The Los Altos Hills County Fire District (District or LAHCFD) is pleased to partner with the Santa Clara County FireSafe Council to offer the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) Assessment and Rebate Program to District residents. Residents will receive a personalized HIZ report and may qualify for up to $3,000 in matching funds upon completing rebate-eligible defensible space improvements on their property. HIZ Assessment recommendations must be within the 100-ft defensive space zone and completed by a licensed contractor to be eligible for the rebate.
Please read the Program Advisory on the registration page for more details.
What is an HIZ Assessment?
An HIZ Assessment is an onsite evaluation of your home and property that identifies vegetation, tree limbs, brush, and plantings around the 100-foot area from a structure that pose an increased risk of ignition to your property in the event of a wildfire or a structure fire. An HIZ Assessment also reviews a structure’s potential for ignition and makes recommendations on appropriate mitigation measures for homes, and other buildings on a property. If implemented, the recommendations provided during an HIZ Assessment can help to decrease the risk of property damage and loss, as well as injuries and loss of life. This may help with insurance renewals and potential rate discounts. Contact your insurance provider to determine eligibility.
The images below show examples of potential hazards that may be identified during an HIZ Assessment. These are all potential fuel sources or ember access areas that could cause a greater risk for a structure to burn during a wildfire.
Trees growing over the roof or chimney of a structure or within 5 feet of a structure can catch fire and drop embers onto the roof or down the chimney, causing the building to ignite.
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Vegetation growing close to a building can cause a structure to ignite. Vents on the sides of buildings can also serve as openings for embers to enter a structure and ignite.
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Vegetation growing within 5 feet of a building and/or under openings such as windows can catch embers and cause a structure to ignite.
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How does it work?
Upon registering for an HIZ Assessment, residents will be contacted by a representative from Santa Clara County FireSafe Council who will answer any questions and schedule the assessment. All assessors are certified by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), which is the only certifying agency in the country. Assessors learn about wildfire behavior, structure exposure, and concepts of the Home Ignition Zone and Structure Ignition Potential from experienced wildland fire specialists.
During the HIZ Assessment, your assessor will conduct a guided outside walk-through of your property with you to provide real-time feedback and address any questions or concerns specific to your property. The assessor will point out potential hazards around the outside of your home structure and property. The outdoor walk-through will take approximately 60 minutes.
Next Steps
Within a week, you will receive a customized assessment report of your home and property via email. The report will contain a list of items and recommendations, with photos, that were identified as potential hazards in the event of wildfire or structure fire. Each recommendation will have an appropriate mitigation measure. The report will also contain resources on how to complete those mitigation measures, such as District, Town, or County programs, and other resources.
Rebate-eligible items will be indicated in the report. Once you’ve mitigated hazards, you can add “after” photos to your online report. Follow the steps provided by your FireSafe Council representative to submit the required rebate documentation.
Residents may apply for 50% of the cost of implementing the HIZ recommendations for up to $3,000 per property, per year. For example, if a resident spends $1,000 for eligible items, they will be eligible to receive a $500 rebate. To qualify for the Rebate Program, residents are required to use a licensed contractor for vegetation removal, brush cutting, and tree trimming. Tree removal does not qualify for a rebate. For more details, please review the program advisory here.
All residents may obtain one HIZ assessment and participate in the rebate program once a year. Participating annually is a great approach to maintaining your defensible space and can make the process of property and home hardening from wildfire more achievable. Get started with a plan to increase your life and property safety and reduce the risk of ember and wildfire ignitions. Register today.
Resources provided by LAHCFD to help you with vegetation mitigation on your property:
- Defensible Space Brush Chipping and Debris Removal Program
- Vegetation Removal Monthly Drop-off Program at Foothill College Parking Lot
- LAHCFD Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) Assessment and Rebate Program
- Join or create a Firewise® USA neighborhood in your community
- NFPA Preparing homes for wildfire information
Build a more resilient community!
Now that you’ve created defensible space and hardened your own home to reduce the risks from wildfire, encourage your neighbors to do the same. Hardened homes lead to safer neighborhoods. Join your neighbors to create a Firewise USA® Community. Visit our Firewise USA® webpage for more information.
