Sims, IN
Sims wildfire risk explained
Sims sits at the 0th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 129 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Sims's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 0th percentile nationally.
Where Sims's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 74.4% of Sims's buildings as Minimal exposure, the largest of the three zones here by a wide margin over 25.6% Direct and 0% Indirect — a landscape-level risk rather than a building-by-building one.
How Sims compares
There's little gap between Sims's 0th national percentile and its 1st percentile inside Indiana, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sims ranks 31,464 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,748 by building count (1 is largest). Within Indiana alone, it ranks 958 of 967 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Indiana on its state page.
Sims and the insurance market
Sims's low rating (0th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Even with 74.4% of Sims outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Sims's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 129 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Sims. The exposure-zones guide covers what Sims's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.