Explore how homeowners who reside in WUI zones can protect themselves, their families, and their homes from the destruction of wildfire outbreaks with the installation of ember-resistant vents.

Did you recently move to California? Or are you remodeling an existing household located in a “WUI zone”? Or did you just purchase your first home on the West Coast(congrats!)? If you answer yes to any of the above, this article is highly recommended for you. When settling into your new home, it’s important to check on several requirements – especially if you are residing in a “WUI zone”.

A “WUI” (Wildland Urban Interface) zone is “the zone of transition between unoccupied land and human development. It is the line, area, or zone where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels.” (Source: U.S. Fire Administration – What is the WUI?).

As one can guess, WUI zones are notorious for being a prime location for wildfires to begin and accelerate towards neighboring areas. Therefore, it is CRITICAL for new and current homeowners to 1) identify if their home is in a WUI zone, and 2) implement home hardening practices to ensure proper protection against the various elements of an active wildfire.

In today’s blog, we will be 1) recognizing the rising problem in Wildland Urban Interface zones, 2) addressing the recently adopted building codes created to combat ember storms, flames, and heat spread, and lastly, 3) providing you with the details on home hardening practices.

So, let’s begin the journey of hardening your home against hot embers, flames, smoke, and heat spread.

The Problem: The Growth of WUI Zones in the United States

As previously mentioned, Wildland Urban Interface or “WUI” zones are one of the main causes on why more Americans are experiencing the destruction of wildfires. But, why? Is it because there are just simply more wildfires? Well, yes and no.

With multiple factors, such as longer summer dry seasons, drier soils, and drier vegetation, the average wildfire season has lengthened over the past several years. With the extension in the wildfire season, wildfire frequency and the volume of burned areas have increased significantly.

However, these are not the only major factors in wildfire destruction. Due to population growth and the demand for more homes, developers have resorted to developing in WUI zones. With the rising development in these wildfire-prone areas, an increasing number of Americans are being exposed to the potential dangers of wildfires.

When residing in a WUI zone during an active wildfire, homeowners are exposed to ember storms, flames, and heat spread. With this exposure, homeowners, their families, and their homes are greatly threatened by the damage wildfires can inflict.

Furthermore, it was crucial to address this rising issue and implement appropriate measures to protect our growing communities.

Understanding Your Local Building Codes

Often, homeowners believe WUI areas are only present in the state of California; however, this is false. Currently, the following states have the greatest number of houses in a WUI Zone – Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Disclaimer: Not every area has equal risks of wildfires.

On the other hand, the previously mentioned states are not the ONLY states which have designated WUI zones. Therefore, it is important for homeowners to identify if their home resides in one of these zones. To view if your home resides in a Wildland Urban Interface, please use this tool.

Even though we previously stated that California isn’t the only state who houses WUI zones, California is one of the few states, who have adopted building codes to protect their people and their properties.  With the passing of Chapter 7A in California Building Code, construction professionals are now required to install ember, fire, and smoke protection features in building elements.

Chapter 7A of the California Building Code sets minimum standards for fire-resistance ratings of components like walls, firestops, shaft enclosures, partitions, smoke barriers, floors, fire-resistive coatings, and sprayed fire-resistant materials, among other items.

This code applies to new construction

• Residential buildings including multi-family complexes,
• Commercial buildings,
• Educational Facilities,
• And additional building types.

To learn more about Chapter 7A, please click here.

Now, whether you live in a WUI zone inside or outside of California, it is still important to incorporate the standards of Chapter 7A and additional home hardening practices to ensure maximum safety for you, your family and your home. When it comes to safety, there should be no compromises.

Let’s Harden Your Home.

When it comes to hardening your home against millions of hot embers, flames, smoke, and high temperatures, it’s not just one simple “fix-all”. In fact, home hardening involves numerous components, all of which must be in place to ensure your home is fully protected from wildfires. Let’s move forward by reviewing each component of home hardening.

Use Fire-Resistant Building Materials.

Let’s start with one of the most important (and exposed) parts of your home – your roof. The roof is the most vulnerable part of your home; therefore, it’s critical to use building materials that can “fight off” hot embers and flames. Compared to a wood shingle roof, a roof built with composite, asphalt, metal, clay, or tile shingles, will be able to provide a level of resistance against fires.

This concept holds true for other exterior parts of your home. From your home’s exterior siding to your doors, using non-combustible materials will be able to ahold a strong front against the extremely high temperatures, flames, and flying embers.

In addition to opting in for non-combustible materials, it is important your roof, gutters, decks, and windows are regularly cleared from any collecting debris, such as leaves, pine needles, fallen branches, and additional debris.

Create Defensible Space.

The next phase of home hardening involves establishing a defensible space around your home and its surrounding areas. This space is designed to slow or stop the progress of the fire that is threatening your home and property. Therefore, we will now begin designing our defensible space.

First, let’s focus on the five-foot perimeter surrounding your home, as this area is crucial for preventing ember ignition – the No.1 cause of home ignitions in wildfire outbreaks. To protect your home from millions of hot, traveling embers, you should:

1. Use Hardscape Materials: When deciding on your landscaping materials, opt for gravel, pavers, or concrete instead of combustible bark or mulch.
2. Clear Debris: Remove dead plants, weeds, leaves, and needles from your roof, gutters, decks, and under any areas of your homes.
3. Trim Branches: Ensure branches are at least 10 feet away from chimneys or stovepipe outlets.
4. Limit Combustible Items: Reduce the quantity of outdoor furniture and planters on decks and patios.
5. Relocate Firewood: Move your firewood and lumber, up to 100ft, from your home.
6. Replace Combustible Fencing: Use noncombustible materials for fencing, gates, and arbors attached to the home.
7. Relocate Additional Combustible Items: Move garbage cans, recycling containers, boats, RVs, and vehicles outside the initial five-foot parameter around your home.

