space: fire.ca.gov/dspace
- Ready for Wildfire: readyforwildfire.org
- OSFM FHSZ Maps: osfm.fire.ca.gov
- Cal OES CWMP Grants: caloes.ca.gov
- California Department of Insurance: insurance.ca.gov
- NFPA 1144 Home Hardening: nfpa.org
- IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home: ibhs.org
For Bay Area-specific wildfire questions including your fire zone, defensible space requirements, local inspection schedules, available grants, and what California's new insurance laws mean for your property, ask HydroIQ at fireroofs.com/hydroiq. Free for any homeowner across all 9 San Francisco Bay Area counties. No account required.
Your Wildfire Preparedness Week Checklist
Everything above in one list:
- Check your FHSZ designation at fire.ca.gov
- Clear Zone Zero this weekend
- Clear Zone 1 to 30 feet and Zone 2 to 100 feet
- Check vent covers, gutters, and roof material
- Sign up for your county's emergency alert system
- Look up your evacuation zone
- Know two routes out of your neighborhood
- Pack your go-bag
- Document all mitigation work with photos and receipts
- Ask HydroIQ about grants and insurance options in your county
The next fire season is not far away. The best time to prepare is before you need to.