Helmer, IN
Helmer wildfire risk explained
Helmer's 87 buildings earn a 6th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Helmer's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 6th percentile nationally.
Where Helmer's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 85.1% of Helmer's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 14.9% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
Helmer against the rest of the country
Helmer's 42nd-percentile standing inside Indiana outpaces its 6th national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Helmer ranks 29,591 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,611 by building count (1 is largest). Within Indiana alone, it ranks 562 of 967 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Indiana on its state page.
Helmer and the insurance market
At the 6th national percentile, Helmer rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
With 85.1% of buildings rated Minimal exposure, Helmer gets less benefit from structure hardening than a Direct- or Indirect-dominant place would — the home-hardening guide explains why the zone matters.
Where Helmer's figures come from
Helmer's 6th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Helmer's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.