What Our Clients Say

We hired Stuart Mitchell of Wildfire Mitigation Advisors to advise us on measures for wildfire mitigation at our home in Sonoma, California, which is in a high danger wildfire zone. Stuart did a thorough walk-through of our property, met with us in person to discuss what he had observed and mitigation options, and then prepared a written report that we used as a roadmap to implement his suggestions. He prioritized his suggestions starting with the most urgent issues we should address, making it easy for us to work through them in phases. Even after issuing his report, Stuart has readily made himself available to answer follow-up questions and to provide advice as we worked through our mitigation process. His breadth of knowledge is remarkable, but he is also practical with his recommendations, being mindful of costs and benefits of various measures we could consider. He has been incredibly generous with his time. We think so highly of Stuart that we have recommended him to many others in and around our community, and will continue to do so. He has been a pleasure to work with, and we would not hesitate to hire him again.

I hired Wildfire Mitigation Advisors (WMA) in November 2024 after my insurance company repeatedly threatened to cancel my home insurance. Their demands were vague, inconsistent, and didn't offer much in the way of actionable guidance. WMA stepped in and immediately brought clarity to the situation. They did a thorough walkthrough of my property, far more detailed than anything my insurance ever did. They flagged real risks, including several things my insurer missed entirely, and laid out a clear, sensible mitigation plan. What stood out most was how hands-on they were. WMA didn't just give me a list of things to fix. They drafted letters to the insurance company on my behalf, pushed back on some of the insurer's vague or unreasonable requests, and supported their arguments with specific, evidence-based solutions. They also referred me to trusted contractors in their network who actually got the work done. Bottom line: WMA helped me keep my insurance and gave me peace of mind. They know what they're doing, and I'd recommend them without hesitation.

On the evening of October 8, 2017, the winds around my Sonoma Valley home were so intense that the "Welcome" mat at my front door levitated a couple feet off the ground before swirling off into the bushes. Acorns hit the windows with such velocity that I worried the glass could shatter. Shortly after midnight, my husband and I went out to inspect our property, and that's when we saw the orange glow of fire in the Nuns Canyon area. Two days later, we were under mandatory evacuation. We didn't lose our home, but the red fire-retardant line nearby let us know just how close we had come. Fire PTSD is now a part of our psyche, but meeting with Stuart Mitchell has gone a long way in soothing many of our fears. We accompanied Stuart on a walk around our home and listened as he pointed out several areas that made our home vulnerable to wildfire. He stressed the importance of understanding what can cause embers to turn into flames. He pointed out what plants were highly combustible and which ones weren't, saving us much time, expense, and husband/wife debate about what to do with our landscaping. He described the risks associated with window sills, soffits, wood fencing, patio furniture, potted plants, window curtains, and more. Stuart also offered many helpful suggestions about how those risks could be mitigated. A day later, we received a written report of all he'd gone over, complete with photographic reminders and a helpful list of resources. I'm grateful to Stuart Mitchell and his fire wise expertise, and I wholeheartedly recommend Wildfire Mitigation Advisors to anyone, renter or homeowner, who finds the subject of wildfires overwhelming. My husband and I now feel armed with many actionable practices that give us the peace of mind that comes from knowing we've done as much as we can to protect the home we love.

I co-founded Fire Safe Occidental (FSO) in 2018 and have known Stuart for over four years as a licensed wildfire mitigation specialist. He is extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of both defensible space and structural hardening. I learned a lot from Stuart. I'm chairman of the FSO Wildfire Protection and Emergency Preparedness Committee. Stuart keeps current on the latest fire science and latest fire protection technologies. In that regard, he has given several presentations at our monthly committee meetings. He's a valuable member of the Occidental community. We have used Stuart to assess our home. He gives very thorough home and property wildfire assessments and explains everything to his clients in an understandable way. His reports prioritize any needed work, so people have a checklist that is pre-arranged in order of importance. Stuart is very personable and friendly. He's also easy to communicate with. I highly recommend him.

