Protecting Homes and Communities – Part 1: Building Community Resilience

Tags: Achievable Housing, Community Resilience, Defensible Space, Emergency Preparedness, Fire Safety Education, Fire-Resistant Housing, Forest Futures, Home Hardening, Lunch and Learn, Sustainable Housing Solutions, Truckee Fire Protection District, Wildfire Prevention, Wildfire Resilience, Wildfire Risk Management, Wildfire Risk Solutions

Protecting Homes and Communities: Wildfire Risk Housing Solutions, Part I

This blog is part of a three-part series breaking down steps you can take to protect your home before and during wildfire season. 

• Part II: The Future is Fire Resistant
• Part III: Navigating Wildfire Risk

With wildfire risks on the rise, now is the time to figure out solutions for protecting homes in our communities. The Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF) is excited to host an Achievable Housing in Action Lunch & Learn event on Friday, May 16th, 2025 in partnership with TTCF’s Forest Futures program. 

This special collaborative Lunch & Learn focused on what you can do to harden your home against wildfires – and about some of the bigger conversations unfolding around innovative housing materials and insurance programs that can help address the growing wildfire challenge. 

This virtual event will bring together experts from across the community to share practical steps and emerging solutions that can help safeguard homes and communities from wildfire threats.

Presenters include: 

• Eric Horntvedt, Wildfire Prevention Manager at the Truckee Fire Protection District 
• Jonathan Kusel, Executive Director of the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment
• Ryan Valdez, Managing Director of RockRose Risk. 

Building Community Resilience: Eric Horntvedt, Wildfire Prevention Manager, Truckee Fire Protection District

With extensive experience in wildfire prevention, Eric Horntvedt works closely with local agencies and the community to reduce wildfire risks. In 2024, Truckee Fire received a  grant from TTCF’s Forest Futures program to support the development of the Truckee Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), a key tool in planning for community wildfire resilience. 

Thanks to this funding, Horntvedt has been able to work on a variety of initiatives, including promoting fire-resistant construction methods, improving defensible space around homes, and educating the community on the best practices for protecting their properties from the threat of wildfires. Horntvedt and Truckee Fire’s work have directly contributed to the enhancement of community safety in the region, mitigating wildfire risk through forest management activities and empowering homeowners with the tools and knowledge they need to safeguard their homes and property.

Horntvedt will outline actionable steps for home hardening, highlighting techniques, materials, and projects that can make homes more resistant to wildfires. 

Recognizing that home hardening can be an expensive undertaking, he will also provide an overview of Truckee Fire’s Home Hardening Reimbursement Program, offering guidance on how to access this financial support. By integrating home hardening with defensible space, Horntvedt will demonstrate how these practices not only protect individual homes but also enhance community-wide wildfire resilience. 

From big-picture strategies to practical steps you can take today, Horntvedt will illustrate how home hardening is a crucial part of long-term wildfire protection. His expertise in fire prevention will offer attendees the knowledge they need to safeguard their properties.

Innovative Insurance and Certification: Wildfire Prepared Home Plus

In addition to physical home hardening efforts, emerging programs like the Wildfire Prepared Home Plus initiative offer homeowners an opportunity to certify their properties as wildfire-resistant. Developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), this voluntary program sets rigorous standards for building materials and construction techniques that significantly reduce wildfire risk.

Homes that meet these criteria receive a certification that can enhance their eligibility for insurance discounts and improve overall protection against wildfire damage. This innovative approach not only incentivizes resilient building practices but also helps bridge the gap between homeowners and insurers in high-risk wildfire zones. Learning about programs like Wildfire Prepared Home Plus can empower property owners to take a proactive role in safeguarding their homes while potentially easing the burden of insurance costs.

Equip and Protect: Essential Education for Safeguarding Homes

The upcoming collaborative Lunch and Learn is an excellent opportunity for community members to learn about both proactive steps for wildfire resilience – and emerging solutions in building materials and insurance. Whether you’re a homeowner looking to make your property safer or interested in learning more about cutting-edge solutions coming down the pipeline, this event will spark thinking about how we can better prepare for a future of growing wildfire risk.

Following presentations from our housing and wildfire risk expert. There will be a Q&A session to follow where attendees can ask questions and gain further insights into solutions for home hardening, fire-resistant construction, and wildfire risk insurance. Register now. 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. (Calendar Invite to Follow)

Event Details:

• Topic: Home Hardening, Insurance, and Wildfire Risk Housing Solutions
• Date & Time: Friday, May 16, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
• Location: Virtual on Zoom
• Registration: Click here to register

Continue reading:

• Part II: The Future is Fire Resistant
• Part III: Navigating Wildfire Risk