Wildfire Mitigation Services began operations in 2020 after Paul Keane, an accredited Wildfire Mitigation Specialist with the National Fire Protection Association N.F.P.A., saw a need to offer professional Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) wildfire mitigation assessments to help safeguard home properties and communities from the threat of wildfire. The assessment gives practical recommendations that homeowners can use to reduce the risk of their home and property being damaged or destroyed in a wildfire event.

The mission of Wildfire Mitigation Services is “Protecting Communities in the Wildland-Urban-Interface One Home at a Time”. Wildfire Mitigation Services wants to give its customers easily understood and effective recommendations for reducing the risks from a wildfire either damaging or completely destroying one’s home in a wildfire situation. This is why our Home Ignition Zone assessment is undertaken by an initial:

• On-site evaluation of your property’s Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) by an accredited Wildfire Mitigation Specialist. This is normally 1 hour but may be longer and includes a 30 minute walk-around with the property owner to review a home’s ignition zone – the key aspects of your Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) assessment that show where to protect against against the negative effects of a wildfire (Appointment is approximately 1.5 hours in total).

• An electronic/digital copy of your Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) assessment with personalized Home Ignition Zone mitigation recommendations is sent to the homeowner within 24 – 48 hours of an on-site, residential Home Ignition Zone assessment service.

• A follow-up telephone appointment can also be arranged to discuss key aspects of your Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) assessment. This is available after you have had more time to read your HIZ assessment. This phone call can cover what wildfire risk reductions are necessary to protect your home from the threat of wildfires in your area.

Paul Keane is a dedicated Wildfire Mitigation Specialist engaged in the development of increased awareness about practices in home hardening for wildfire, and the fire safety measures required for effective wildfire mitigation of residential properties. This helps prepare homeowners in advance of the threats from wildfires in their local area. Paul has worked as a Wildfire Mitigation Specialist for the communities of Oceanside, Vista, Fallbrook, Bonsall, Pala and Pauma Valley in North County, San Diego. He is committed to individual homeowner and community wildfire mitigation efforts across the County of San Diego, and to informing residents of the benefits of undertaking a Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) assessment for their property. This includes the potential benefits of maintaining their wildfire insurance policy and receiving mitigation discounts from insurance companies offering wildfire insurance. By implementing a HIZ assessment homeowner properties are greatly protected by the reduction of wildfire risk to residential properties. Paul is also accredited and certified in structure ignition training undertaken with the National Fire Protection Association (N.F.P.A.) in both community wildfire mitigation and tailored wildfire mitigation assessment, known nationally and locally, as the Home Ignition Zone (HIZ) assessment.

A Home Ignition Zone assessment can reduce the risks to your home from wildfire by properly evaluating your home and landscape in advance of wildfire threats in your community area. Wildland-Urban-Interface disasters can occur when home to home fire transmission happens due to the negative effects from a wildfire, and normally, a result of fire embers landing on and around housing structures.

“More recently, the home destruction problem related to wildfires became nationally recognized in 1985 and has become known as the wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire problem” (Cohen, 2008).

Stay Informed and Be Prepared with Proactive Planning for the next Wildfire Event, a Home Ignition Zone Assessment can reduce risk of wildfire impacts when mitigation recommendations are implemented before a wildfire occurs.