Topanga CanyonPremium coverage without a perfect lot.
Laminates on single-pane glass, retardant on open eaves and a sprinkler system. No full five-foot clearance, and still placed with a premium carrier.
Layers 3Premium carrier
[ 00 ]Wildfire home hardening · Los Angeles · Tahoe · Nevada
Harden your home.Lower yourfire insurance.
Wildfire home hardening designed by former fire chiefs and documented for your insurer. A safer home that carriers want to cover, often at a lower premium.
Or build your protection plan →Former LA County Fire leadership · CSLB #1029958
Credentials and standards
Every system is specified by former fire chiefs, installed by a licensed contractor, and documented against the mitigation standards California insurers recognize.
CSLB Licensed#1029958
LA County FireLeadership heritage
Safer from WildfiresDocumented to CA standard
IBHS criteriaReports mapped to Wildfire Prepared Home
Pacific PalisadesMalibuTopangaBel AirBrentwoodCalabasasHidden HillsAgoura HillsWestlake VillageWoodland HillsEncinoSherman OaksStudio CityHollywood HillsBeverly HillsAltadenaPasadenaSierra MadreLa Cañada FlintridgeLake ArrowheadIncline VillageCrystal BayGlenbrookZephyr CoveStatelineSouth Lake TahoeTahoe CityKings BeachTruckeeRenoCarson City
[ 01 ]The insurance shift
Hardened homes are getting insured again.
Carriers are writing policies in fire country for homes that can prove their defenses. We document every layer we install, from vent mesh size to coating ratings and water supply, so your agent walks into underwriting with evidence.
5years for premium savings to repay the work, in our strongest cases
$15M+estates placed with standard carriers after hardening
6layers, the only full-service program in the region
Topanga Canyon
San Diego County$5M to $15M estates, placed with Allstate and others.
Upgraded vents, fire-retardant paint and sprinklers gave underwriters the case they needed for standard-market policies.
Layers 3Standard market
Greater Los AngelesThe work pays for itself in about five years.
Moving from fallback coverage to an admitted carrier can recover the full cost of hardening, while the home is safer from the first day.
Layers 6About 5-yr payback
[ 02 ]How homes are lost
The fire front isn’t what burns most homes. Embers are.
Wind carries burning debris far ahead of the flames. It settles in vents, gutters, decks and dry plants, and the house ignites from the inside out long after the front has passed.
1 mileHow far embers can travel ahead of a fire front
5 feetThe ember-ignition zone around a home that new rules now regulate
6 pathsRoof, siding, vents, glass, landscape and unattended hours
[ BI ]Fire science
Fire agencies rate the danger with one number, every day.
It’s called the Burning Index: how hard a fire would be to control today, on the worst ground near you. Divide it by 10 for a rough idea of flame length in feet. You can’t change it. You can change what’s around your home.
40Burning Index: flames of about 4 feet on the worst ground nearby
80Burning Index: about 8 feet
120Burning Index: about 12 feet, and the scale keeps going
[ FF ]Flashy fuels
Embers start fires in flashy fuels.
Firefighters call them flashy fuels: dry grass, leaves, pine needles and twigs under a quarter inch thick. They dry out within about an hour, catch an ember in seconds and pass the fire to your fence, your deck and your house. Wetline clears them and hardens your home so an ember has nowhere to land.
Wildfire terms, explained by firefighters →[ 03 ]The six-layer system
Six layers. Every path closed.
[ 03 ]The six-layer system
Six layers. Every path closed.
Layer 01 / 06Autonomous sprinklers
Scroll through the system. Each layer closes a different way a home ignites, and each one is documented in the terms insurers already use.
01 / Active defense
Autonomous Wildfire Sprinklers
Sensors start a roof and perimeter spray that runs off the grid, even when no one is home.
EmbersSpot firesSurface heat
- Coverage
- Up to 60 ft per head
- Activation
- Heat and ember sensors, app, manual
02 / Passive defense
Fire-Retardant Paint and Coatings
Looks like paint. In heat, it swells into an insulating char that shields wood and eaves.
Direct flameRadiant heat
- Type
- Intumescent coating
- Surfaces
- Siding, eaves, decks, interior
03 / Ember defense
Ember-Resistant Vents and Gutters
Fine metal mesh stops embers at attic and foundation vents, the most common way they get in.
EmbersAttic ignition
- Mesh
- 1/16 to 1/8 inch metal
- Vent types
- Soffit, gable, foundation, ridge
04 / Glazing defense
Wildfire Window Laminates
Heat-resistant film holds glass together so radiant heat and embers can't get inside.
Radiant heatEmber entry
- Rated to
- 1,240°F
- Duration
- 11+ minutes
05 / Landscape defense
Property Pre-Treatment
Plant-based suppressant on landscaping, decks and fences stops embers from catching.
Ember landingsDry fuel
- Agent
- Cold Fire suppressant
- Base
- Plant and water based
06 / Human defense
24/7 Wildfire Monitoring and Defense
Year-round monitoring and a brigade that checks your system while you evacuate.
Unattended hoursLate detection
- Coverage
- Year-round
- Team
- Dedicated brigade
[ 04 ]How it works
From walkthrough to insurable.
One team handles the assessment, the work and the paperwork. No subcontractor hand-offs.
01
Free assessment
A retired firefighter walks your property and scores every path a fire could take.
