CalChiefs and IBHS to Host Live Burn Demonstration on Wildfire Resilience and Zone 0 Mitigation
The California Fire Chiefs Association (CalChiefs) and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) will conduct a live-fire demonstration in South Carolina to illustrate how landscaping and design choices impact wildfire vulnerability. The test will feature two side-by-side structures: one adhering to IBHS's Wildfire Prepared Home™ standard, which requires a five-foot noncombustible zone, and another containing common vulnerabilities that allow embers and radiant heat to ignite homes. The demonstration highlights the importance of 'Zone 0,' the immediate area surrounding a structure. While California is advancing regulations for defensible space, IBHS advocates for a stricter standard that removes all combustible materials within the first five feet. The event aims to provide homeowners and policymakers with empirical evidence on how individual mitigation efforts can collectively reduce fire spread across entire communities.
Topics: home safety standards insurance risk mitigation landscaping regulations wildfire resilience