FireRisk.ai vs First Street (Risk Factor)

Two good tools that answer different questions about a home’s wildfire risk. Here’s an honest side-by-side — and why many homeowners use both.

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FireRisk.ai
First Street (Risk Factor)
Cost
Free, no signup
Free Risk Factor lookup (also licensed/embedded on Redfin & Realtor.com)
Primary data
Authoritative federal + state: USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities, FEMA NRI, NIFC fire history, USGS terrain
First Street’s own catastrophe model
Time horizon
Current conditions + recorded fire history
Forward-looking 15- and 30-year projections
Official legal zone
Shows the CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zone (CA) — the legal designation
Not shown
Live active fires
Yes — live NIFC perimeters, satellite hotspots & NWS Red Flag alerts
No
Insurance options
Premium impact, FAIR-Plan guidance, discounts & carrier matching
No
Mitigation plan
Defensible-space steps, grants by state, contractor connect
No
Free alerts
Yes — email alerts when fires/Red Flags appear near you
No

The short version

First Street’s Risk Factor is a well-regarded model that projects how a property’s risk may evolve over coming decades — useful for the long view, and the reason you’ll see it on real-estate listings. FireRisk.ai takes a different angle: it’s free, built on authoritative federal and state data, shows the official CAL FIRE hazard zone and the fires actually recorded near an address, and then goes a step further into what you can do about it — insurance options and a mitigation plan. They’re complementary, not competitors.

FAQ

Is FireRisk.ai the same as First Street’s Risk Factor?

No. First Street’s Risk Factor is a respected forward-looking model that projects risk decades out and is widely shown on Redfin and Realtor.com. FireRisk.ai is free and focuses on authoritative federal and state data (including the legal CAL FIRE hazard zone), current and recorded fires, plus the practical next steps — insurance and mitigation — that a projection alone doesn’t give you.

Which is more accurate?

They answer different questions. First Street models how risk may change over 15–30 years; FireRisk.ai reports the federal hazard rating, the official California zone, and the fires actually recorded near a property today. For decisions like insurance and home hardening, the authoritative current designation plus recorded history is what carriers and codes use — which is what FireRisk.ai surfaces.

Should I use both?

Yes — they’re complementary. Use First Street to understand long-term projected trends, and FireRisk.ai for your authoritative current score, the legal hazard zone, live fires near you, and your insurance and mitigation options.

See your home’s authoritative fire risk — free

Federal hazard data, the CAL FIRE zone, live fires, and your insurance options — in 30 seconds, no signup.

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