FirePrepper

Part 2: Work on your house ยท Chapter 6

Work in the right order

Start at the house and work outward. This chapter gives the order and the reason for each step; chapter 7 goes through the parts of the house one by one.

The order

  1. Zone 0: the house and the first five feet around it.
  2. The roof and the openings: gutters, vents, eaves, windows.
  3. Zone 1, 5 to 30 feet.
  4. Zone 2, 30 to 100 feet.

Why Zone 0 first

NFPA says most homes catch fire from embers and small flames. It calls the immediate zone the most vulnerable to embers and the one to act on first 1. IBHS makes the 0 to 5 foot noncombustible zone Step 1 of its Critical Prep 2, and its research found that clearing it is the most effective defensible space action a homeowner can take 3.

Embers can still ignite single patches of plants in the 5 to 30 foot zone. IBHS gives that as the reason the zone next to the house matters most 4.

Why the roof and openings next

LA County calls the roof the most vulnerable part of a home to wind-blown embers 5. NFPA tells homeowners to start with the house itself, and its list for the immediate zone opens with roofs, gutters and vents 1.

The sources differ on one point. NFPA keeps the house inside the first zone, so the house gets finished before any outer zone 1. IBHS numbers the 5 to 30 foot zone ahead of roofs, vents and siding 2. This guide follows NFPA here.

IBHS also splits the work by exposure. Critical Prep covers embers. Home Upgrades, such as enclosed eaves, two-pane tempered windows and noncombustible siding, add resistance to heat and flames and come after 26.

Why Zones 1 and 2 last

NFPA says the aim in these zones is to break up the fuel so flames stay smaller and on the ground 1. IBHS says the 5 to 30 foot zone should keep fire from climbing into trees and shrubs and from burning straight to the building 4.

Keep a photo and receipt for each step

Take a dated photo before each step and another when it's done. Keep the receipt for materials or paid work with the photos. Safer from Wildfires says each action it lists qualifies for an insurance discount 7, and chapter 4 explains what that does and doesn't mean. Chapter 8 covers records in detail.

Sources

1. NFPA, "Preparing homes for wildfire." https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/preparing-homes-for-wildfire (read 2026-11-09)

2. IBHS, "Wildfire Ready Home: Critical Prep." https://ibhs.org/wildfirereadycriticalprep (read 2026-11-09)

3. IBHS, "Noncombustible Zone 0: Minimizing Pathways to Home Ignition." https://ibhs.org/wildfire/noncombustible-zone0-minimizing-pathways-to-home-ignition/ (read 2026-11-09)

4. IBHS, "Near-Building Noncombustible Zone." https://ibhs.org/wildfire/near-building-noncombustible-zone/ (read 2026-11-09)

5. County of Los Angeles Emergency Management, "Preparing for Wildfires." https://ready.lacounty.gov/fire (read 2026-11-09)

6. IBHS, "Wildfire Ready Home: Home Upgrades." https://ibhs.org/wildfirereadyhomeupgrades (read 2026-11-09)

7. California Department of Insurance, "Safer from Wildfires." https://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/200-wrr/Safer-from-Wildfires.cfm (read 2026-11-09)