Test Your Home Before a Wildfire Does.
Answer questions about your home and get a 0 to 100 hardening score, a detailed report of strengths and gaps, and recommended next steps to improve your preparedness.
Free assessment in less than 5 minutes.
What we look at
The ten measurements, in detail
Open any element for what it is, why it matters, what good looks like, how it is judged, and the question we will ask you.
Measure C1
Roof
- What it is.
- The outer covering of your home, from the ridge down to the edge, together with the layer directly beneath it. Composition shingle, tile, metal, and wood shake are all roof coverings, and they behave very differently under an ember shower.
- Why it matters.
- The roof is the largest surface your house presents to the sky, so it catches whatever falls. Embers gather where the roof slows them down, in valleys, behind chimneys, and along the lower edge. A covering that will not ignite gives those embers nothing to start with. A covering that will ignite gives a fire a hold on the highest and hardest to reach part of the building.
- What good looks like.
- A Class A rated roof covering in sound condition, with no missing or lifted pieces, no gaps at the ridge or edge, and no accumulated debris sitting on it.
- How it is judged.
- Roof coverings are rated by fire test under ASTM E108 and UL 790. The Class A rating is the highest of the three, and it is earned by passing an intermittent flame test, a flame spread test, and a burning brand test on the assembly. California insurers who price on wildfire risk are required to account for the roof under 10 CCR 2644.9(d)(1)(B)2.a.
- What we will ask you.
- "What is your roof made of, and do you know whether it carries a Class A fire rating?"
Methodology
Where this comes from
Built on California rules, useful anywhere embers land.
The score follows California's wildfire mitigation measures, the most developed rules in the country. Embers behave the same everywhere, so it applies in any state; outside California you'll just answer a few more questions.
COMPANION TOOLS
Your house is only part of the picture.
Home hardening covers the building: the roof, eaves, vents, windows and walls. Defensible space covers the vegetation and fuel around it, and insurers credit both. Hardening does little if fuel runs right up to the walls, so we ask about the first five feet here; the Defensible Space Score covers the rest. A Wildfire Action Plan gets your household ready to leave when a fire comes.
