PATHWAY TO PROTECTION

You will receive clear, easy-to-understand information about your home and practical recommendations for reducing wildfire risk. 

As the program progresses, Mercury and California Fire Safe Council will also work together to determine the best ways to share program results and provide homeowners with education about: 

• What the wildfire risk modeling shows 

• How the modeling works 

• What the information is intended to show 

• How the modeling supports the broader wildfire risk assessment 

The goal is to give participating homeowners information they can understand and use to make informed decisions about protecting their homes. 

The program is designed to create a clearer picture of wildfire risk at both the home and community level. 

By combining: 

• Property-level home assessments 

• Clear information about wildfire risk 

• Personalized mitigation recommendations 

• Homeowner education and engagement 

• Community-level wildfire risk modeling

The Pathway to Protection Program aims to help identify ways to reduce the risk of wildfire-related damage and better align information about homes and communities with insurance underwriting expectations. 

One of the program’s goals is to increase insurability and document risk reduction, but participation does not guarantee insurance coverage or a change in insurance eligibility. 

No. Participating in this program will not cause your insurance premium to increase. Insurance rates can change over time for a number of reasons, including changes in the cost to repair or rebuild homes, the number and severity of insurance claims, and new information about the risks insurers cover. 

Factors such as weather-related losses, inflation, labor and material costs, litigation, and the cost of reinsurance can also affect insurance costs over time. These changes can be more noticeable in higher-risk areas because the potential for large losses is greater.

While no one likes to see insurance rates increase, insurers need to make sure the cost of coverage reflects the level of risk so that insurance remains available and financially sustainable over the long term. 

 Mercury has developed wildfire mitigation discounts to recognize steps that homeowners and communities take to reduce wildfire risk and help offset higher premiums in wildfire-prone areas. 

Participation in the program does not guarantee insurance coverage. Mercury will write homes that meet its applicable mitigation standards. In general, this means homes that have taken key steps to reduce wildfire risk through home hardening and defensible space. 

Examples of important mitigation measures include: 

• Class A roof 

• Non-combustible siding, including at least 6 inches of non-combustible clearance from the ground 

• Ember-resistant vents and attention to vulnerable areas such as eaves, vents, windows, and doors 

• Zone 0 treatment within 0–5 feet of the home 

• Non-combustible fencing 

• Careful management of vegetation close to the home, especially near windows, doors, and vents 

• Attention to decks and other attached features, including enclosed and protected deck bases and, ideally, non-combustible materials 

• Zone 1 and Zone 2 mitigation extending from 5–100 feet from the home, along with any applicable local requirements 

Meeting these mitigation measures does not by itself guarantee coverage. Insurance eligibility is subject to Mercury’s applicable underwriting standards. 

Mercury is interested in exploring potential mitigation and fuel reduction opportunities, but no commitment has been made at this time. 

The program will first focus on completing the home assessments and analyzing the resulting information. This will help Mercury and its partners better understand what types of work may be needed in the community. 

After that analysis, the partners can explore potential projects, implementation approaches, scope, and budget. 

Any formal commitment to additional mitigation or fuels reduction work would come later, following further analysis and internal review. 

Information collected through the program, including information from outreach and your home assessment, will be used for the program’s wildfire mitigation and assessment activities and to evaluate how effective those efforts are. 

Your information will be treated as confidential and shared only with the organizations and designated research or analysis partners involved in carrying out the program who need the information to do their work. 

The program partners do not expect your information to be used, shared, or repurposed outside of the agreed-upon program without prior approval.