Home Ignition Zone Assessments
HIZ Assessments support communities’ wildfire resiliency by focusing on one home at a time.
Assessment of Wildfire Risk & Resiliency
Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) Assessments empower home and property owners to prevent structure loss from wildfires by helping them to implement tried-and-true best practices to reduce vulnerability to these disasters.
Our mitigation specialists visit a home or property and create an assessment report with specific recommendations to reduce wildfire risks and exposures.
How to Participate
HIZ Assessments are available for residential properties within Los Angeles County. Please register below and a member of our Team will be in touch with you promptly to schedule a date and time for your HIZ Assessment.
LAEPF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to prepare Southern California for future disasters. HIZ Assessments have a value of approximately $500 to $700. Any contribution you choose to give is greatly appreciated and goes directly towards supporting our disaster preparedness programs.
By requesting an assessment below and scheduling a HIZ Assessment, you agree to our Release of Liability.
In partnership with
A mitigation specialist points out wildfire vulnerabilities during a Home Ignition Zone Assessment inspection.
Our approach
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We support home and property owners to take necessary steps and precautions to prevent catastrophic structure loss from wildfires.
A Home Ignition Zone Assessment considers all parts of a home or property, from “Roof to Ground to Perimeter” including structure and vegetation.
Our mitigation specialists implement our standardized inspection process to assess and certify homes and properties.
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We have created a custom-built assessment tool to assess homes and properties and identify risks in the event of a disaster.
Our cutting-edge technology collects data from each inspected and certified structure, creating a database of the the most effective practices of ignition zone mitigation. In the event of a disaster, the outcomes of previously assessed properties are tracked and this data is used to optimize our methodology.
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Our assessments integrate best practices and reccomendations from a diverse group of sources:
• CALFire, LA County Fire Department, National Fire Protection Association, and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety
• State and local laws and regulations
• Accredited research, subject matter experts, and mitigation specialists
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Our approach is based on the scientific findings of Dr. Jack Cohen’s Home Ignition Zone principles. Based on 30 years of groundbreaking research, this certification process drastically reduces the vulnerability of homes and properties to wildfires.
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With support from a grant from CALFire, we are able to offer assessments and certification free of charge for homes and businesses in the communities that we serve.
The home or business owner is responsible for all costs associated with the implementation of the recommendations in an assessment report.
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Mitigation compliance offers several financial incentive opportunities once a home or property is certified.
For example, insurance companies may be more likely to ackowledge a home or property's wildfire resiliency and may potentially offer discounts on insurance premiums.
“Large wildfires are inevitable. We must stop assuming that we have a wildfire problem, and realize we have a home ignition problem.”
Dr. Jack Cohen
Ignition Zone Certification Process
1. Inspect
Our specialists work with you to identify any potential wildfire vulnerabilities of your home or property. Considering your unique factors and conditions, we generate a customized report for the required mitigation steps. Factors we consider include:
Structure layout, materials, and architecture
Property geography and topography
Vegetation and foliage type and density
Property adjacent risks such as power lines
And many more factors
2. Mitigate
Following our in-depth and easy-to-follow report, you can easily and cost effectively mitigate the wildfire vulnerability of your home or property.
3. Certify
Our certification is recognized by primary insurance agencies, fire departments, local and state governments, and real estate brokerage firms.
4. Notify
Upon certification, you will be enrolled in our Seasonal, Red Flag, and Fire Event notifications which explain exactly what to do to further reduce your exposure before a wildfire event.
In the above images, mitigation specialists points out wildfire vulnerabilities during Home Ignition Zone Assessment inspections.
Frequently asked questions
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Inspections take between 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of your home or property.
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You will receive your report within 1 week of your inspection.
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Please complete the interest form below with your contact information.