Like many of you, we joined Firewise last year because we believed that reducing the fuel load in our community was a smart move. But since then, we’ve learned from the Berkeley Fire Department that there is a larger goal and that is to lessen the chances of a vegetative wildfire transitioning to a structure-to-structure conflagration in the Berkeley Hills. With that in mind, here are five reasons why we support EMBER and you should consider doing so as well:
1. We believe in following the expert advice of our civil servants:
The Berkeley Fire Department, who are our civil servants, has presented scientifically validated data for creating an Ember-Resistant Zone (Zone Zero) around our homes that will minimize the probability of a vegetative to urban fire transition.
2. We believe that keeping homeowners’ insurance is a priority:
So does BFD. That is why EMBER aligns with the best practices adopted by the insurance industry, including Zone Zero. Adoption of EMBER will increase the likelihood that we won’t lose our insurance. If adjacent homes adopt the recommendations, it will reduce the overall neighborhood risk score.
3. We believe our yards will be beautiful with EMBER:
We are progressive and we have the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Yes, it will take time and creativity to reorient our gardens but it is a small sacrifice to make our neighborhood ember-resilent. If EMBER passes, resources will be available to help residents implement wildfire risk reduction efforts through CalFire grants, local grants, Measure FF, private donations, etc.
4. We believe in learning from history rather than repeating it:
According to Chief Sprague, the Berkeley area has experienced a significant wildfire on average every 20 years since 1905 with 2025 marking the 34th year since the last major fire in the area. We are overdue.
5. We believe the Berkeley Fire Department can’t fully defend our community when wildfire ignites without our preventive actions:
Fighting just one house fire requires at least 15 firefighters so adopting pre-fire measures as outlined in EMBER will reduce the risk of house-to-house ignitions allowing precious time to evacuate and firefighters to respond.
Isabelle Gaston and Steve Robey