I've worked with Wildfire Mitigation Advisors and its founder Stuart Mitchell for several years now as a business partner and collaborator on wildfire science research, geospatial analysis as well as establishing best practices for assessing and minimizing wildfire risk to vulnerable businesses and individuals. Stuart is a knowledgeable and passionate thought leader, dedicated to finding effective solutions to this growing crisis. His expertise is both comprehensive and forward-thinking, especially at a time when traditional approaches to wildfire mitigation are proving insufficient. He not only offers effective practical solutions to protecting homes and businesses but also addresses the critical human factors that influence wildfire preparedness and response.

I live in WUI and Stuart was really helpful conducting a thorough assessment and provided a detailed report of steps needed to harden my home and reduce risk. He also educated me about what to do in case of wildfire and make it easier for firefighters to do their job. And most importantly he connected me with a knowledgeable contractor to get work done.

When faced with the need to mitigate my home's fire exposure I wasn't sure what needed to be done or where to begin. I was fortunate that my architects suggested contacting Wildfire Mitigation Advisors. Stuart is very knowledgeable and professional. He thoroughly inspected the property and we had ample opportunity to discuss the issues he identified, including his suggestions for how to address them and their relative priority. During the inspection Stuart photographed the most important problems which he included in his written report. I've found this to be very helpful when reviewing the checklist and finding appropriate contractors. It was a real relief to find Wildfire Mitigation Advisors.

Having done a thorough assessment of our property, Stuart gave us a list of mitigation actions to do ASAP, sooner than later and soon. We appreciated knowing which actions needed to be done first and got right on it! Taking action felt manageable due to Stuart's professional, yet realistic explanations of why and how to enact the actions he was recommending. We are grateful.

Stuart is an excellent resource for navigating home hardening. He was tremendously helpful in exploring our property and figuring out how best to create a more fire resilient space. Not only did he spend several hours at the house addressing all the different aspects of the work we wanted to do, but he has also been extremely communicative since and is always happy to answer follow up questions. He has also been very helpful in finding and connecting us with the right contractors and professionals to tackle the work we need done. He's very knowledgeable, helpful and clearly passionate about the work that he does. Would highly recommend!

Stuart from Wildfire Mitigation Advisors did a wildfire risk assessment for our property in Woodside. We learned so much from the evaluation and are already putting many of the suggestions in place. Stuart's experience and eye for details is invaluable. I especially appreciate his patience with our many, many questions. We are all much more confident in our ability to react in case of a fire because of his recommendations.

I learned so much from my consultation with Stuart from Wildfire Mitigation Advisors. He helped me identify the parts of my house that put me at greatest risk from a fire and ensured I understood everything. His consultation and report were very comprehensive and thorough. I feel safer now that I've been able to follow some of his recommendations. He is also a nice person and I enjoyed learning from him. I highly recommend his services to help protect your home and family from fires!

Stuart is very knowledgeable and cares deeply about the job of assessing wildfire risks. His insight was invaluable to my clients and help them assess how to protect their property and family. Would highly recommend!

I live in Guerneville and have had to evacuate twice in the last 3 years. I asked FiresafeSonoma to come and do an evaluation of my property for improving fire safety. Stuart Mitchell's advice was detailed and actionable. Of the 37 detailed items cited in his report, 24 have been addressed and the balance in process of being addressed. It has been extremely helpful having a detailed guide for fire mitigation. Stuart was also very responsive to questions I've had along the way.

Stuart came out to our rural West County home and spent almost 2 hours evaluating the house and outbuildings. While we had already put a lot of effort into creating a safer environment, Stuart was able to help us identify more ways we could harden our structures against embers. We highly recommend the service Wildfire Mitigation Advisors provided and appreciated Stuart Mitchell's personal and professional approach.

Stuart Mitchell is a caring professional who will advise you on how to protect your home and property from wildfire. He is thorough and so knowledgeable. I really appreciate his expertise and the references that he provided for purchasing fire-safe materials for our home and property.

Stuart Mitchell is a helpful and knowledgeable professional. His written report furnished to me has directed my continuing defensible space and home hardening work over the last two years. He is thorough and more than competent. You will enjoy working with him.

I considered myself lucky to be able to schedule an assessment with Stuart Mitchell in fall 2020. He's experienced and connected with experts who share valuable fire safety information. I've learned a lot from him.