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Wildfire Mitigation Advisors
Private firefighting crew with equipment staged to protect a property during wildfire season
Private Firefighting

Private Firefighting Referrals

We prepare your property for private firefighting teams and refer you to vetted companies. The assessment-first approach makes these teams safer and more effective.

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Assessment First, Then Response

Private firefighting is sometimes provided by insurance companies or contracted by private homeowners. These teams can provide added fire suppression or staging services, if they can arrive in time.

WMA works alongside these assets to help prepare properties for them, and we can refer our customers to vetted companies. Once WMA has conducted the assessment and improvements have been made, private teams are in a much safer and more effective position to do their jobs.

A private firefighting team arriving at a property with 100 feet of defensible space, screened vents, and a documented site plan has a realistic chance of saving that structure. A team arriving at an unmitigated property is working against the odds from the start.

Assessment First

Once WMA has conducted the assessment and improvements have been made, private teams are in a much safer and more effective position to do their jobs.

Property Preparation

We work alongside private firefighting assets to help prepare properties for them. Cleared defensible space, screened vents, and hardened structures give teams a property they can actually defend.

Vetted Referrals

We can refer our customers to vetted private firefighting companies. Not all teams are equal, and we help you connect with crews that have proven track records and proper resources.

Coordinated Response

When private teams arrive at a property that has already been assessed and improved, they spend less time triaging and more time on actual fire suppression and structure protection.

How It Works Together

The most effective wildfire defense combines preparation with response. Our role is the preparation side: identifying vulnerabilities, prioritizing improvements, and documenting your property's conditions. Private firefighting teams handle the response side.

When both sides are in place, your property has the best possible chance of surviving a wildfire event. The assessment creates the foundation. The firefighting team provides the active defense. Neither is as effective without the other.

Start With an Assessment

Prepare Your Property for the Best Defense

Whether you already have private firefighting through your insurance or are considering contracting a team, the first step is the same: get your property assessed and improved.

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Private Firefighting Questions

Common questions about private firefighting and how WMA assessment supports these teams

Private firefighting is fire suppression and property protection provided by teams outside of public fire agencies. These teams are sometimes provided by insurance companies as part of high-value home policies, or they can be privately contracted by homeowners. They typically provide services such as structure protection, sprinkler deployment, fire monitoring, and post-fire patrol.
When private teams arrive at a property that has been professionally assessed and improved, they are in a much stronger position. Cleared defensible space gives them room to work safely. Hardened structures are more likely to survive even if the team cannot stay through the entire event. Documented property conditions help teams prioritize their efforts. In short, our assessment makes their job safer and more effective.
No. WMA provides wildfire mitigation assessment and consulting services. We do not provide fire suppression or firefighting services. What we do is prepare properties so that both public and private firefighting teams can work more effectively, and we can refer you to vetted private firefighting companies.
Private firefighting may be worth considering if you own a high-value property, a historic structure, or a property in a remote area where public fire response times may be longer. Some insurance carriers for high-value homes include private firefighting as part of the policy. Contact us and we can discuss whether private firefighting makes sense as part of your overall wildfire preparedness plan.
Private firefighting teams can significantly improve your property's chances, but only if they can arrive in time and if the property has been properly prepared. A team arriving at an unmitigated property with poor defensible space and unscreened vents has limited options. That is why the assessment-first approach matters: the more preparation that has been done before a fire event, the more effective any firefighting response will be.
From Our Blog

Field reports and insights from our wildfire mitigation work across Northern California

The L.A. Winter Firestorm: Control What We Can ControlWildfire Analysis

The L.A. Winter Firestorm: Control What We Can Control

The L.A. firestorm showed how quickly fire overwhelms first responder resources. Here is what homeowners can do to make their property self-defendable.

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Early Start to Fire Season: Point Fire LessonsWildfire Analysis

Early Start to Fire Season: Point Fire Lessons

The Point Fire consumed 1,200 acres near Healdsburg. WMA shares field observations on defensible space, visible addressing, and what worked.

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WMA Partners with Redwood Fire ProtectionCompany News

WMA Partners with Redwood Fire Protection

This partnership brings together wildfire risk assessment and active fire defense for Sonoma County property owners.

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