The Serrano Owners’ Association and the Serrano Fire Safe Council was proud to announce that Serrano has officially earned national recognition as a Firewise USA® Community in Good Standing in 2025. This designation reflects our shared commitment to reducing wildfire risk and protecting our homes, families, and neighborhoods.

In Serrano, participation in the Firewise USA® program means homeowners fund vegetation fuel reduction along parkways, private streets, front yards, common areas, and open space to reduce fire risk.

Just as importantly, homeowners take steps to reduce wildfire vulnerabilities on their own properties—protecting not only their homes but also their neighbors’.

Widespread community participation is essential to prevent the kind of house-to-house fire spread we saw in last year’s devastating Palisades and Eaton fires in Southern California.

In addition, many insurance carriers recognize Firewise USA® designation as a sign of wildfire risk reduction—and some offer discounts on homeowners insurance as a result.

Download your official Firewise USA® certificate below.

Top row: Bill Osgood, Chris Nicholson, Rich Langan, and Ed Goldkuhi

Bottom row: Robert Biton, Cheryl Shields, Jennifer Wells, Diane Ross, and Ron DeHaven

Serrano West

Villages A, B, D1, and D2

Serrano North

All staffed gated villages and J6 and J7

Serrano South

Villages C, E, F, G&J4, and K3/K4

Time and Expense Reporting

Investing the equivalent of one volunteer hour (valued at $25.43) per residential dwelling unit within the site’s boundary in annual wildfire risk reduction efforts is a requirement of the national recognition program’s criteria for maintaining an “In Good Standing” status.

Each November, Fire Safe Serrano will ask the HOA to provide expenses for landscape maintenance in the open space, parkways, streetscapes, common areas, and production home front yards, which we will convert to hours for each Firewise community.

At the same time, we will ask residents to submit their list of time and expenses for the year spent on wildfire risk reduction activities. We will convert their expenses to hours for each Firewise community.

Examples of actions, activities, and expenses that residents can count toward meeting this annual investment requirement are listed below.

Home Hardening

• Repairing and caulking exposed eaves

• Enclosing exposed eaves

• Replacing foundation, eave, gable, and roof vents with ember-resistant vents or covering them with 1/8-1/6 inch metal mesh

• Replacing weather stripping around garage doors

• Replacing vinyl gutters and downspouts with metal

• Installing metal gutter covers

• Replacing the wood gate and 5 feet of attached wood wing fence with metal

Defensible Space

• Yard maintenance not provided by the HOA

• Yard waste disposal volume

• Replacing bark mulch with river rock

• Removing shrubs and combustible materials under and near windows and under eaves

• Removing dead and dying limbs and tree branches over the roof

• Removing tree branches within 6 feet of the ground

• Clearing debris and bark mulch from the base of wood fences

• Removal of debris on the roof and in the gutters as needed

Education and Community Outreach

• Viewing videos

• Reading materials

• Receiving a home assessment

• Receiving a block assessment

• Attending Firewise community events

• Attending wildfire workshops

• Providing home and block assessments