With historic wildfires tearing through many California towns in 2018, and many Californians witnessing devastating wildfires in places like Lahaina Maui, there’s a growing concern about personal wildfire risk.
A new free tool from CalFire allows you to enter the address of your home or business to obtain an exact score for your wildfire risk. This tool even provides color-coded maps that display areas of high or low risk throughout the state.
- Just want to use the tool? We’ll share it below–scroll to the bottom for a link.
But first, it’s important to understand why your risk score matters, and what it actually shows.
Find Your Risk Before Buying
Calfire’s new tool is a fantastic way to gauge your overall wildfire risk. Many people have no idea that their home or business is in a high-risk area. Learning this info can help keep you safe, as we’ll describe below.
This tool is also beneficial for individuals considering moving to the Bay Area or purchasing a home anywhere in California. Prospective buyers can quickly verify a property’s wildfire risk score, aiding in their decision-making process.
This isn’t only crucial for safety but also for insurance reasons. Many California insurers have been discontinuing policies for homes in high wildfire-risk zones, leading to a significant increase in insurance costs.
It’s wise to review the score of a residence or business before investing to be fully aware of the potential risks. Keep in mind that these scores can vary annually based on vegetation levels, weather patterns, and major factors like climate change. Just because an area is low risk now doesn’t guarantee its safety indefinitely.
It’s advisable to revisit this tool annually, especially as wildfire season approaches. Everyone should be aware of the risks.
Again, the tool’s biggest benefits are:
- Check your existing home’s risk so you know if you’re in a high danger area
- Check the risk for a property you’re thinking about purchasing
- Check how your score changes over time, as weather/drought conditions change
Fires like the devastating one in Lahaina, Maui can wipe out entire towns very quickly. It’s very important to be aware of risks when living in similarly grassy places like California.
Personally, I input my address and was relieved to find I was in a low-risk zone, possibly due to my proximity to a stream. However, other locations just a mile from my home presented a much higher risk.
It’s valuable information, especially if I plan to hike or spend time outdoors during wildfire season.
What To Do if You’re High Risk
If you reside in a high-risk zone, it’s even more essential to adopt the precautionary measures CalFire suggests.
There are traditional measures like:
- Cutting a defensible space around your home. Many California cities require you to do this each year.
- Replacing old roofing with more fire-resistant materials.
- Knowing how to operate your garage door during a power outage, so you can escape your home in the event of a fire
There are also high-tech ones, like this automated sprinkler system that douses your home with water if a fire is approaching.
Other recommendations include ensuring no flammable vegetation is close to your house, fitting smoke detectors, and registering for emergency alerts, among other crucial steps.
How to Try CalFire’s Mapping Tool
CalFire’s tool is easy to use. By entering your address, you can immediately identify the severity zone you’re in and view a map of nearby areas with varying risks.
- You can use it by clicking here.
Check your home’s score today and prioritize CalFire’s safety measures, especially if you’re in a high-risk zone.
We also urge you to share this article on social media or with friends, so more people can assess their risk. Wildfires can impact all communities, so collective safety is achieved when everyone is informed and proactive in minimizing risks.
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It would be nice to see what the colors represent???