Creating Firewise Communities
One of the most important initial activities of the Agoura Hills Fire Safe Council is to create a Firewise USA Program.
The Agoura Hills Fire Safe Council has begun to create Firewise communities in the following communities:
- Hillrise
- Morrison Ranch
- Liberty Canyon
- Fountainwood
- Lake Lindero
The Firewise USA program was developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and is a cooperative effort among local, state, federal, and private agencies and organizations to promote fire safety in the wildland/urban interface.
Firefighters do not have the resources to defend every home during a wildfire. Firewise communities are those that have taken appropriate measures to mitigate or prevent wildfire structural damage.
There is a 2,500-dwelling maximum for a Firewise community. Because Agoura Hills has approximately 7,500 dwellings, we have elected to take an HOA-by-HOA approach to qualify for the program. Therefore, at a local level, we are forming Firewise Communities in your HOA or neighborhood, which will provide better protection for the entire community and potentially qualify residents for a discount on their Homeowners Insurance. Each Firewise community will qualify for Firewise Status as soon as it meets the requirements.
Agoura Hills is on its way to achieving the objectives of the Firewise program in its communities by addressing the required five components:
- Create a board or committee of volunteers to represent the community
- Complete a Community Wildfire Risk Assessment (CWRA)
- Develop a three-year action plan
- Compile volunteer hours
- Annual meeting
The AHFSC is assisting its communities to achieve Firewise-recognition, however, we need your help at the local level to complete this. Please help us, through wildfire mitigation, save life and property in Agoura Hills.
We assist communities in applying for, setting up, and managing these Firewise communities. Once Firewise-recognized, you will have achieved greater protection for your family and community from wildfire, and you will have potentially earned a discount on your Homeowners Insurance.
Although already mandated by the State, the California Department of Insurance (CDI) is currently doing a final review of insurance companies’ policies that will give discounts to insurers who have done work to mitigate wildfire. Many insurance companies are already offering discounts—see CDI link below.
Discounts are available if one or more of the following actions have been taken:
- Home-specific hardening against wildfire activities
- Community-wide mitigation programs like Firewise-recognition
In some cases, these discounts can be combined.
CLICK HERE for more information on the Firewise USA program
CLICK HERE to visit the CDI website and see which residential property insurance companies are currently offering discounts
Please contact us to find out how you and your community can take advantage of the Agoura Hills Fire Safe Council and our Firewise community programs.
