Statewide honors could help cut fire insurance rates for Santa Cruz County residents

PK Hattis, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Calif.Santa Cruz Sentinel

SANTA CRUZ — Some Santa Cruz County residents may qualify for wildfire insurance price reductions after the county earned a spot on a list of communities across the state that have effectively worked to combat the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

The county’s fire safety efforts recently received recognition from the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Fire Risk Reduction Community List, a designation that could provide financial relief to local residents while also making the county more competitive for potentially millions of dollars in future wildfire prevention grants, according to a county release.

The statewide honors were secured by the county’s Community Development and Infrastructure Department and the Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience, which helps coordinate countywide wildfire resilience work alongside Cal Fire, local fire districts, the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County, numerous community fire safe councils and other local organizations.

The list was established to formally acknowledge local agencies and jurisdictions with a track record of reducing their wildfire risk through planning, community engagement, mitigation efforts and implementation of state-defined best practices.

“This recognition reflects years of work to make Santa Cruz County safer, better prepared and more competitive for wildfire prevention funding,” Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience Director David Reid said in a media release. “Just as importantly, it may help qualifying homeowners seek wildfire insurance premium discounts at a time when insurance costs are a major concern for local families.”

According to the county, California Department of Insurance regulations require insurers to take fire risk reduction community status into account in their rating system. Discount amounts vary by insurer and by property, and homeowners should contact their insurance provider to ask whether the designation applies to their policy, the county noted.

The statewide recognition is welcome news for many county residents who lost their fire insurance in recent years after several major insurers pulled out of the region amid the rising threat of catastrophic wildfires. As options in the marketplace dried up, some residents, particularly those living in fire prone regions in the Santa Cruz Mountains, were forced to sign up for pricier plans or opt for California’s home insurance of last resort, called the FAIR Plan, which has pricing challenges of its own.

Meanwhile, the county itself will improve its bona fides when it goes to apply for Cal Fire’s Wildfire Prevention Grants meant to support projects that reduce hazardous fuels, establish fuel breaks, chip felled branches and debris, utilize prescribed grazing and engage in general wildfire planning, risk mapping and public education.

The county’s designation will also further support wildfire resiliency projects made possible by the approval of Measure Q in 2024. The measure will generate $8.8 million in tax revenue this fiscal year that will go to wildfire risk reduction efforts across all local jurisdictions.

Resources and information about the Fire Risk Reduction Community List and its impacts are online at bof.fire.ca.gov/projects-and-programs/fire-risk-reduction-community-list.