Cindera Score methodology

How readinessbecomes a number.

Public hazard science. County property records. Verified proof of the work. One score every homeowner, fire department, city, and insurer can understand — and improve.

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300 – 900 scale
Engine v2.2.0
  • High Priority300–579
  • Needs Attention580–669
  • Good Foundation670–739
  • Well Protected740–799
  • Firewise Leader800–900

Built for every stakeholder

Same score. Different jobs.

Homeowners use it to act. Fire and cities use it to target and measure. Insurers and lenders use it as a readiness signal that can show its work.

A score you can improve — with a plan attached

Your preliminary Cindera Score starts from public hazard data and county records. It is not a judgment of how much you care. It is a starting line. Verified hardening work is what moves you into the upper tiers.

  • See where you stand on a familiar 300–900 scale
  • Get a ranked action plan matched to your home
  • Upload proof; when verified, your score rises
  • Keep a living record for grants, insurance, and resale

Three layers

What goes into every score

Risk maps stop at location. Cindera starts there, adds structure context from county records, then raises the number only when hardening work is verified.

01

Location hazard

Where the home sits on the landscape — the hazard science fire professionals and regulators already use.

Cities and fire departments see the same public hazard foundations that already guide planning and response.

  • In California, CAL FIRE’s adopted Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps (SRA and LRA) anchor the regulatory picture.
  • Nationwide, US Forest Service Wildfire Risk to Communities samples hazard at the parcel’s coordinates.
  • Where both California layers resolve, they combine so the score reflects regulation and local hazard science.
  • When finer data is unavailable, a national baseline keeps every residential parcel scoreable.
02

Structure & parcel

County property records shade the preliminary score for construction era and lot exposure — never for missing data.

Insurers and underwriters get an honest preliminary band, not invented attributes the homeowner never confirmed.

  • Construction era adjusts the preliminary band when year built is known (modern wildfire codes vs. older stock).
  • In higher-hazard areas, larger lots can indicate more defensible-space surface area still unverified.
  • Structure adjustments are bounded so parcel data can shade a score but never dominate hazard or verified work.
  • If a county field is missing, the home is not penalized — unknown is treated as unknown.
03

Verified readiness

Timestamped photo and video evidence of hardening work is what raises a score beyond the preliminary band.

Homeowners get a plan that moves the number. Partners get a shared, auditable record of what was verified.

  • Homeowners follow a ranked action plan — Zone 0, ember entry, structural hardening, vegetation, access, and upkeep.
  • Cindera reviews submitted evidence before readiness credits apply. Self-reported checklists do not move the number.
  • As verified readiness rises, evidence replaces parcel assumptions — a hardened older home can outscore an untouched new build.
  • Upper tiers require proof. That is intentional: the map’s starting picture is honest, and every point of improvement is real work.

Preliminary vs verified

Upper tiers are earned, not assumed

Homes with no verified action stay in a preliminary band — capping around 630 of 900 by design. When a community map looks urgent, that is the honest before picture. Verified work is how the after picture is written.

Today

643

Good Foundation

While hardening

721

Well Protected

The goal

860

Firewise Leader

Preliminary score

Location hazard plus bounded structure adjustments from county records. Useful as a starting baseline for maps, outreach, and homeowner plans — not as proof that a home is fully prepared.

Verified score

Readiness credits apply after Cindera reviews photo and video evidence. That is what separates a hazard-aware preliminary band from a score that reflects real mitigation.

Design principles

Rules we will not break

These principles stay stable even as the engine gains new data sources. When the score changes, it should change for reasons you can explain.

Upper tiers are earned

Homes with no verified action stay in a preliminary band (capping around 630 of 900 by design). Firewise Leader and other upper tiers require verified readiness work — never assumed checklists.

Missing data is not a penalty

If year built or other county fields are unknown, the score does not invent a worse home. Unknown fields simply do not apply a structure adjustment.

Evidence replaces assumptions

Parcel-based structure adjustments shade the preliminary score. As homeowners verify real work, those assumptions fade and the score reflects what has been proven today.

Every score can show its work

Scores record engine version, hazard context, and the layers that produced them — so homeowners, partners, and reviewers can explain the number, not just display it.

A risk map is a diagnosis. Cindera is a plan.

Hazard science alone does not change. The Cindera Score wraps location, structure, and verified action in a ranked plan so the number can move — and stay moved.

Data foundations

Named sources. No mystery sauce.

Cindera builds on public hazard science and licensed county records — the same foundations regulators and fire professionals already rely on. We are not affiliated with these agencies.

CAL FIRE

Public data

Adopted Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps (SRA and LRA) for California regulatory hazard.

USDA Forest Service

Public data

Wildfire Risk to Communities hazard science with point sampling at parcel coordinates.

County assessors

Public records

Construction era, lot size, and property attributes via licensed parcel records.

Homeowner evidence

Verified

Timestamped photo and video proof reviewed by Cindera before readiness credits apply.

IBHS & CAL FIRE standards

Standards

Hardening guidance aligned with recognized wildfire mitigation frameworks.

USGS

Public data

Fire and EMS station locations for community and jurisdiction maps (context, not the score formula).

Scoring engine v2.2.0. Exact model weights and provider blends are proprietary and may evolve as we add richer parcel and landscape inputs. Principles and named data foundations on this page describe what the live engine uses today. See California Disclosures for additional risk-assessment notices.

Clear boundaries

What the score is not

Not an insurance quote

Carriers make their own underwriting decisions. A higher score is a readiness signal — not a promise of coverage or price.

Not a building inspection

Preliminary scores use public and licensed data. On-site or photo verification confirms details satellites and assessors cannot see.

Not a judgment of the homeowner

A lower preliminary score usually means higher local hazard and unverified work — not that someone failed to care.

Common questions

Straight answers

Why do so many homes start in the lower tiers?

By design. Without verified action, scores stay in a preliminary band so the community map is an honest baseline. Upper tiers are earned with proof — which means every point of improvement on the map represents real work.

Is the score unfair to older homes?

Older construction can start slightly lower when year built is known, because pre-modern wildfire codes predict higher loss. The adjustment is small and bounded. A verified, hardened older home can outscore an untouched newer build.

How is this different from a fire risk map?

Risk maps stop at hazard. Cindera starts there, adds structure context from county records, then raises the score only when hardening work is verified — wrapped in a plan homeowners and partners can act on together.

More in the FAQ

See the score for a real address

Homeowners can start free. Cities, fire departments, and insurers can explore how parcel-level readiness becomes a shared operating picture.

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