By Noah Zahn
Wyoming Tribune Eagle
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

CHEYENNE — As Wyoming approaches another wildfire season, a research institute has expanded a program to help homeowners reduce fire risk in the state.

The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety announced the expansion of its Wildfire Prepared Home program to 10 more states, including Wyoming, where the wildfire risk is higher than 70% of the rest of the country.

The program, which launched in 2022, is designed to translate building science into actionable steps for homeowners. By completing specific mitigation tasks and passing a third party verification, residents can earn a designation certificate that proves their home is better equipped to survive a wildfire.

As of early 2026, more than 1,400 homes have earned the Wildfire Prepared Home designation. For the IBHS wind-resilience program, FORTIFIED Home, more than 90,000 homes are currently certified.

While the certificate does not directly reduce insurance rates for homeowners, the IBHS, which is funded by insurance companies, hopes to reduce insurance rates nationally by making properties across the country better equipped for natural disasters.

“We’ve been researching wildfire, figuring out how homes ignite, what makes them fail and, more importantly, how do we protect them,” said Laura Blaul, a senior wildfire fellow at IBHS and a former fire service executive with over 30 years of experience.

The research conducted at the IBHS Research Center in South Carolina — a facility featuring a massive wall of fans capable of generating 130 mph winds — shows that most homes are destroyed by wind-blown embers. These embers can travel over a mile ahead of a fire front, settling in vulnerable areas like gutters and vents.

“We can generate high winds and shoot embers that build and see how they perform,” Blaul said, adding that Wyoming’s naturally windy environment makes this research particularly relevant.

Two programs for protection

The Wildfire Prepared Home program offers two distinct levels of protection: Base and Plus.

The base level is primarily designed for existing homes and focuses on defending against wind-blown embers. It involves retrofits like installing ⅛-inch metal mesh over vents and maintaining a zone of noncombustible material around the structure.

The Plus level is often achieved during new construction or major renovations. The changes add protection against radiant heat and direct flame contact.

“If you’re doing a new build, it’s pretty inexpensive to move to the Plus, which (protects from) embers, radiant heat and direct flame,” Blaul said. This level requires more robust building materials, such as noncombustible siding and multi-paned tempered glass windows.

“Wildfire resilience isn’t a single upgrade or a one-time checklist — it takes a set of mitigations to both the home and landscaping, along with ongoing maintenance,” Steve Hawks, senior director for wildfire at IBHS, wrote in a news release.

“When mitigation measures work together, they improve the chances a structure survives and helps strengthen long-term insurability. Expanding Wildfire Prepared makes it easier for more homeowners, builders and communities to implement that system and demonstrate that meaningful risk reduction has taken place.”

The 5 foot zone

Perhaps the most critical element of the program is the 0-to-5 foot noncombustible zone. This is the area immediately surrounding the home and its attachments (like decks and porches) and requires they are kept entirely free of combustible materials.

This means removing all vegetation, wood mulch, stored firewood and even combustible fencing within 5 feet of the building.

“We are just looking at your 5-foot zone around your home where embers tend to accumulate and ignite the siding of your home or start a small fire that can burn up into your eaves,” Blaul said. She added that simple yard maintenance, like sweeping debris off the roof and out of gutters, “meaningfully reduces your risk and protects your home from that emberdriven fire.”

Getting the certificate

For Wyoming homeowners, the process begins at wildfireprepared. org, where they can access a “how-to” checklist. 

Once the mitigation work is complete, owners apply through an online portal with a $125 fee and submit photos of their property for an initial eligibility review. If the photos are approved, IBHS sends a third-party evaluator to the home to verify the work in person. Once this is complete, a certificate is sent to the homeowners.

“Wildfire doesn’t stop at a property line,” Roy Wright, president and CEO of IBHS, said in a news release. “Once it enters a neighborhood, the built environment can either slow it down or help it spread. What one homeowner, builder or community does directly affects the survivability of the structures around them.”

Safety and insurance

As wildfire risks grow, the insurance industry is looking for homes with verified mitigation.

“What insurers are looking for is low risk … they are looking for homes that are mitigated,” Blaul said. She said that while IBHS is a research organization and not an insurance provider, the designation provides a common language for homeowners and insurers.

Ultimately, the goal is to create communities that can withstand disasters.

“Wildfire risk definitely seems to be growing,” Blaul said. “What this program brings is a meaningful way to reduce that risk … creating a more survivable, insurable home is probably important to everyone.”

The program has scaled from four original states to 14 as of 2026, with IBHS currently working with 40 different neighborhoods being built to implement the Wildfire Prepared standards from the ground up.