Keep your home safe and insurable
Plain-language steps that make your home far more likely to survive a wildfire and give you a stronger case with insurers. Start with what’s free and cheap.
Start here
What brought you here?
Pick the one that fits. Each path ends with one clear next step.
I got an insurance notice
A nonrenewal, a cancellation or a big wildfire-related rate jump. Here's what to ask, what to fix first and who helps for free.
Keep your insuranceI want to lower my risk
A ranked list of what actually keeps a house from burning, cheapest and most effective first. Most of step one is a weekend of work.
See the 7 stepsI need help paying for it
Which grants and free inspections are open right now, how to avoid reimbursement traps, and how to find help anywhere.
Find helpThe checklist
Seven steps, in the order that matters
Embers start most home fires in a wildfire, so the list starts where embers land. The early steps are the cheapest and count the most with fire experts and insurers. Based on IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home and Oregon State Fire Marshal guidance.
- 1
The first 5 feet around the house
Replace bark mulch with rock, move plants and woodpiles away, clear needles and debris, and swap the last 5 feet of fence for metal.
- 2
Roof and gutters
Keep the roof and gutters clear of needles and moss, trim branches back from the roof, and choose a Class A roof when you replace it.
Guide coming soon - 3
Vents
Cover foundation, eave and gable vents with 1/8-inch metal mesh, or upgrade to ember-resistant vents.
Guide coming soon - 4
Decks, siding and fences
Empty the space under the deck, enclose low decks, and keep 6 inches of noncombustible material at the base of the walls.
Guide coming soon - 5
5 to 30 feet
Limb trees up, remove shrubs under trees, and space plants so fire can’t climb or spread.
- 6
30 to 100 feet
Remove dead trees and brush, thin small trees, and chip or haul slash instead of piling it.
Guide coming soon - 7
Access for fire engines
A visible address sign, a clear driveway and room for an engine to turn around. Crews defend homes they can reach.
Guide coming soon
Costs are rough estimates: $ under $200, $$ $200–$1,000, $$$ over $1,000. Print the checklist and photo log →
Free help, open now
Three calls worth making
Free home inspection
541-896-3311McKenzie Fire & Rescue checks driveway access and the first 50 feet, and gives you a list.
Insurance problem
888-877-4894Oregon Division of Financial Regulation consumer advocates help with nonrenewals and complaints.
Statewide assessment
Request onlineThe Oregon State Fire Marshal offers free defensible space visits anywhere in Oregon.
Guides
Plain-language guides
Each one answers a real question, links to the official source, and ends with a next step.
How to keep your home insurance in wildfire country
Nonrenewals, shopping for coverage, the FAIR Plan, and what insurers recognize.
The first 5 feet
The cheapest, highest-impact protection for your home, with costs.
Wildfire grants and free help
What’s open in Oregon now, grant traps to avoid, and how to find help anywhere.
Defensible space for your home or business
Oregon’s defensible space zones and how to start.
Fire-resistant plants for the McKenzie
What to plant farther out from the house.
Plants that act like fuel
Trees and shrubs to remove or keep well away from the house.
Straight talk
What this work can and can’t do
This work makes your home much more likely to survive a wildfire. That part is backed by research.
It doesn’t guarantee a lower premium. Insurers use their own risk models and set their own discounts. Doing the work and documenting it gives you the strongest possible case.
MCP doesn’t sell anything. We explain your options and connect you with the agencies and experts who can help.
For other communities
Use this in your town
Most of this applies anywhere in the Cascades and the rural West. The checklist, photo log and guides are free to copy and adapt; please credit McKenzie Community Partnership. Tell us how you’re using it.
Questions
Quick answers
Does fire-safety work lower my home insurance?
It can. Oregon insurers must consider defensible space and home hardening, but each company decides its own discounts. The work reliably makes your home more likely to survive; a lower premium is a possible bonus.
What should I do first?
Clear everything that can burn from the first 5 feet around your house. Embers cause up to 90 percent of home ignitions in wildfires, and this step costs little or nothing.
Is this the Firewise program?
No. We use proven tools from Firewise USA, IBHS and the Oregon State Fire Marshal, but this is MCP’s homeowner program. Neighborhoods that want official Firewise USA recognition can still pursue it.
Can other communities use this?
Yes. The checklist, photo log and guides are free to copy and adapt. Please credit McKenzie Community Partnership.