The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District and the California Metro Chiefs Association, addressed the ongoing issue of wildfires and their impact on fire insurance in California.
Daniel Munsey is the fire chief for San Bernardino County.
He says it isn't a fire insurance problem. It's a houses burning down problem.
“Some of the most well protected houses in California, namely in LA City, where they have the highest concentration of firefighters, they have excellent water system. They have helicopters. They got bulldozers. They couldn't stop this flaming front from going house to house. This wasn't really a wildland fire that moved through the Palisades. This was a wind event. It was ember cast and it was fire going from house to house. We have to stop that in order for fire insurance to be affordable in our communities.”
He says solving the insurance crisis comes down to three things.
“One, houses have to stop burning, and it has to be through meaningful mitigation efforts like zone zero. The second is we need to work with the insurance industry, which can be very difficult because they're not engaging with the fire service, to look at those meaningful mitigation efforts the fire service is doing. We need to work with the insurance industry, and the most importantly, third, prove to the insurance industry these houses aren't going to burn down”
Dave Winnacker is with the California Fire Chiefs Association.
He says the issue needs everyone to work together.
“Fire does not recognize municipal boundaries, and it's critically important that our members are operating within the best science, the best practices, in a coordinated way, so we can achieve network effects, so that all of our communities can benefit, while the insurance industry is separate and regulated outside of the fire service.”
For more information on fire safety, visit sbcfire.org/readysetgofire.
