What is a Firewise site?
The MHC mission is to:
1. Protect the safety of our families.
2. Preserve the value of our homes.
3. Help the entire community to do this.
For more information:
• Firewise USA: https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/firewise-usa
• Forest Lakes Firewise Site website: https://www.forestlakesfsa.org/
• Felton Firewise Facebook group: (Events): https://www.facebook.com/groups/224097602609136/
Am I already part of a Firewise site?
Mt Hermon has multiple Firewise sites rather than a single site:
- Mount Hermon Northwest (Wendy Lord: [email protected], Karin Gallagher: [email protected])
- Mount Hermon West (Tim Galleher: [email protected])
- Mount Hermon Pine-Ridge (Gavin Maxwell: [email protected], Verjene Kalashian: [email protected], Eric Gobler: [email protected])
To determine whether you are in or close to an existing Firewise Recognized community, enter your address in the search box of the Firewise map viewer:
https://sccgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/basic/index.html?appid=2f4184e0622f48009be27031318be8e0
To continue being qualified as a Firewise community, residents must enter their hours and dollars spent on Wildfire preparedness in November of every year.
Keep track of your hours and money you spend on wildlife resilience. Site leaders will create a form for you to complete this form before October 21, 2026. (TBD)
How do I get a discount from my insurance company for being Firewise-certified?
Contact your insurance company to see if they give a discount for being part of a Firewise community. Some insurance companies give additional fire prevention discounts.
If you are on the CA Fair Plan, you must submit the following documents to your agent to get the
discount.
1. Current Firewise Certificate
The NFPA approved Perimeter Map Use our online map to zoom in to your
address and print that section:
2. The California Fair Plan Insurance Discount document (required for CA
Fair Plan only)
3. Screenshot of the Firewise communities map showing your address (may
or may not be required for CA Fair Plan). Your agent/broker may be able
to do this.
https://nfpa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Viewer/index.html?appid=c4a788340df748f18d98d8363145bb67
How do I become part of a Firewise site?
If you are not already part of a Mt Hermon Firewise site, you can either:
1) Join an existing site. Contact the closest Firewise site and ask if you can join.
2) Start your own site. See:
Resources?
- Forest Lakes Fire and Safety Resources. For videos and fire warning
apps, see: https://www.forestlakesfsa.org/resources
a) Several SLV Firewise leaders can mentor and answer questions:
Lynn Sestak: [email protected] or
[email protected] (Firewise Coordinator and HIZ Assessor)
Craig Winters: [email protected] (Felton Lakes Firewise Site leader
Wendy Lord: [email protected] (Site leader, Mt Hermon Northwest)
b) If you have sufficient interest from community members, Lynn Sestak can
schedule a “Lets Go Firewise” zoom presentation to start a site. - The FireSafe Council of Santa Cruz County offers free Home Ignition Zone
(HIZ) assessments (starting in 2026). Submit a request on this form: https://www.firesafesantacruz.org/hiz - Firewise Communities/USA Recognition Program (Marin County). This site includes information on how to make your property more fire resilient.