WildfireList
The 12 measures

Advisory, not one of the 12 measures

Find a certified wildfire mitigation specialist

An independent assessment of your property, before you spend money on the work.

What the credential is

The Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist credential is administered by the National Fire Protection Association. It is earned by passing a proctored exam covering hazard mitigation measures, planning and preparedness strategies, public education practice, and wildland fire science. It has to be renewed every three years through continuing education, and there is no re-examination requirement at renewal.

What it is not

  • It is a knowledge credential, not a contractor's licence. There is no minimum education or work-experience requirement to sit the exam.
  • It does not authorise anyone to perform construction work in California. That still requires the appropriate CSLB licence.
  • Hiring a specialist earns no insurance discount on its own. The discounts attach to the 12 measures, once the work is done.

When it is worth hiring one

Three situations make the money worth it. The first is an older home where you have no idea which of the 12 measures actually applies to what you own, and guessing means paying for the wrong work. The second is a limited budget, where the useful question is not what is possible but which work buys the most risk reduction per dollar, and that is a judgement call somebody should make standing in your yard. The third is a policy problem: you have been non-renewed, or quoted a hard number, and you need documentation of the condition of the property and of what has already been done.

How to check that a credential is current

Ask for the name the credential is held under, which is often a person rather than the company you are hiring, then check it against NFPA. NFPA maintains the record and is the only place a current status can be confirmed. Where a WildfireList profile shows this credential, we state the date a person here looked at NFPA's record and confirmed it. That is a record of our own check, and it can go stale, so treat NFPA as the authority.

Check a Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist with NFPAConfirm current certification status at the source, before you sign anything.About the CWMS credential (NFPA)What the exam covers, who it is for, and how renewal works.

California CWMS holders

NFPA's public register lists 44 people in California. Here they are, with the status NFPA showed when we last checked.

Sourced from NFPA's public certification verification portal, checked 14 August 2026. NFPA is the only authority on current status - check there before you rely on this.

Some of the people on this register work for fire agencies, counties, and utilities rather than taking private clients. Listing here is a record of certification, not an offer of services, and not an endorsement by WildfireList.

Listed by NFPA as certified

Then the 12 measures

A specialist's report ends with a list of work, and that work is where the insurance discounts live. Read the 12 measures or find the trades who perform them.

NFPA®, Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist®, and CWMS are marks of the National Fire Protection Association. WildfireList is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by NFPA. Certification status is maintained by NFPA and should be confirmed with them directly.

WildfireList does not award, confer or maintain this credential. NFPA administers it and holds the authoritative record of who currently holds it. Where we show a credential we are recording a check a WildfireList person made on a date, nothing more, so confirm current status with NFPA directly.

Wondering how a carrier will treat this once it is in place? Talk to a licensed California agent.