What are wildfire defense insurance services?

Wildfire defense insurance services offer homeowners property protection and reduced risk when a wildfire approaches. Services like risk assessment and protection techniques are free to the homeowner and save insurers from costly claims.

Insurers are proactively seeking ways to reduce claims and lower costs, especially in areas affected by wildfires. As some insurers withdraw from markets that repeatedly experience wildfires, others are finding ways to reduce risk by helping homeowners defend and protect their property.

Companies such as Wildfire Defense Systems (WDS) partner with local firefighters to learn where fires are headed and protect homes in those areas. While private companies don’t fight the fire, they protect homes in advance by removing vegetation, deploying fire retardants and moving items that may fuel a fire. 

Why are wildfire defense services becoming important?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the extent of wildfires in the U.S. is increasing annually. The combination of a warmer climate, droughts and human environmental changes, such as more housing outside of urban areas, has increased the number of wildfires and the damage they cause. 

As a result, insurance companies have begun withdrawing coverage from areas prone to wildfires, such as California, since the number and cost of claims have increased exponentially. However, other insurers want to keep policies in affected areas and offer wildfire defense services to policyholders. These services help mitigate wildfire claims by protecting homes threatened by wildfires. 

Although insurers pay for these services since they provide them for free to the policyholder, the cost is much less than paying claims on damaged homes. Wildfire defense and mitigation help homeowners keep their insurance rather than facing nonrenewals due to high risk.

“We perform Comprehensive Wildfire Risk Assessments complete with solutions and cost estimates. We're the only wildfire mitigation contractor that performs both home wildfire hardening and defensible space mitigation - because insurance underwriters are now demanding both”, says Terry Hunt with Wildfire Defense, LLC. “Our work has been approved by the most critical insurance underwriters, and we have a 100% success rate at saving homeowners from losing their insurance once under an insurance demand to mitigate or lose their insurance.  We also work with home sellers and buyers to ensure their properties could pass an insurance underwriter’s inspection. This is important for anyone looking to buy or sell a home in a high-fire-risk area – if a homebuyer can't get insurance, they can't get a mortgage.”

In California, homeowners can get a wildfire mitigation discount for protecting their property.

Which companies offer wildfire defense insurance services?

Among the companies that offer wildfire defense services are:

Chubb and American Family partner with Wildfire Defense Systems (WDS) to protect policyholders if wildfires threaten their homes. Neither company charges homeowners for the added protection, but American Family automatically enrolls eligible homeowners in the service, while Chubb policyholders must enroll by contacting the company.

Additionally, locations where the coverage is offered vary greatly. Chubb offers wildfire defense services in 19 states, including California, Arizona, Idaho and Montana. However, American Family only offers wildfire defense services in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

USAA also provides free wildfire defense services but protects against them using RedZone, Capstone and Chloeta. RedZone monitors wildfire risks and sends Capstone and Chloeta to the home for mitigation. USAA policyholders in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming are eligible for coverage.

Other insurers, such as Safeco, Homesite and Travelers, also use WDS for wildfire defense in designated areas. Some insurers, like Pure Insurance, partner with other local providers to mitigate fire damage.

How do wildfire defense services work?

Wildfire defense services operate in three stages: before, during and after a fire.

Before a fire, the wildfire defense company assesses your property's risk. They look for items that can increase damage, such as overgrown vegetation and combustible materials like gas cans and firewood, and suggest ways to prevent damage, like installing a sprinkler system.

“Protecting your home from wildfires takes a holistic approach. It basically comes down to home wildfire hardening and defensible space mitigation,” says Hunt. 

He breaks it down as follows:

  1. Home wildfire hardening. “Wildfire forensic science shows predominantly that homes catch on fire from embers before direct flames. Embers from a wildfire can travel over a mile to catch structures and other combustibles on fire. Insurance underwriters monitor the latest forensic wildfire science to learn how homes catch on fire. Our inspections cover everything that the latest science has shown to be the most vulnerable aspects of a home. It's all about avoiding ember intrusion. The retrofits can be surprisingly inexpensive on most homes,” Hunt says.
  2. Defensible space mitigation. “Those pesky embers can also catch the combustibles surrounding your home on fire. That can be dry grasses, trees, and brush. It could also be other structures that are within your defensible space. All of these combustibles surrounding your home can and generally do ignite prior to your home. Mitigating the defensible space outside of your home reduces the intensity of an approaching wildfire and helps protect your home from catching on fire. To provide your home with the best wildfire defense takes a holistic approach to mitigation,” he says.

During a fire, services work with fire officials to determine where a wildfire is headed. If your home is at risk, they work to protect your property. Defense measures include setting up portable sprinklers, deploying fire retardant gel or foam, and removing debris that could fuel the fire.

It should be noted that the company does not stay to fight the fire. Once the protection methods are in place, they leave the area. Firefighters then take over and work to put out the wildfire. If firefighters determine the region is too volatile, the defense company won’t be allowed to access your property and arrange protection. 

Once the fire has passed, they return to your home to remove any portable items they placed, wash away the gel or foam, and return any items they moved, such as trailers. They also check for hotspots or areas where the fire may restart.

If a wildfire damages your home, your homeowners insurance covers damages up to your policy limits.

Can anyone get wildfire defense services?

Wildfire defense services are available to homeowners in areas prone to fires. Whether or not you have to pay for these services depends on your insurer.

Many insurers offer wildfire defense services as a free benefit of their homeowners insurance policies, making them more available and affordable for homeowners. Typically, insurers also provide a risk assessment to determine areas to be improved, such as removing vegetation or fuel sources.

If your insurer doesn’t include wildfire protection, you can contact an independent company to install and monitor systems to protect your home. These services are expensive, making private protection out of reach for some homeowners. 

If you live in an area at risk for wildfires, consider shopping for an insurer offering free wildfire defense services as part of your homeowners policy. 

What to do if a wildfire threatens your home

If you live in an area prone to wildfires, it’s essential to have a plan if your home is threatened. Closing doors and windows, spraying your roof with water, and filling sinks and bathtubs with water can help prepare your home for a wildfire.

If a wildfire is approaching, gather important documents and items and prepare for an evacuation. Check with local authorities to determine when evacuation is necessary and follow any orders. 

Your home is important to you, but getting out of the way of a wildfire can save your life. Evacuate immediately when ordered. Standard home insurance policies provide additional living expenses coverage to cover the costs incurred when you can’t live at home due to an evacuation order, including meals and hotels.

Wildfire defense insurance services: FAQs

How much does wildfire defense cost on average?

Many insurers, such as USAA, American Family, and Chubb, include wildfire defense in their policies at no extra charge for homeowners. If your insurance doesn’t include wildfire defense, you may pay up to $25,000 to protect your home from wildfire.

Are post-wildfire cleanup and rebuilding expenses included?

The wildfire defense company will typically clean up any materials used to protect your home and replace any moved items. The cost is included in your policy. Your homeowners insurance would pay for rebuilding the dwelling and other structures to your policy limits.

How is wildfire risk assessed for my property?

Your insurer will send an assessor to your property to determine wildfire risks. The assessor will work with you and the wildfire defense company to mitigate risks, such as pointing out vegetation or items near your home that could fuel a fire.

Tip iconHelpful home insurance tools and calculators