Frequently Asked Questions

Firebreak is a mobile web application that uses artificial intelligence to assess wildfire risk at residential properties. By capturing photos of your property, our AI analyzes fire hazards, vegetation concerns, and defensible space to generate a comprehensive risk assessment report.

The app helps property owners prepare for fire season and provides documentation that may qualify for insurance premium discounts through demonstrated mitigation efforts.

No! Firebreak is a Progressive Web App (PWA) that runs directly in your mobile browser. Simply navigate to the app URL and you're ready to start. You can optionally add it to your home screen for easier access.

Most property inspections can be completed in 20-30 minutes. The time varies depending on:

• Property size and complexity
• Number of distinct areas to photograph
• Your familiarity with the app

First-time users may take a bit longer while getting comfortable with the photography workflow.

Yes! Firebreak is designed to work offline. You can capture all your photos without an internet connection, and they will automatically upload when you reconnect.

The app queues photos locally and uses intelligent background processing to upload them when internet becomes available. Each photo is uploaded individually with automatic retry on failure.

Note: You'll need internet to generate the final AI risk assessment report, but all photo capture and storage works offline.

Each area has a minimum photo requirement:

• Outside Front: 3 photos minimum
• Inside: 2 photos minimum
• Deck Area: 2 photos minimum
• Pool: 2 photos minimum
• Garage: 1 photo minimum
• Outside Back: 3 photos minimum

You can take more photos for better coverage. More comprehensive documentation typically results in more detailed AI analysis. Photos are automatically compressed to 1200px width at 70% quality for efficient upload.

Our AI analyzes multiple fire risk factors:

• Vegetation proximity to structures
• Roof and building materials
• Defensible space zones
• Ground cover and fuel load
• Deck and fence materials
• Combustible items near the home
• Slope and topography
• Access for emergency vehicles

Once all photos are uploaded, AI analysis typically takes 5-15 minutes depending on the number of photos and current system load. You can monitor progress in the Queue tab, and the report will be available in the Reports tab as soon as processing completes.

FireBreak automatically optimizes photos for reliable upload and efficient processing:

• Automatic resizing: Photos are resized to a maximum width of 1200px while maintaining aspect ratio
• Quality optimization: Images are compressed to 70% JPEG quality, reducing file size by 70-80%
• Smart retry: If an upload fails, subsequent retries use progressively higher compression (down to 50% quality) to ensure delivery on poor connections
• No quality loss for AI: Compressed images retain more than enough detail for accurate AI analysis

This compression happens automatically on your device before upload, so you never need to manually resize or compress photos.

FireBreak assessments provide documentation that demonstrates proactive wildfire risk management. Many insurers offer premium discounts for properties that implement fire mitigation measures.

Potential savings typically range from 15-25%, but exact discounts vary by insurer and location. Contact your insurance provider to understand their specific mitigation credit programs.

We're actively partnering with leading insurance providers. Visit firebreakrisk.com for the current list of participating insurers.

Even if your insurer isn't officially partnered, the documentation may still be valuable for demonstrating your mitigation efforts during policy renewals or claim discussions.

Your report is accessible via a secure web link that you can share with your insurer. The link is provided in the Reports tab after AI analysis completes. You can also download a PDF copy for your records.

GPS verification requires:

• Location services enabled in your device settings
• Clear view of the sky (works better outdoors)
• Being within 100 meters of the entered property address

If GPS fails, make sure you're at the correct property and try again after a few moments to allow GPS to acquire a strong signal.

FireBreak has a robust upload system designed for reliability:

• Automatic compression: Photos are resized to 1200px width and compressed to 70% quality for faster uploads
• Smart retry: Failed uploads automatically retry with exponential backoff (5s, 10s, 20s, 40s, 80s)
• Progressive quality reduction: On retry, photos are compressed further to ensure delivery on poor connections
• Individual photo uploads: Each photo uploads separately - if one fails, others still succeed
• Background processing: The app checks for failed uploads every 10 seconds and retries automatically
• Upload timeout: Uploads timeout after 30 seconds to prevent hung connections

If a photo persistently fails after 5 attempts, you can manually retry from the Queue tab or contact support with the specific error message shown.

The Queue tab provides real-time upload monitoring:

• Pending: Photo is waiting to upload
• Uploading: Photo is currently being sent (with progress bar)
• Uploaded: Photo successfully delivered to server
• Failed: Upload encountered an error (will auto-retry)

Each photo shows its current status, retry count (if applicable), and any error messages. You can manually retry or delete individual photos from the queue.

Yes. All photos and data are encrypted during transmission and storage. Your property assessments are private and only accessible to you unless you explicitly share the report link.

We never share your data with third parties without your consent. See our Privacy Policy for complete details.

Yes. You can delete individual photos from the Gallery tab before uploading. Photos in the upload queue can be removed from the Queue tab. Once uploaded, contact our support team to request deletion of your assessment data.

Firebreak works on:

• iOS 12+ (iPhone and iPad)
• Android 8+ devices
• Modern mobile browsers (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge)

The app is optimized for mobile devices with cameras. Desktop access is possible but camera functionality may be limited.

FireBreak limits concurrent uploads to a maximum of 2 photos at once. This prevents overwhelming your device's internet connection, which can actually slow down uploads or cause failures.

By uploading photos sequentially in small batches, we achieve:

• More reliable uploads on slower connections
• Better progress tracking
• Reduced memory usage on your device
• Faster overall completion time through efficiency