Major insurers have already stopped writing or renewing policies in states like Colorado, Texas, and Florida. And the American Property Casualty Insurance Association now reports that more than a dozen states are experiencing wildfire-related coverage losses, with over 212,000 homeowner policies dropped in California alone.

What started as a regional issue is now exposing a deeper vulnerability in how we manage — and misunderstand — risk.

As wildfires continue to devastate communities across California, protecting your home, family, and pets becomes an urgent priority. In areas like Berkeley, Oakland, Moraga, and Lafayette, residents are particularly vulnerable to wildfires, and this is why pet safety during fire season is crucial. Pet owners must not only prepare their homes but also plan for their pets' safety in case of an evacuation or emergency.

When we talk about defending our homes from wildfire, we often focus on the main house—but detached structures like sheds, garages, and ADUs can be just as critical. These secondary buildings can become ignition sources during a wildfire and may even spread fire to your primary home if they’re not protected.

For California homeowners—especially in high-risk fire zones like Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, and the Oakland Hills—fireproofing these outbuildings should be part of your wildfire defense strategy.

When it comes to protecting your home from wildfires, one of the most crucial steps you can take is home hardening. With the increasing frequency of wildfires in California, particularly in areas like Berkeley, Oakland, Orinda, and Moraga, hardening your home is no longer just an option—it’s a necessity. This blog will walk you through the essential aspects of home hardening, why it's important, and how you can implement key fire-resistant features to keep your home safe.

Wildfire evacuations happen fast. Sometimes you have hours to prepare; sometimes, it’s only minutes. That’s why every California household—especially those in the East Bay—should have a clear, practiced evacuation plan.

A fire-safe perimeter is a defensible space that reduces the amount of combustible material around your property, thereby decreasing the chances of a fire spreading to your home. This space typically includes a combination of landscape management, fire-resistant materials, and maintenance practices.

In the wildfire-prone regions of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, California, protecting your home from ember attacks is crucial. Embers—small, windborne burning particles—are responsible for igniting the majority of homes during wildfires. As climate change intensifies fire seasons, hardening your home against these embers is more important than ever. This blog will explore the best methods and materials for hardening your home against ember attacks and radiant heat.

When preparing your home for a wildfire, one of the most important steps is selecting the right building materials. Unfortunately, not all materials are created equal, and some can increase the vulnerability of your home during a wildfire. This blog will outline the top 10 materials to avoid in wildfire zones, helping you make informed choices when protecting your home.

When defending your home against wildfires, no area is more critical than the first 5 feet: Zone 0. This zone is where embers land, where flammable materials accumulate, and where ignition often begins. But the good news is that you don’t need to undertake a complete rebuild to make meaningful changes—you just need to choose the right fire-resistant materials.

Learn how ember attacks ignite homes during wildfires and what you can do to protect your property. This blog covers strategies for preventing ember damage, including home hardening, landscaping, and fire-resistant materials.

When it comes to wildfire preparedness, defensible space is one of the most critical elements in safeguarding your home. It’s the area around your property where you take proactive steps to eliminate fuel sources that could feed a fire, particularly flying embers, which are responsible for more than 90% of home ignitions during wildfires. In Berkeley, the city’s new EMBER program emphasizes the importance of creating defensible space as part of its comprehensive approach to wildfire resilience.

Learn how radiant heat affects homes during wildfires and the steps you can take to protect your home from heat exposure. This blog covers fire-resistant materials, radiant heat barriers, and mitigation strategies specific to Berkeley.

Learn the essential steps of home hardening to protect your property from wildfires. This blog covers fire-resistant materials, wildfire mitigation strategies, and home improvements specific to Berkeley’s EMBER program.

 Learn about fire-resistant landscaping and how it can help protect your Berkeley home from wildfires. This guide covers the best plants, materials, and strategies to create a fire-safe landscape around your home.

Learn about Berkeley’s new EMBER program and its wildfire safety regulations. Understand the key requirements for homeowners and how to protect your home with defensible space, home hardening, and ember mitigation.

As wildfires become more frequent and severe across California, homeowners are learning that their insurance coverage may not offer the protection they once assumed. Insurance isn’t just a formality anymore—it’s a battleground between risk, rising costs, and even the ability to get coverage at all.

Create fire-safe space around your houseUse hard surfaces, such as stone, brick, gravel, or concrete as a buffer. Remove plants near windows, vents, or siding that could catch fire. Trim branches hanging over your roof. Trim lower branches on trees that could ignite from fire on the ground.

Zone Zero, also known as the Ember Resistant Zone or the Home Ignition Zone, is the area immediately surrounding your home that poses the highest risk of ignition from flying embers. The ember-resistant zone is crucial in wildfire defense because the majority of homes are lost not to direct flames, but due to embers that are carried by the wind and ignite flammable materials close to the structure.

In California, Assembly Bill 3074 (AB 3074) mandates the creation of this zone, with new regulations expected to be fully implemented by 2025. This law requires property owners to manage the 0 to 5 feet surrounding their homes to prevent ember intrusion and the spread of fire.