Defensible Space and Insurance � IBHS and Firewise

The Spark: Wildfire Preparedness Is Year-Round

Defensible Space and insurance: IBHS & Firewise

The Spark: Wildfire Preparedness is Year-Round

Start with the first 5 feet.

This month's edition of The Spark bulletin delves into the Wildfire Prepared Homes program and how it could help you retain your insurance .

Read The Spark and share it around!

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) Wildfire Prepared Home program is now in New Mexico, giving homeowners a pathway to reduce wildfire risk and to maintain their home insurance.

The Wildfire Prepared Home program certifies that your home meets specific standards for defensible space and home hardening. These include a five-foot zone of non-combustible material (no mulch, no shrubs, no trees or vegetation at all), a class-A roof, and other specifications. Residents document the work they’ve done and submit photos and information to IBHS, who will then send evaluators to ensure the work has been done.

Once the home has passed the inspection, a designation certificate will be issued that’s good for three years.

In 2025, New Mexico aligned state home preparedness standards with IBHS criteria, and the Office of Superintendent of Insurance (OSI) and State Fire Marshal's Office are now certified program inspectors.

Right now, the application fee for any New Mexico homeowner is just $25 (usually $125). FAIR Plan residents can also apply for OSI grants to help cover home hardening retrofit costs.

IBHS and Firewise USA

The IBHS program is not replacing Firewise USA -- they are complementary. Firewise organizes neighborhoods to address wildfire risk together through community boards, action plans, and shared collaboration. IBHS certification focuses on your individual structure and requires meeting specific standards.

Ultimately, both efforts are voluntary, and both seek to help you reduce the risk of home loss during a wildfire. Even better -- both efforts reinforce each other: if your neighborhood is already a Firewise community, you have taken significant steps toward IBHS designation.

No matter which path you pursue, remember, the end goal is protecting your home from wildfire. Your home can be ready. Start with the first five feet.

TAKE ACTION

Start your Wildfire Prepared Home application: wildfireprepared.org

Start or join a Firewise USA community: Firewise USA / NFPA: nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/firewise-usa

Learn about FAIR Plan grants for home hardening: NM Office of Superintendent of Insurance: osi.state.nm.us

Find insurance resources and guidance: Fire Adapted New Mexico: facnm.org/home-insurance-and-wildfire

LEARN MORE

IBHS Wildfire Research

Wildfire Prepared Home Checklist :

Protecting Your Home from Wildfire

A house that survived the 2016 Cold Springs Fire. Photo courtesy Josh Schlossberg/Boulder Weekly.

Download the Spark

The Spark: Wildfire Preparedness is Year Round is a joint production of the Forest Stewards Guild , Bureau of Land Management - New Mexico , New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute , New Mexico Forestry Division , U.S. Forest Service , and Fire Adapted NM Learning Network. Learn more and read past issues at facnm.org .

Read past issues

Connect with the Forestry Division

The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department - Forestry Division retains lead responsibility for wildland fire management on all non-federal, non-Tribal, and non-municipal lands. The Division promotes healthy, sustainable forests and watersheds in New Mexico for the benefit of current and future generations.

Our mailing address is:

1220 S St Francis Dr., Santa Fe, NM 87505

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