Oregon Partners with Insurance Industry on Wildfire Prevention Initiative
Oregon’s State Fire Marshal has partnered with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety to help homeowners protect their properties from wildfires. The collaboration aims to promote home hardening and defensible space creation, potentially leading to more affordable property insurance rates.
The partnership, announced by State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple, involves a memorandum of agreement with Roy Wright, CEO of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety. The institute oversees the ‘Wildfire Prepared’ certification program, which encourages homeowners to undertake specific wildfire prevention measures.
Gov. Tina Kotek emphasized the importance of maintaining insurance availability for homeowners despite wildfire risks. ‘We need to continue to have insurance for our homeowners here, despite the wildfire risk,’ she stated. While California has mandated insurance discounts for wildfire mitigation, Oregon has taken a collaborative approach with the insurance industry.
Key Components of the ‘Wildfire Prepared’ Certification
- Homeowners must clear a 5-foot buffer around their homes and decks, removing combustible materials.
- Two certification types are available: one for retrofitting older homes and one for building new homes to withstand fires.
- The certification process involves submitting photos and a $125 application fee, followed by inspections.
- Certification must be renewed every three years, with annual photo submissions required to maintain compliance.
Oregon’s Insurance Commissioner Andrew Stolfi noted that the certification should help keep insurance coverage available and affordable as homeowners reduce their wildfire risk. However, legislative investment in helping homeowners cover the costs of home hardening has decreased since the initial allocation of over $30 million in 2021 following the catastrophic 2020 Labor Day Fires.
Kotek remains committed to securing dedicated funding to support community-based grants for wildfire prevention measures. The current partnership represents a significant step toward mitigating wildfire risks and their financial impacts on homeowners and insurers alike.
