BECOME RECOGNIZED AS A

FIREWISE USA® NEIGHBORHOOD

Firewise USA®

The Firewise USA® program, run by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and reviewed by CALFIRE, helps communities enhance fire safety in wildfire-prone areas. With 2000+ recognized communities nationwide, the decade long program has proven multiple instances of structure loss during a wildfire event.

KFSC aids communities in becoming Firewise Sites. To earn recognition as a Firewise site, interested communities must complete six steps.

Click on each step below to learn more.

  • Create a board or committee with 3-5 representatives, including a Resident Leader as the point of contact. You may invite local stakeholders to join.

    Is your neighborhood already in a Firewise USA Neighborhood? Click on this map to check.

    If the map shows your neighborhood as having an application in development, contact our County Coordinator to connect you with the current leadership group!

    If there is already a Firewise USA designation in good standing for your neighborhood, congrats! 

  • Complete the Firewise USA Community Risk Assessment, updating it every 5 years.

    • Create a Site Map: Outline boundaries and include visible street names for sites with a minimum of 8 - 2500 homes.

    • View the Community Risk Assessment here.

  • Fill out a 3-year Action Plan, specifying annual goals with measurable progress. Find the 3-year Action Plan Template here.

  • Each year you must report your wildfire risk reduction activities on your Firewise portal. At a minimum, each site is required to annually invest the equivalent of 1 volunteer hour per dwelling unit in wildfire risk reduction actions. For example, if your site has identified 100 homes within its boundary, then 100 hours of work or the monetary equivalent ($33.49 per dwelling unit) is required to meet this investment. Methods to record this investment vary by community. [More Information To Come]

  • Each year you must host an annual outreach event for your community that discusses your Action Plan.

    Examples:

    • Host a Wildfire Preparedness Workshop and invite KFSC to present at a community meeting place.

    • Host an neighborhood yard maintenance day.

  • At any stage of the process, you can create an account at portal.firewise.org. Choose an official community name, upload completed documents, and submit the application. 

Reach Out About Becoming Firewise USA® Recognized

Interested in reducing wildfire risk in your neighborhood? Becoming a Firewise USA® Recognized Community helps you access resources, boost safety, and may even qualify your community for grants or insurance benefits.

Benefits include:

  • Reduces wildfire risk through proactive planning and mitigation.

  • Improves safety for residents and first responders.

  • Opens access to grants and funding for fire prevention.

  • Builds community engagement and collaboration.

  • Provides national recognition and credibility.

Ready to start?
Reach out to our County Coordinator using the form:

FAQs

  • Possibly. Under California Safer from Wildfires, becoming a Firewise USA® community qualifies you for discounts under insurance companies approved by the California Department of Insurance (CDI). However, there is no mandatory minimum so discount amounts vary (0.1%–15%). Check with your provider to confirm your eligibility. 

    Additionally, insurers are only updated twice a year by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Therefore, if you recently became recognized your insurer may not have that information. If needed, you may be able to provide them with your community’s Firewise certificate as proof.

    Safer from Wildfires also lists several home hardening actions that can qualify you for insurance. Read the complete list here.

    Separately, in 2024, Kern County Fire Department was added to the Fire Risk Reduction Community (FRRC) List, which is unrelated to Firewise but may also qualify properties for insurance discounts. This applies to areas under Kern County Fire Department’s jurisdiction.

    Sources:

  • The initial Firewise application covers a 12-month period. You can choose when this period starts and ends. Some communities have achieved recognition in as little as 3 months.

    For example: If you plan to upload and submit all your documents in the Firewise portal in 2 months, you can include the activities from the past 10 months as part of your required annual investment.

  • Currently, it is not a requirement of the program to have 100% community participation for Firewise USA recognition. It's a voluntary program where communities meet criteria for national recognition, not certification. It's based on efforts to create safer communities, using an honors system, so not everyone has to participate. In the spirit of the program, communities should work towards 100% participation within their 3-year action plans.

  • See the NFPA’s Sites of Excellence for information on what communities across the nation have done to garner community participation.

  • See the NFPA’s investment list of qualifying activities.

    Note: The initial Firewise application covers a 12-month period. You can choose when this period starts and ends. If you plan to upload and submit all your documents in the Firewise portal in two months, you can include the activities from the past 10 months as part of your required annual investment.

  • Every community tracks its investment differently. Here are simple options to choose from or customize:

    • Leverage HOA/POA methods

      • If you have an HOA or POA, they may already track vegetation removal and costs, which counts toward your investment.

    • Online Presence

      • Use a Facebook page or website.

    • Paper or Digital Forms

      • Hand out a paper form distributed to new residents and at community meetings.

      • Create your own digital survey distributed via e-newsletters or community email chain

    See what activities count towards your Time and Investment. Tracking vegetation removal is optional, but highly encouraged.

  • Ensure your community team understands the criteria by thoroughly reading the instructions in each required document. View the sample documents at the bottom of this webpage.

    Risk Assessment

    • View the sample Risk Assessment available below under the "Required Documents" section.

    • Inconsistent dwelling units: maintain consistency in dwelling unit numbers across all submitted documents.

    • Insufficient maps: include a clear boundary with visible streets in your submitted map. A simple Google Maps screen grab should suffice.

    • Not selecting that you are next to adjacent lands with accumulated fuels: look at the general topography of your location, if you are within several hundred yards of wildlands then mark the checkbox. A quick Google search should let you know who manages the land near you.

    Action Plan

    • View the sample Action Plan available below under the "Required Documents" section.

    • Utilize page 9 of your risk assessment to inform and guide your Action Plan.

    • Year 1 of your Action Plan begins the year after your application year.

    • Steer clear of vague goals. Write goals that are specific, measurable, and include percentages for improved compliance year by year. Refrain from using language such as "same as previous year."

    • Too little information in each section. Each year should progressively move your community towards better compliance. Learn more on topics such as evacuation planning, home hardening, and defensible space. See our Resources tab or contact us for more information.

    By adhering to these guidelines, you increase the likelihood of a successful application submission.

  • Annually: report your investment and host an outreach event

    Every 3 years: update your Action Plan

    Every 5 years: update your Risk Assessment

    Go beyond the requirements to enhance wildfire safety.

  • Check the map below to see if your community is recognized as a Firewise USA® site. However, this map may not always be up to date.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Community Wildfire Risk Assessment

There are several steps to take to become recognized as a Firewise USA® site. The community wildfire risk assessment is one of the most important steps in the process. It’s a tool to help residents understand their wildfire risk and engage in risk reduction efforts.

Firewise USA® 3-Year Action Plan

Please note that defensible space is required at all times for all buildings or structures within California’s State Responsibility Area under Public Resource Code 4291 and for Local Governments with designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones under Government Code 51182.

MAP OF RECOGNIZED OR IN-PROGRESS NEIGHBORHOODS

This map may not always show the most recent sites, please be patient with us as we make updates. The goal of this map is to reflect the county's progress and is not made for insurance purposes.

Special thanks to the Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council for their outstanding Firewise USA® community webpage, which served as an inspiration and resource for our own. We gratefully acknowledge their work in advancing wildfire preparedness and community safety.