Zone Zero is the first line of defense against wildfires, and it’s the hardest—and most expensive—area to protect. Homes in Berkeley, Oakland, and the East Bay are at high risk from ember storms and radiant heat. Learn why Zone Zero is so important, how to upgrade your home’s immediate surroundings, and how Zone Zero Fire Shield can help protect your home during wildfire season.

Zone Zero is a crucial part of wildfire defense, especially for homes in Berkeley, Oakland, and the East Bay. This first line of defense involves protecting the structure itself and the surrounding area within five feet. Learn why Zone Zero is so important and how ember-resistant materials, strategic upgrades, and proactive measures can safeguard your home. CAL FIRE and local fire councils, like Berkeley FireSafe Council, are emphasizing this concept to prevent ember storms and radiant heat from destroying homes.

Retrofitting your home for wildfire defense is one of the most important actions you can take to protect your property from the growing threat of wildfires. In regions like Oakland, Berkeley, and Alameda County, where homes are often situated in high-risk fire zones, retrofitting can mean the difference between a home that withstands the flames and one that succumbs to ember storms and radiant heat. By upgrading various parts of your home, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of ignition during wildfire events.

Fire-resistant doors are crucial to safeguarding your home against wildfires, especially in high-risk zones like Berkeley, Oakland, and Moraga. Learn why upgrading your doors is one of the best defenses for protecting your home from radiant heat, flying embers, and direct flame. Discover essential tips on selecting and retrofitting fire-rated doors, sealing entry points, and integrating passive fire protection like Zone Zero Fire Shield for enhanced defense.

Windows often feel like passive parts of the home—meant to bring in light and views. But in a wildfire, they can be one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities. Thin glass, aging seals, and nearby debris can all turn an ember storm into a structure fire in minutes.

When we talk about defending our homes from wildfire, we often focus on the main house—but detached structures like sheds, garages, and ADUs can be just as critical. These secondary buildings can become ignition sources during a wildfire and may even spread fire to your primary home if they’re not protected.

For California homeowners—especially in high-risk fire zones like Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, and the Oakland Hills—fireproofing these outbuildings should be part of your wildfire defense strategy.

When it comes to protecting your home from wildfires, one of the most crucial steps you can take is home hardening. With the increasing frequency of wildfires in California, particularly in areas like Berkeley, Oakland, Orinda, and Moraga, hardening your home is no longer just an option—it’s a necessity. This blog will walk you through the essential aspects of home hardening, why it's important, and how you can implement key fire-resistant features to keep your home safe.

A fire-safe perimeter is a defensible space that reduces the amount of combustible material around your property, thereby decreasing the chances of a fire spreading to your home. This space typically includes a combination of landscape management, fire-resistant materials, and maintenance practices.

When preparing your home for a wildfire, one of the most important steps is selecting the right building materials. Unfortunately, not all materials are created equal, and some can increase the vulnerability of your home during a wildfire. This blog will outline the top 10 materials to avoid in wildfire zones, helping you make informed choices when protecting your home.

Learn how ember attacks ignite homes during wildfires and what you can do to protect your property. This blog covers strategies for preventing ember damage, including home hardening, landscaping, and fire-resistant materials.

When it comes to wildfire preparedness, defensible space is one of the most critical elements in safeguarding your home. It’s the area around your property where you take proactive steps to eliminate fuel sources that could feed a fire, particularly flying embers, which are responsible for more than 90% of home ignitions during wildfires. In Berkeley, the city’s new EMBER program emphasizes the importance of creating defensible space as part of its comprehensive approach to wildfire resilience.

Learn how radiant heat affects homes during wildfires and the steps you can take to protect your home from heat exposure. This blog covers fire-resistant materials, radiant heat barriers, and mitigation strategies specific to Berkeley.

Learn the essential steps of home hardening to protect your property from wildfires. This blog covers fire-resistant materials, wildfire mitigation strategies, and home improvements specific to Berkeley’s EMBER program.

 Learn about fire-resistant landscaping and how it can help protect your Berkeley home from wildfires. This guide covers the best plants, materials, and strategies to create a fire-safe landscape around your home.

Create fire-safe space around your houseUse hard surfaces, such as stone, brick, gravel, or concrete as a buffer. Remove plants near windows, vents, or siding that could catch fire. Trim branches hanging over your roof. Trim lower branches on trees that could ignite from fire on the ground.

Zone Zero, also known as the Ember Resistant Zone or the Home Ignition Zone, is the area immediately surrounding your home that poses the highest risk of ignition from flying embers. The ember-resistant zone is crucial in wildfire defense because the majority of homes are lost not to direct flames, but due to embers that are carried by the wind and ignite flammable materials close to the structure.

In California, Assembly Bill 3074 (AB 3074) mandates the creation of this zone, with new regulations expected to be fully implemented by 2025. This law requires property owners to manage the 0 to 5 feet surrounding their homes to prevent ember intrusion and the spread of fire.