San Rafael Wildfire Prevention: 2025 Seasonal Inspection Program Recap

This year, five seasonal inspectors re-inspected all homes in San Rafael's High Fire Severity Zone following newly updated Cal Fire maps. Many of these properties had not received a defensible space evaluation in several years. The seasonal inspection program ran from June through November.

Over 2,000 homes in the High Fire Severity Zone received evaluations, equivalent to two-thirds of all residential homes in Terra Linda. Of these, 635 residents received full evaluations, qualifying them for the San Rafael Wildfire Mitigation Grant. Each full property evaluation takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete, meaning seasonal inspectors spent over 200 hours directly engaging with High Fire Severity Zone residents.

Beyond inspections, seasonal staff supported community outreach at events including the Fourth of July Fair, Movies in the Park, the San Rafael Fire Department Open House, and National Night Out.

In total, seasonal inspectors completed 3,712 inspections throughout San Rafael, more than the total number of residential homes in Terra Linda. Of these, 910 were full evaluations, requiring over 300 staff hours to complete. For perspective, a single inspector would need 40 work days to complete this many full evaluations, excluding travel time.

We extend our sincere gratitude to our seasonal inspection team for their dedication and hard work in helping protect our community from wildfire risk.