I am writing in support of Steve Graeper’s February letter to MT regarding the importance of all homeowners making it a priority to help secure their property and community against wildfire. The recent Department of Forestry (ODF) letter many of us received emphasizes the importance of this work and provides useful guidance on how to start.
I was then pleased to see a letter supporting this position by Shirley Morgan in the March MT, but wanted to correct a key misconception included in that letter. The new hazard assessment sent out by ODF has not, will not and cannot impact insurance availability or rates. Insurance companies have their own risk models and assessments, and have had them for years. They are the basis of how they run their business. Insurance rates began to climb well before this recent hazard assessment. Since 2020, insurance companies have paid out more for wildfire loss than in all the years before combined. This is what is driving increasing insurance rates. Unfortunately, insurance rates are likely to continue to increase and coverage be restricted, driven by these increasing losses. This won’t turn around until we can create wildfire resilient communities with fire hardened homes and defensible space as guided by the legislation (SB762/80) which prompted this hazard assessment. We need to reduce wildfire loss going forward to improve the insurance situation.
So do your part for the sake of the safety of yourself, your property and your community. Create a defensible space around your home, fire harden its construction, and, yes, trim your trees. They are all positive steps you can take that will move us forward. Appealing the reality of our wildfire vulnerability will do nothing to create a wildfire resilient community, and certainly won’t help your insurance rates.
For reference: Oregon law (SB83, 2023) states that: SECTION 4. An insurance company may not use a map published by an agency of this state that identifies areas of wildfire risk or exposure as a basis for: (1) Canceling or declining to renew a homeowner insurance policy; or (2) Increasing a premium for a homeowner insurance policy. (The full bill can be found on the Oregon Legislative Information System at https://www.oregonlegislature.gov.)
Walt Mayberry
Coordinator, MT. Hood Corridor Wildfire Partnership CPO-HOA Workgroup