Insurance industry mulls wildfire risk reduction

BOISE - Bigger and more intense wildfires across much of the West, including Hawaii, are leading to higher premiums and more restrictive terms for property insurance, participants in an insurance forum said this week.

Figuring out how to keep insurance affordable and insurers solvent is a goal of state commissioners and the industry, said Dean Cameron, Idaho Department of Insurance director.

The Idaho Department of Insurance, National Association of Insurance Commissioners Western Zone and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety hosted the forum.

Near forests or grasslands, losses of homes and other assets such as cattle and forage have been substantial.

"We know that without appropriate insurance coverage ... lenders won't lend money, people are not able to buy property and it affects the overall economy and well-being of the state," Cameron said.

After years of wildfire science, "we need to reduce the amount of times that structures ignite, which will reduce the likelihood of conflagration," said Anne Cope, chief engineer for the institute. Institute staffers test burn materials and structures to document fire impacts.

"This peril is a preventable peril, and it will take a will to change and a will to do something different," Cope said.

Every Western zone state, and other agencies, have assisted Hawaii in dealing with last summer's massive fire in Lahaina, Maui, said Gordon Ito, Hawaii's insurance commissioner.

About $3 billion in insurance claims have been filed, Ito said.

Personal property insurance has paid more than 80% of the claims, he said. Almost all personal vehicle claims have been paid. About half of commercial insurance claims have been paid as the gathering of business and loss records continues.

In Colorado at the end of 2021 and start of 2022, the grass-fueled, wind-accelerated Marshall Fire caused an estimated $2 billion in damage including the loss of about 1,100 homes. While a state agency provided financial and other resources to homeowners seeking to rebuild, smoke damage and an ongoing shortage of housing presented additional challenges, said Jason Lapham, deputy commissioner for property and casualty with the state Division of Insurance.

The institute's Wildfire Prepared Home designation requires the creation and maintenance of buffer areas; certain types of roofs, gutters, downspouts and vents; and ensuring exterior walls have sufficient ground clearance.

Maintaining defensible space is a key tenet, as is clearing and maintaining decks and porches. Additional protective measures can qualify a home for an advanced designation.