Gibson Flats, MT
How exposed is Gibson Flats to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Gibson Flats at the 47th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 204 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Gibson Flats's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 45th percentile nationally.
Gibson Flats's building exposure, zone by zone
Of Gibson Flats's 204 counted buildings, 69.6% carry Direct exposure and only 30.4% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Gibson Flats against the rest of the country
Gibson Flats's 47th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 10th ranking inside Montana does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 37 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gibson Flats ranks 16,830 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 24,696 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 428 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
Gibson Flats and the insurance market
At the 47th national percentile, Gibson Flats rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 69.6% of Gibson Flats in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Gibson Flats's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Gibson Flats's 16,830-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Gibson Flats's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.