Hepler, KS
Hepler, KS's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
USFS scores Hepler at the 57th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 128 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Hepler at the 57th percentile, close to its 57th-percentile risk score.
Hepler's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Hepler: 56.3% of its 128 buildings, versus 24.2% Indirect and 19.5% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Hepler ranks
Hepler's risk sits at a similar level relative to Kansas (46th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (57th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hepler ranks 13,580 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,797 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kansas alone, it ranks 390 of 721 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kansas on its state page.
Hepler and the insurance market
Hepler's elevated rating (57th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Hepler's 56.3% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Hepler's figures come from
Hepler's 57th-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 Hepler's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.