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The ember-resistant zone and home hardening are one system. Here's the structure side, prioritized by what actually saves homes.
Priority order
The Cranston Fire put 7,000+ mountain residents through evacuation in 2018; hardening plus Zone 0 is what survivability looks like when the next wind event comes. The free assessment covers both, and assistance programs can help with high-country costs.
Questions
They're partners. Zone 0 removes fuel in the first 5 feet; home hardening upgrades the structure itself: vents, eaves, roofing, decks, and windows. IBHS research treats them as one system, because embers exploit whichever weakness exists.
Ember-resistant vents are consistently the best cost-to-protection ratio. Embers entering attic and crawlspace vents ignite homes from the inside, and vent retrofits are far cheaper than roofing or window replacement.
New construction in Very High zones already follows Chapter 7A building standards. For existing homes, most hardening beyond Zone 0 is best practice rather than mandate, which makes it the smart thing to do while retrofitting the ember-resistant zone anyway.
A free assessment tells you exactly which Zone Zero requirements apply to your parcel, what your local fire authority will look for, and what to fix first. 100% free, no obligation.
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