How We Make Homes EmberSafe
Every home in California fire country has a different risk profile. Some need surgical retrofits at the highest-risk openings — vents, gutters, the five feet around the foundation. Others are pursuing the full IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home certification for carrier conversations and maximum risk reduction. We run both tracks.
Track One
Surgical retrofits at the openings that fail first.
Best for homeowners who want practical, prioritized hardening on a timeline that fits the next fire season.
Track Two
The IBHS standard. The credential carriers recognize.
Best for homeowners pursuing the recognized credential, exploring carrier conversations, or seeking the highest documented risk reduction.
Exterior-only walkthrough. We photograph every vent, gutter line, fence segment, and the five feet around your foundation. No entry to your home required.
An EmberSafe Inspection Report flagging the openings most likely to fail in an ember storm, with photos, locations, and a prioritized retrofit plan.
We scope the work, pull required permits, and schedule around fire season.
Certified install. Vent assemblies, gutter guards, Zone 0 hardening — whatever your home needs, in the order that protects you fastest.
Before/after photos, materials list, and an insurance-ready summary. Yours to share with whoever you choose.
The Wildfire Prepared Home (WPH) designation is a credential issued by an IBHS-authorized third-party evaluator. We do not issue the certificate — the evaluator does. What we do is the work and the documentation that gives your home its best chance of qualifying.
We confirm your fire severity zone, your home's age and construction, and what carrier conversations you've started. Helps us scope the gap analysis.
A full audit against every IBHS hardened-home requirement: roof class, vents, gutters, eaves, walls, windows, decks, attachments, and the near-home zone.
A coordinated scope of work across every IBHS category, sequenced for permit and fire-season realities.
Licensed installation, photo-documented, materials-tracked. Each line item maps to an IBHS requirement.
We assemble the documentation package and coordinate with the IBHS-authorized evaluator. The evaluator decides on the certificate. We can't promise the outcome — but we make sure the work and the paperwork are what they need to see.
IBHS Standard
The standard EmberSafe Home™ coordinates against. Issued and maintained by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS).
Source: Wildfire Prepared Home — How to Prepare My Home Checklist, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), wildfireprepared.org. EmberSafe Home™ is not affiliated with IBHS.
Decades of post-fire research point to the same conclusion: most homes don't burn from flame contact — they burn from embers landing on dry materials, in vents, in gutters, against fence lines. Hardening the home matters more than fighting the fire.
Windblown embers have ignited homes more than a mile from the fire front. Your defense is what catches them — not how far the fire is.
Attic, soffit, and foundation vents are the most common ember-intrusion points in pre-2008 homes. Retrofitting them is the highest-impact single move most homeowners can make.
The first five feet around your home is the most fuel-rich part of your property. Clearing and hardening Zone 0 dramatically reduces ignition risk.
Frameworks and findings throughout this page adapted from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). EmberSafe Home is not affiliated with or endorsed by IBHS. See attribution at the bottom of the page.
| Capability | EmberSafe Way | Wildfire Prepared Home |
|---|---|---|
| Free initial inspection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Insurance-ready documentation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Targeted, prioritized retrofits | ✓ | ✓ (full scope) |
| Coordinated to IBHS standard | — | ✓ |
| Third-party evaluator coordination | — | ✓ |
| Pursues the WPH credential | — | ✓ |
| Fastest path to risk reduction | ✓ | — |
| Highest documented standard | — | ✓ |
Not sure? Start with the free inspection. We'll show you both paths based on what we find.
Educational content on this page is adapted from publicly available research and frameworks published by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) at ibhs.org. IBHS retains all copyright in their materials. EmberSafe Home is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by IBHS. Insurance and certification decisions belong to the issuing carrier or evaluator.