In addition to keeping the five-foot perimeter of your home safe, it is important to regularly clear dead vegetation, create horizontal space between shrubs and trees, and create vertical space between grass, shrubs, and trees. Discover more about creating your defensible space here.

Installing BrandGuard Ember-Resistant Vents.

One of the final steps in hardening your home is restricting embers, flames, and heat from entering your home through your home’s ventilation system.  How? Simply, install BrandGuard’s Ember- and Flame-Resistant Vents. Designed with an overlapping baffle design, self-closing intumescent strips, and a layer of 1/16” fine mesh, BrandGuard’s Ember-Resistant Vents are every homeowner’s choice when it comes to protecting their homes against a wildfire outbreak. Here at BrandGuard, we offer:

Soffit Vents

Designed to protect the underside of your rafters, BrandGuard’s Standard and Continuous Soffit Vents keep out both hot embers and flames out of your attic space.  With our customizable options, BrandGuard can accommodate a wide range of architectural designs. Explore Our Standard Soffit Vents and Continuous Soffit Vents.

Foundation Vents

Engineered to protect your home from embers during a wildfire while providing critical ventilation to the crawl space, sub-floor, or garage, BrandGuard’s Ember-Resistant Foundation Vents are an ideal choice for homeowners. With fire-rated foundation vents from BrandGuard, your home has a first line of defense against ember and flame intrusion. Read More about our Foundation Vents.

Gable End Vents

Engineered with its vertical baffle design, BrandGuard’s Gable Vents do not only protect your attic from hot embers, but this design also keeps out rodents, driving rain and snow. With our ember-resistant Gable Vents, you can stay safe, protect your home, and comply with California’s stringent Wildfire Protection Codes. To find out more about our Ember-Resistant Gable End Vents, click here.

Under Eave Vents

Eave blocks commonly have ventilation holes, which must be protected from hot embers generated by wildfires. Ideal for both retrofitting and new construction, our under-eave vents resist the intrusion of embers, radiant heat, and flames, as well as wind-driven rain. Discover the additional benefits of specifying BrandGuard’s Under Eave Ember-Resistant Vents.

Dormer Vents

Our ember- and fire-resistant Dormer Vents protect your home from outside forces, like embers, rain, snow, and pests, while still allowing uninterrupted air circulation through your attic. With a quick and easy installation, BrandGuard Dormers are available for new construction or retrofit applications. Uncover the potential of BrandGuard’s Ember- and Flame-Resistant Dormer Vents.

Sub-Flashing Vents

If you have existing low-profile roof vents, turbine vents, or mushroom vents, our Sub-Base vents can be installed to convert them into ember-resistant ones. With its ability to be retrofitted, you can easily replace your current sub-base vents with BrandGuard’s WUI-compliant Sub-Base Vents. Install Your Flame-Resistant Sub-Base Vent. (Fire-Rated Sub-Base Vents in CA | Chapter 7 Compliant)

Removable Balcony Inspection Vents

Our Balcony Inspection Vents were designed to meet the requirements of California’s SB-721 and SB-326, addressing the need for reliable inspection access on “Exterior Elevated Elements” (EEEs) like balconies. These laws mandate the installation of inspection vents to facilitate the evaluation of structural integrity and identify potential repairs. Our vents comply with both SB-721 and SB-326, and they undergo thorough testing, including adherence to California Building Code Chapter 7A and standards ASTM E2886 & E119, with approvals from Cal Fire. They are also fully certified for use in high-risk wildfire zones (WUI). Click Here for more information about our Removable Ember-Resistant Balcony Vents. 

Important Note: Please note that these practices are among the primary methods for hardening your property against wildfires. However, homeowners and property owners should also consider additional home hardening measures. Learn more about additional home hardening measures.

Final Comments

Home hardening applies to everyone, especially if you are located within a WUI zone. With the increasing frequency of wildfires and its destruction, it is more important than ever to prepare your home to withstand these conditions. By investing in home hardening, you are not only following your local building codes – but your home and the surrounding community.

Take the necessary steps today to ensure your home is well-protected against hot ember storms, flames, and high temperatures. From formulating a proper defensible space to installing BrandGuard Vents into your current air ventilation system, all these practices will strengthen your home against its battle against a raging wildfire. If you have questions about the material covered today, please feel free to contact one of BrandGuard’s on-site experts at info@brandguardvents.com.

Sources

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). (2025). Home Hardening. Retrieved from https://www.fire.ca.gov/home-hardening.

Rubin, E. (2025, May 30). Why 99 Million Americans Have to Live in a Climate Danger Zone – and How to Fix It. Retrieved from https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/wildland-urban-interface-wildfires-los-angeles-37486978.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2023, October 5). Climate Change Indicators: Wildfires. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-wildfires.

U.S. Fire Administration. (2022, June 8). What is the WUI? Retrieved from https://www.usfa.fema.gov/wui/what-is-the-wui/.

WFCA. (2025, April 1). What is WUI (Wildland Urban Interface) and How It Works. Retrieved from https://wfca.com/wildfire-articles/what-is-wui-wildland-urban-interface/.