As pricey mountain homes are being built ever deeper in wildfire country, a market has emerged for high-end insurance coverage that includes dispatching private fire protection forces when disaster strikes.
During the height of Boulder County’s recent wildfires, a 13-member protection unit was spraying fire retardant on a select group of homes, the Boulder Daily Camera reported last week.
Is that fair? Absolutely.
Seeking such protection should be up to individual homeowners, but we have one caveat: If this idea catches on with mountain homeowners, local fire protection districts need to make it clear that private forces must work in conjunction with government authorities.
It would be counterproductive, and perhaps even tragic, for a private crew to get in trouble, have to be rescued and divert resources from fighting the fires.
In the Boulder case, it seems that the insurance company took steps ahead of time to secure permission to be in the fire zone during an emergency. Furthermore, the company’s activities were limited by prior agreement. That meant insurance crews were not authorized to put out a fire, but were allowed to be in the fire zone to set up sprinkler systems and spray fire-blocking gels on houses.
The Boulder County fires were fearsome, and caused an immense amount of property damage. Those who suffered damages in the Fourmile Canyon fire filed insurance claims worth $217 million, making it the most expensive wildfire in the state’s history.
We wouldn’t be surprised to see more of the county’s residents seek private wildfire protection coverage in preparation for upcoming fire seasons. Similar insurance coverage has been available in California for several years, and according to insurance analysts probably will gain in popularity.
Such coverage is an expensive proposition and probably won’t be universally utilized. Surely, it will not supplant the frontline government firefighters upon whom many mountain property owners depend for protection.
As governments and emergency responders look for lessons learned from this latest round of wildfires, they would do well to examine how to make the working relationships between private and public fire suppression forces go smoothly.
If counties don’t have policies on crafting memorandums of understanding with private fire suppression units, they ought to develop them.
When wildfires are raging, and homes are being threatened, it’s beneficial to have experienced hands on deck, whether they’re being paid with tax dollars or through private insurance policies.
It’s important, however, that everyone understands and respects each other’s roles so the work of saving homes and property goes off with as few problems as possible.
