Zone Zero Offense

They say the best defense is a strong offense and that's what we mean when we talk about the Home WIldfire Defense, ZZO. It's about taking an inventory of your vulnerabilities measured against your actual appetite for real change and your budget, of course.

Start with Zone 0: Your Home’s First Line of Defense Against Wildfire

If you live in a wildfire-prone area, the most critical five feet of your property is the space closest to your home—Zone 0. This is the area where blowing embers land, smolder, and can ignite your house before the main fire ever arrives. Up to 90% of homes lost in wildfires are ignited by embers, not direct flame. That means Zone 0 isn’t landscaping—it’s life safety.

Your job is to make Zone 0 lean, clean, and green. No wood mulch. No dry leaves or pine needles. No firewood stacked against the wall. Remove dead plants and anything flammable—old furniture, doormats, jute rugs, or hanging baskets. Replace wooden fences that attach to the house with ignition-resistant materials. Choose non-combustible planters. If it can burn, it shouldn’t be in Zone 0.

Clean your gutters and roof regularly. Embers love to collect in corners, crevices, and debris piles. Consider metal mesh screens for vents and fire-resistant skirting below decks.

These small proactive steps can stop fire from finding a foothold in your home.

What's more, Zone 0 work is often the easiest and most affordable wildfire defense you can undertake—and it has immediate impact. It protects your family, your home, and the first responders who may be called to defend your neighborhood.

Insurance companies are beginning to demand this kind of mitigation, and may drop or deny coverage if you ignore it. But don’t wait for a fire or a letter from your carrier.

Walk your home today. Look for what might catch a spark. Then start clearing, replacing, and hardening. It’s not about perfection—it’s about survival.

Zone 0 is where the fire will try to win. Don’t give it the chance.