02
Your plan
You get a layer-by-layer plan, your readiness score and the expected insurance impact.
03
Install
Licensed crews install each layer to spec, usually in days, not months.
04
Readiness report
A documented file for your broker, renewed with every maintenance visit.
[ 05 ]Our firefighters
Designed by the people who used to fight these fires.
Retired chiefs and Forest Service veterans specify every system. A licensed luxury builder installs it. A retired firefighter walks your property with you.
CWCraig Weeks
Founder, Chief Technical Designer
Retired Division Chief of Fire Fleet Services, Los Angeles County Fire Department. Founded Specialty Fleet Consulting, advising departments nationwide on apparatus design.
21yrs LA County Fire
1,800apparatus overseen
WSWill Spyrison
Retired Division Chief, USFS
Former Ojai and Fulton Hotshot, later Division Chief of the Los Angeles River Ranger District, Angeles National Forest. Expert fire witness and Campbell Prediction System instructor.
1977first fire assignment
CPSfire behavior instructor
PRPatrick Reitz
Fire Chief, Industry Consultant
Fire Chief of the Lakeport Fire Protection District. Previously chief in Idyllwild, Sheridan and Crooked River Ranch. Structure hardening and suppression specialist.
33+yrs emergency services
4departments led
MYMike Yakovich
Owner, General Contractor
Luxury home builder across Southern California who acquired Wetline in 2018 to bring construction-grade craft to wildfire hardening.
30+yrs building homes
CSLB#1029958
[ 06 ]From our clients
Homes still standing.
From Bel Air to Lake Arrowhead, homeowners who hardened with Wetline.
$48,600 → $17,105
Wetline helped us cut our fire insurance premium by 65%. We replaced a three-policy patchwork of FAIR Plan, DIC and excess coverage costing about $48,600 with one Dover Bay policy at $17,105.
Bel Air
Many of our Palisades and Bel Air friends said Wetline was the only reason their homes were still standing.
Topanga Canyon
When a few paint areas bubbled a year later, they came back and fixed everything without hassle.
Lake Arrowhead
We especially appreciate the system checks from Craig Weeks, the original founder of Wetline.
Santa Ynez Valley
It took several minutes to ignite and only charred the immediate area, with little flame spread.
Los Angeles
We feel more confident now that our home has several more layers of defense if a wildfire approaches.
[ 07 ]Service areas
From the Santa Monica Mountains to the Sierra.
We work where fire hazard is highest and insurance is hardest to find. Local crews, local permitting knowledge and one standard of work.
Very High FHSZGreater Los Angeles
Wildfire sprinklers and home hardening for Malibu, the Palisades, the Santa Monica Mountains, the San Gabriel foothills and the Hollywood Hills.
Now servingLake Tahoe and Nevada
Ember defense for alpine forest homes on both shores, with snow-aware sprinkler layouts and tank systems for properties far from hydrants.
[ 08 ]Field Journal
Research from the fire line.
Plain-language guides on insurance, home hardening and fire behavior, written for homeowners in fire country. All articles →
How Much Does a Wildfire Sprinkler System Cost?
Exterior wildfire sprinkler systems typically run from about $20,000 for a modest home into the tens of thousands for larger properties. Here's what drives the price and what you pay after install.
By Craig WeeksNov 06, 2026 · 4 min read
What Is the Burning Index? A Firefighter's Guide for Homeowners
Fire agencies rate wildfire danger every day with a number called the Burning Index. Here's how to read it, what it can't tell you, and what to do when it climbs.
By Craig WeeksNov 05, 2026 · 5 min read
Flashy Fuels: The Fire Starters Around Your Home
Firefighters call them flashy fuels, the dry grass, leaves and pine needles that catch an ember in seconds. Here's where they hide around a home and how to clear them.
By Craig WeeksNov 05, 2026 · 4 min read[ ? ]Questions
What homeowners ask us first.
Still deciding? Email info@wetlinedefense.com.
Can home hardening lower my insurance in a high fire zone?
Often, yes. California requires insurers to recognize qualifying wildfire mitigation, and many carriers will write or renew a hardened home they would otherwise decline. Our clients have placed with standard carriers after hardening, and some recover the full cost of the work in premium savings within about five years. Your carrier sets final pricing.
I'm on the FAIR Plan. Can Wetline help me get off it?
That's one of the most common reasons people call us. We harden the home, then give you a readiness report that lists each mitigation in the terms carriers use, so your broker can shop the standard market with evidence in hand.
Is Wetline an insurance company or agent?
No. We are a licensed contractor. We do the work and document it, and your broker or agent shops coverage.
What goes in the readiness report?
Each mitigation we install or verify, with photos, product ratings, vent mesh sizes, glazing protection, water supply and maintenance logs.
Will the sprinklers work if the power and water go out?
Yes. Systems run independently of the utility grid and draw from your pool or a dedicated tank, commonly 5,000 to 30,000 gallons, with their own pump.
Is the retardant safe for my family, pets and garden?
Our Cold Fire based suppressant is plant and water based, pH neutral and non-toxic to people, pets and vegetation.
[ 09 ]Book a free assessment
Talk to us your way.
Send a quick request, email us, or build a full protection plan first. Every option ends with a free visit from a retired firefighter.
Email us
Ask a specialist anything.
info@wetlinedefense.com
Questions about your home, your policy or a system. No forms.
Full protection plan · 2 minutes
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