Partnering with EmberReady, residents unite to protect homes and loved ones, setting an example of how a neighborhood can organize around a shared goal and take action.
At the Headlands HOA in Sausalito, neighbors are working together to make their homes safer from wildfire. The 139-condominium community at the northwest edge of Marin City has completed their first wildfire resiliency project through Marin Wildfire’s new EmberReady program, putting a shared plan for protecting homes and loved ones into action.
On October 23, residents welcomed visitors from neighboring communities to see the fire smart landscaping improvements firsthand during a two-hour tour hosted by EmberReady and Ecologically Sound Practices Partnership. Representatives from Marin Wildfire and Fire Safe Marin gave visitors the opportunity to ask questions about various other preparedness efforts across Marin.
The fire smart landscaping and Zone 0 upgrades are just the beginning for residents of the Headlands HOA, which became a nationally recognized Firewise community during the project planning process. The community will continue to improve their wildfire resiliency through a six-year fire mitigation plan that the HOA developed through their experience with EmberReady.
Pooling resources to get started
The Headlands dedicated HOA funds to make the landscaping improvements with additional grant funding through EmberReady. That shared investment helped them develop and begin carrying out a six-year wildfire mitigation plan.
Working with the local Marin County Fire Department and EmberReady, the HOA connected neighborhood priorities with expert guidance. Together, the HOA and residents developed a six-year wildfire mitigation plan to provide clear direction to reduce risks over time, starting with work close to their homes.
What is EmberReady?
Marin Wildfire’s recently established EmberReady program helps residents and neighborhoods reduce wildfire risk. Of EmberReady’s currently active efforts, the Headlands HOA project is the first to reach completion. EmberReady helps residents understand their wildfire risk reports, prioritize their improvements, and make the most of available resources.
EmberReady also works with local fire departments to support HOAs, Firewise communities and other organized neighborhoods, coordinating cost-saving programs for defensible space and home hardening, organizing outreach and simplifying contractor selection so neighbors can take action together.
Safer landscaping and stronger homes
The project tour focused on a pod of 12 condominiums, where EmberReady had directed crews to remove vegetation from Zone 0, hazardous vegetation, trim vegetation, and relocate a few trees outside Zone 0. These changes significantly reduced the materials that could burn near homes, creating defensible space while still preserving valued plants and making the landscaping more attractive throughout the condominium pod.
Much of this work focused on Zone 0, the first five feet around a home. Keeping this area free of combustible materials helps reduce the chance that windblown embers will start a fire next to the building. By being proactive and implementing Zone 0 ahead of California’s Zone 0 regulations, which are still moving through final review, Headlands HOA is now a beautiful and local example of what reducing hazards close to homes can look like.
The visit ended with a live installation of ember-resistant vents on one of the condos. The demonstration, conducted by Shearman Builders, offered a look at the anticipated next phase of the HOA’s plan, which will focus on home hardening. The ember-resistent vents are just one of the planned upgrades that will help the buildings resist ignition from embers.
A separate shaded fuel break project by Marin Wildfire and Marin County Fire Department is also underway along the community’s northern edge. That work is intended to slow wildfire spread from adjacent wildlands toward homes in the wider Marin City community.
Wildfire upgrades and insurance options
Some insurance companies have started offering discounts to homeowners who make wildfire resilience improvements. When done correctly, making wildfire safety upgrades can help residents leave the California FAIR Plan and secure conventional coverage. As recently reported in the news, some homeowners across the Bay Area have made that switch after completing home hardening and Zone 0 work, saving them thousands of dollars a year in insurance premiums.
EmberReady offers free, virtual one-on-one wildfire risk consultations to review residents’ wildfire risk reports, help prioritize which areas of risk to tackle first, identify ways to make the most of available resources, and discuss options for getting off the CA FAIR Plan.
Start with your home and grow from there
The work at Headlands HOA is an example of how a neighborhood can organize around a shared goal and take action. The effort made by the Headlands HOA’s residents offers practical lessons for other communities across Marin, highlighting the need to agree on priorities, combine resources, and seek expert guidance to turn risk reduction recommendations into real world resilience work.
Fire Safe Marin can help you understand what to do next, with practical advice on home hardening, fire-smart landscaping and Zone 0. Explore our home hardening guidance and Zone 0 resources, and find out how to make your neighborhood a Firewise community. You can also learn how EmberReady is working to support neighborhood efforts at specific high-risk locations in Marin.
