Kern Fire Safe Council
Schedule Your FREE Home Assessment Today
Get a wildfire‑risk evaluation of your property from a KFSC assessor — at no cost, with no obligation.
Takes about 5-10 minutes
Strengthen Your Home Against Wildfire Threats
A wildfire-ready home begins with a clear plan. Our Wildfire Risk Assessment gives you practical recommendations specific to your property.
The surrounding areas, and specifically the area within five feet of your house, plays the biggest role in whether it withstands wildfire and ember showers. By making thoughtful changes now, you can harden your home and reduce the chance of wildfire damage.
HELP US FILL
THE HOUSE!
GOAL: 1,500
Home Assessments
By Dec. 2027
Learn About Our No-Cost
Home Assessment
Home wildfire assessments are approximately 60 minutes and are provided at NO COST or commitment to Kern County residents. During your appointment, one of our trained assessors will evaluate the exterior of your home and the surrounding property for conditions that may affect its vulnerability to wildfire. Following the assessment, you will receive a report outlining observations and recommended actions that may help improve your home’s wildfire resilience along with educational materials to support your efforts.
As of July 1, 2026, home assessments are NOW available to the residents of the Kern River Valley, greater Tehachapi Region and the Mt. Piños Communities.
If you reside outside one of these areas and are interested in receiving an assessment, please contact our office directly. We will do our best to accommodate your request
If you have questions or need assistance scheduling your assessment, please contact us at outreach@kernfiresafe.org or call (661) 619-6841.
Know The Risks
Defensible space and home hardening are the most effective actions you can take to protect your home from wind-blown embers - the leading cause of home loss during wildfires.
Wind-blown embers are responsible for approximately 90% of homes destroyed during wildfires, not the fire front itself (IBHS). The good news? Recent research from UC Berkeley shows that combining home hardening with defensible space can more than double your home's chance of surviving a wildfire and reduce overall wildfire damage by up to 50% (UC Berkley)
Kern Fire Safe Council's home assessments specifically focus on defensible space and home hardening to give you, as the homeowner, the knowledge and agency to make the changes you need to protect your home from wildfire risk.
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the State or local Agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
This project is supported by the USDA Forest Service, Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program, Award No. 23-DG-11052012-191.
Special thanks to the Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council for their outstanding Home Wildfire Assessment webpage, which served as an inspiration and resource for our own. We gratefully acknowledge their work in advancing wildfire preparedness and community safety.