Coastside Buzz

Explore the Coast - Coastside Calendar & Directory - Articles, Podcasts & Video

MENUMENU
  • Home
  • Content
    • Multi-Media
      • The Coastal Butterfly
      • Coastside Disaster Prep
      • Coastside History
      • Coastsider Musicians
      • Phog Foundation
      • Surf Sessions
      • Writers Corner
        • Boys of the 60s
        • Wrong Shirt - A Memoir Series
    • Podcasts
      • Bedtime Stories
      • CoasTalk
      • Eclectic Radio Show
      • Fun On The Coast
      • Gone Fishing
      • HMBHS Cougar Radio
      • Just Call Wick
      • KHMB
    • Own Voice
      • Coastside Beach Ambassadors
      • InPerspective
    • Public Agencies
      • Cabrillo Unified School District
      • City of HMB Planning Commission
      • Coastside County Water District (CCWD)
      • Coastside Fire Protection District
      • Granada Community Services District (GCSD)
      • Half Moon Bay City Council
      • MidCoast Community Council (MCC)
      • Montara Water and Sewer District (MWSD)
      • San Mateo County
      • San Mateo County Harbor District
      • Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM)
  • BUZZ Calendar
  • BUZZ Directory
    • View the Directory
    • How it Works - Join Today
  • About
    • Promotion
    • Buzz Productions : Photo-Essays, Podcasts, Audiobooks and Videos
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Founder Bio
  • Contact
  • Elections 2022
You are here: Home / Home Top List / NEW: Homeowner Insurance Reward for Wildfire Mitigation

NEW: Homeowner Insurance Reward for Wildfire Mitigation

December 1, 2022 by Gregg Leave a Comment

OWN VOICE. ~ InPerspective by Gregg Dieguez —

Some of you may have heard in prior MCC meetings (e.g David Shew 7/13/22) that by forming a FireWise Community, you could save on your homeowners’ fire insurance.  That hope is a step closer to reality with California’s new insurance regulations.  I had heard about this insurance change at a Fire Safe San Mateo County meeting on Nov. 9th, but the speakers from the State merely READ material and did not hand out text to pass on.  Just this morning Denise Enea, head of FSSMC,  (thanks!) forwarded me an email with the information I have posted below in the body of this article.  Since “the Homes are the Fuel” – as we know from the Paradise Fire, etc. – and  since we live in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), adoption of the measures below will not merely affect your insurance rates, but the survival of your neighborhood.  A slide show on the need for and value of Firewise communities is available here.

From Denise Enea’s email: 

Changes to homeowners insurance are afoot. The California Department of Insurance (CDI) instituted a new regulation on Oct-14-2022. Insurers have 180 days (until mid-Apr-2023) to submit new rating plans that give homeowners discounts for wildfire mitigation.

With the new CDI regulation, homeowner insurance rating plans will have to reflect:

  • Community-level mitigation as evidenced by being a Firewise USA site in good standing
  • The following property-level defensible space mitigations:
    • Clearing of vegetation and debris from under decks
    • Clearing of combustibles within 5 feet of the building
    • Noncombustible fences and gates within 5 feet of the building
    • Absence of combustible structures, such as sheds, within 30 feet of the building
    • Defensible space as defined by town and WFPD ordinances
  • The following home hardening mitigations:
    • Class-A fire rated roof
    • Enclosed eaves
    • Fire-resistant vents
    • Double pane (double glazed) windows or full shutters
    • 6” of noncombustible vertical clearance at the bottom of exterior walls

In rating wildfire risk, the insurer is also allowed to factor in combustible fuels, slope, slope aspect, firefighter access, wind, and other building structural characteristics.

The insurer is required to inform a homeowner or applicant of their wildfire risk score, and what they could do to improve it. At this point, we don’t know if insurers will give credit for partial mitigation or will require that homeowners implement all of the above mitigations.

Outline of presentation 11/8/22

What will be the effect and when?

Recently, there have been two good webinars on the new CDI regulation (see youtube channels for United Policyholders and Fire Safe SMC). Consumers won’t know the regulation’s effect until after insurers submit new rating plans. An industry representative cautioned that it may take a year for homeowners to see change, as it will take the CDI time to evaluate and approve the rating plans. It is also possible that this regulation could cause more insurers to leave California.

The importance of Firewise

One thing is very clear: wildfire scientists and the insurance industry are recognizing the importance of community-level mitigation. That is why discounts for good Firewise standing are becoming common.  Currently, with AAA insurance, you cannot even qualify for property-level mitigation discounts unless you are also in a Firewise community.

So listen to Fire Safe SMC president Denise Enea and the industry representative: start working on becoming a Firewise community now so that you will be ready when the new rating plans are approved in 2023.  Learn how to get started in Firewise with WFPD and WPV-Ready here.

For more information:

For a press release announcing the regulation, click here.
To see the regulatory text, go to Westlaw and search for Title = 10 and Section = 2644.9


More From Gregg Dieguez ~ InPerspective

Mr. Dieguez is a native San Franciscan, longtime San Mateo County resident, and semi-retired entrepreneur who causes occasional controversy on the Coastside. He is a member of the MCC, but his opinions here are his own, and not those of the Council. In 2003 he co-founded MIT’s Clean Tech Program here in NorCal, which became MIT’s largest alumni speaker program. He lives in Montara. He loves a productive dialog in search of shared understanding.

Related

Filed Under: Home Top List, InPerspective

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
guest
Only 1 hyperlink per comment allowed. Swear words will not be published.
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Follow Us!

CoastsideBuzz Instagram Icon Link Coastsidebuzz Facebook Icon Link

SUBSCRIBE TO WEEKLY BUZZMAIL


Civic Bell
LPG Logo
Half Moon Bay Coastside Tours Logo thumbnail
KHMB Coastside Radio logo
Half Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce Logo
Pacifica Chamber
surf-shop mavericks
hmb review Oceano Hotel and Spa
hmb brew co logo

Coastside Buzz

About
Contact

Work With Us

Promotion
Buzz Productions

CoastsideBuzz Newsletter

Join Us on Facebook

Join Us on Facebook

Search

© Copyright 2023 · CoastsideBuzz.com · Half Moon Bay, California · All Rights Reserved

wpDiscuz
 

Loading Comments...