Wildfire Resources for Property Owners and Community Organizers
Community Organizers and Leaders - Getting Started
See how your community (and your own property) is classified by CalFire’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone (link)
Survey your community about their wildfire knowledge, hardening and defensible status, and their experiences with getting insurance coverage. Need a survey template? Use ours free (see side panel)!
Create and distribute an Emergency Wildfire Plan that includes pre-evacuation steps and evacuation routes as well as a checklist for evacuees (CalFire Go! Evacuation Guide Link)
Determine special needs households (e.g., physical disability) for evacuation and help them understand available assistance resources to create a plan to evacuate
Provide emergency alerts: Encourage residents to sign up for local emergency and evacuation alerts via phone, text, and email.
Start a FireWise Community (ToolKit Link) to help property owners understand risks and take action
Go further with education and risk mitigation steps. Communicate standards from Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home Link as this is what the insurance industry will consider when they model property and community risk - and what will save properties, communities, and lives
Investigate financial resources being offered from your city, county, state, and utility company as well as from the Federal government. See our list below
Schedule days for community-wide management of common areas and remind people to maintain their space so its clear of fire fuel
Need a Community Survey Template? Use Ours! (free)
Our survey helps community leaders survey (and educate) their community to better understand readiness for wildfire risk and impacts of disaster, as follows:
Section A: Evacuation and Pre-Evacuation
Section B: Current Insurance Status & Understanding
Section C: Immediate Needs After a Wildfire
Section D: Rebuilding Timeline & Community Vulnerability
Section E: Risk Mitigation: Capacity & Willingness
The format is Google Forms so you will be able to copy it and edit it as you deem fit for redistribution. If you need help, ask us!
Learn About Wildfire Hardening and Defensible Space
Public Resources for Preparedness
Depending on Your Need and Goal
Wildfire Mitigation Assistance Programs - Quick Reference Links
STATEWIDE CALIFORNIA PROGRAMS
CAL FIRE Wildfire Prevention Grants ($135M available FY 2025-26)
https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/grants/wildfire-prevention-grants
California Safe Homes Act (AB 888) (Grants for low-income homeowners)
https://www.insurance.ca.gov
California Safer from Wildfires Insurance Discounts (Mandatory discounts)
https://www.insurance.ca.gov
CAL FIRE Tribal Wildfire Resilience Grants ($250K-$3M per project)
https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/grants/tribal-wildfire-resilience
California Grants Portal (Search all CA state grants)
https://www.grants.ca.gov
ReCoverCA Owner-Occupied Mitigation Grants (Up to $50K - Butte, Fresno, LA, Napa, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma)
https://www.hcd.ca.gov/grants-and-funding/recoverca
FEDERAL PROGRAMS
USDA Community Wildfire Defense Grants (Up to $10M per community)
https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/grants/cwdg
FEMA BRIC Program (Status uncertain - check current availability)
https://www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities
Federal Wildfire Resources Guide (All federal programs)
https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/grants
Grants.gov (Search all federal grants)
https://www.grants.gov
BAY AREA COUNTIES
Marin County - Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority (Up to $2,500/year, $15K lifetime)
https://www.marinwildfire.org/resident-info/resident-grants
Marin County - Novato Fire Protection District (Up to $1,500 home hardening + $1,000 brush clearing)
https://www.novatofire.org/prevention/wildfire-mitigation-measure-c
Marin County - San Rafael Fire Department Grants (Up to $15K lifetime)
https://www.cityofsanrafael.org/wildfire-mitigation-grant-program
Marin County - Fire Safe Marin (Grant opportunity listings)
https://firesafemarin.org/programs/grant-opportunities
Contra Costa County Wildfire Mitigation Program (Up to $1,500 for low-income)
https://www.cccfpd.org/wildfire-mitigation-program
Sonoma County - Fire Safe Sonoma
https://www.firesafesonoma.org
GENERAL RESOURCES
California Department of Insurance (Info on all insurance-related programs)
https://www.insurance.ca.gov
Phone: 1-800-927-4357
CAL FIRE Main Page
https://www.fire.ca.gov
Phone: 916-894-9837
Ready for Wildfire - Landowner Assistance
https://readyforwildfire.org/prevent-wildfire/landowners-assistance
BoxedCover - Community Parametric Insurance Solutions
https://www.boxedcover.com
LAKE TAHOE REGION
North Tahoe Fire - Defensible Space Program (Free grant-funded inspections)
https://www.ntfire.net/defensible-space-program
El Dorado County - Office of Wildfire Preparedness
Contact: El Dorado County Chief Administrative Office
Placer County - Senior/Disabled Assistance (Up to $5K)
Contact: Doug Miller, Betzy's Tree Care (916) 412-3684
Tahoe Senior Services - Fire Prevention Resources
https://tahoesenior.com/fire-prevention-resources
Nevada Division of Forestry (Douglas & Washoe Counties, NV)
https://forestry.nv.gov
Email: fan@forestry.nv.gov | Phone: 775-684-2519
Fire Adapted Nevada Partnership
https://forestry.nv.gov/fan/cwwp-publications
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COUNTIES
Los Angeles County Relief Fund (Post-disaster programs)
https://lacounty.gov/relief
San Diego County - CA Wildfire Mitigation Home-Hardening Pilot (Dulzura, Potrero, Campo)
https://www.sandiegocounty.gov (search "California Wildfire Mitigation Program")
UTILITY COMPANY PROGRAMS
PG&E & California Fire Foundation - Wildfire Safety Grants (Up to $950K for organizations)
https://www.cafirefoundation.org
PG&E Home Hardening Programs (Check for High Fire Threat District rebates)
https://www.pge.com
Southern California Edison (SCE) Wildfire Mitigation
https://www.sce.com
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) Wildfire Mitigation
https://www.sdge.com
MULTI-COUNTY REGIONAL PROGRAMS
Sierra Nevada Conservancy Grants (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, Tuolumne)
https://sierranevada.ca.gov
Conservation Works - North Bay Forest Improvement Program (Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma)
Contact: Conservation Works (applications opening summer 2025)
COMMUNITY PROGRAMS
Firewise USA (National program - apply for community designation)
https://www.nfpa.org/firewise
Fire Safe Councils (Find your local council)
https://www.cafiresafecouncil.org
Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety - Wildfire Prepared Home
https://wildfireprepared.org/incentives
Defensible Space Zone 0-2
Ensure both the immediate area around your home - zero to five feet - is non-combustible. Landscaping the 5-30 feet zone, if applicable, the 30-100 foot zone is critical to ensuring fire never finds a flammable path to get near your home
Home Hardening
There are many things you can do to ensure to minimize the risks that both embers and flames do not impact your home. Some are high priority and low cost such as vent covers that prevent ember intrusion. Others are high cost and lower priority (for many people) such as replacing siding to a non-combustible material.