Get Started with Firewise Today

Firewise USA is a program from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), providing free, simple, effective resources for homeowners to make their individual homes safer, and for communities to band together to reduce risk of destruction from wildfire.

Moraga Orinda Firewise Network (MOFN) is here to help you with every step!  Follow these steps to become a Firewise USA® Recognized Neighborhood.

1. Organize
2. Plan
3. Do it!
4. Submit Application

Step 1: Organize

Organize Your Neighborhood!

  • Go house to house and “knock on doors”, explain the benefits of the Firewise program and ask each neighbor “how can we help you prepare for wildfire?”
  • Collect neighborhood contact information to create or update your neighborhood distribution list.

Define Neighborhood Boundary

  • Include homes that use common roads to evacuate.
  • Typical Firewise Neighborhoods are organized based on emergency evacuation routes, for example,  a loop street that is connected at each end to a main street, plus 2 dead end spur streets – all residential properties on the loop and spur streets should be included in your Firewise Neighborhood.

Identify a Neighborhood Leader and Block Captains

  • The Neighborhood Leader and Block Captains share information throughout the neighborhood and coordinate wildfire prevention activities.

Schedule a Neighborhood Gathering or Block Party

  • At this event you will explain the benefits and steps to become a Firewise Neighborhood.

Register your Neighborhood

Organizing Resources


Band Together PDF from NFPA: Clear steps on becoming Firewise with checklists and examples​.

Firewise Explanation to your Neighbors – We Need Your Participation

You and your home are more likely to survive a wildfire if you:

  • Create defensible space around your home and reduced fire fuels on your property
  • Learn how to harden your home to increase survivability in a wildfire
  • Coordinate with your neighbors to learn how to safely evacuate
  • Learn about community best practices and resources to help you prepare your home for wildfire

There is no cost to joining Firewise – this is a community based education program.

Step 2: Plan

Assess Wildfire Risk in your Neighborhood

The Moraga-Orinda Fire District (MOFD) Fire Marshal visits your neighborhood and shares wildfire risk assessment comments to all residents who attend. At this visit the Fire Marshal shares about home hardening, defensible space, and emergency preparedness information AND answers all resident questions.

MOFN will help coordinate the MOFD Fire Marshall visit and help you document the Fire Marshal comments that are included in the Firewise Risk Assessment document.

With a portal account, follow the guidelines to complete a community wildfire risk assessment. NFPA provides a free template and tutorial here, with additional videos on the website. The assessment needs to be updated at a minimum of every 5 years.

Planning Resource

Resident Wildfire Prep and Evacuation Guide from La Morinda CERT

Develop a Firewise 3-Year Action Plan

The risk assessment is the basis for creating a three-year action plan that identifies and prioritizes community-wide efforts to be taken each year. These may include overseeing local activities, events, investments, and homeowner education. You’ll create a document that explains the planned education, outreach activities, and actions that you’ll take as a community so that together will make your neighborhood safer over time.

Step 3: Do it!

Complete the actions identified in the plan to satisfy annual participation. Examples might include hosting community education workshops, distributing materials by print (or digitally), and organizing a Firewise Day. Document the volunteer hours throughout the year. Each site must invest the equivalent of one volunteer hour per dwelling unit, annually. So, a site with 100 homes would require 100 volunteer hours (or monetary equivalent for incurred costs)

Hour Tracking Resource
Download Voluntary Hourly Worksheet Example form for documenting hours from NFPA.

Step 4: Submit Application

After meeting the criteria, the resident leader submits their community to attain “In Good Standing Status” and become a recognized Firewise USA® site. Each year, sites renew their status by reporting their activity.

Every November, participating sites must submit an annual application to maintain their “in good standing” status.

Established neighborhoods need to submit their renewal applications by November 22, 2025 to remain in good standing

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We can help you with every step to become a Firewise Neighborhood!

MOFN will continue helping your neighborhood once you have become Firewise by inviting you to join the Moraga-Orinda Firewise Network (MOFN). Our network neighborhoods within Moraga-Orinda Fire District meet bi-monthly to discuss common concerns, answer questions, and share information and best practices.

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