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Wildfires have been a growing concern, and with climate change exacerbating the risk by increasing dangerous fire weather and drying fuels, it’s crucial to understand the dangers and how to mitigate them (EPA; WMO). Recent U.S. wildfires in 2023 exemplify this threat, with over 56,580 fires burning approximately 2,693,910 acres according to the National Interagency Fire Center, affecting countless homeowners. While the acreage burned was below the 10-year average, high-impact incidents like the Lahaina, Hawaii disaster led to catastrophic community losses. In 2024, localized extreme events further highlighted the peril, with Texas’s Smokehouse Creek Fire and considerable residential losses in Ruidoso, New Mexico. Homeowners in high-risk zones must take proactive measures to protect their property and loved ones.
Communities such as Wallowa Lake, Oregon are examples of residents taking fire safety into their own hands. Despite the support from state and federal agencies, resources are stretched thin due to the high number of declared high-risk zones. Wallowa Lake residents have initiated a Firewise community, a proactive move to enhance fire safety.
Michelle Steinberg, Wildfire Division Director for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), explains that the Firewise USA® program is co-sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. The initiative offers a framework for neighbors to organize, complete a community wildfire risk assessment, adopt a multi-year action plan, invest annually in risk reduction, and submit an annual renewal to maintain recognition—providing practical steps to increase home ignition resistance and overall community safety (NFPA Firewise USA®).
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As a Firewise community, Wallowa Lake residents collaborate with the local Forestland Program Manager to devise an action plan that reduces fire risks. The program offers educational resources, training, and grants to support forest thinning and equipment purchase efforts. These initiatives, alongside new funding and policy incentives like USDA’s Community Wildfire Defense Grants (CWDG; Grants.gov), help communities plan and implement CWPP-aligned projects and can support work that reduces homeowners insurance costs where mitigation discounts are recognized by insurers or required by regulators (California Safer from Wildfires; Washington OIC).
Rising Homeowners Insurance Rates Due to Recent Wildfires
Climate change is a major factor in the rise of extreme fire weather and vegetation drying. Hotter temperatures and prolonged droughts increase fuel aridity, making shrubs, grasses, and forests more prone to ignition and fueling large, difficult-to-control fires. Recent assessments document a lengthening fire season and more frequent dangerous fire weather in many regions, including the western U.S. and parts of Europe (EPA; Copernicus ESOTC 2024). Wildfire risks span much of the West and parts of the Plains and Southwest during peak wildfire season, affecting millions of homeowners.
Insurance companies have faced significant challenges in wildfire-exposed states. In 2023, the U.S. set a record with 28 separate weather and climate disasters, each causing at least $1 billion in losses (NOAA Billion-Dollar Disasters). As a result, homeowners anticipate increased fire insurance rates or even losing existing coverage. Regulators are reshaping rules to stabilize markets: California is implementing a Sustainable Insurance Strategy that allows the use of forward-looking catastrophe models and recognition of reinsurance costs in rates, paired with required mitigation discounts and commitments to serve higher-risk areas (Safer from Wildfires). FAIR Plans have grown where private availability has tightened, and some states now mandate or support insurers offering discounts for verified wildfire mitigation, helping offset costs when homeowners harden their properties and join recognized community programs (NAIC consumer guidance; Washington OIC).
What’s Involved in Making Your Community Firewise?
Interest in Firewise communities is growing, especially in western states like California, Oregon, and Washington. But what steps are necessary to become “Firewise”? The core framework remains: organize neighbors, assess risk, create a multi-year action plan, invest annually in mitigation, and renew recognition each year (renewal due by March 31).
Start by exploring the resources at www.firewise.org. The site offers tip sheets, videos, and updates on other Firewise USA® communities. Engaging with neighboring communities provides insights into effective strategies.
Becoming a Firewise USA® site involves several steps:
Get Organized
Form a committee with neighbors. Firewise sites consist of 8 to 2,500 single-family dwelling units. Once organized, invite local fire department representatives and elected officials to participate, and designate a resident leader and a state forestry or local fire liaison.
Order a Wildfire Risk Assessment
Request a written wildfire risk assessment from your state forestry agency or fire department. This assessment should focus on the condition of homes and their ignition risk, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement. Keep assessments updated and approved by local fire authorities; Firewise USA® guidance treats assessments as valid for up to five years.
Create an Action Plan
Develop a priority list of projects aimed at reducing fire risks. This action plan should include homeowner tasks and periodic training, updated every three years.
Put the Plan To Action
Host outreach meetings to promote the community’s fire safety strategy. Encourage neighbors to volunteer in implementing the action plan, and track all qualifying activities with sign-in sheets, hours, photos, and receipts to support annual renewal.
Firewise requires communities to complete a minimum annual investment in wildfire risk reduction calculated on a per-dwelling basis; volunteer time and in-kind contributions can be converted to dollars using accepted valuation (e.g., the latest Independent Sector rates).
Apply
Apply online at portal.firewise.org. Share your community’s fire risk reduction efforts and submit annual renewals documenting progress by March 31 to maintain recognition.
How Being Firewise Can Improve Your Homeowners Insurance Rates
Home insurance rates are based on risk assessment. Actively reducing ignition risks by maintaining properties can lead to premium savings, especially where regulators require or insurers file mitigation-based discounts. In California, the Safer from Wildfires framework mandates discounts for verified mitigation at the home, parcel, and community levels; Washington’s regulator tracks insurer filings that include wildfire-mitigation credits (OIC). Insurers like USAA offer discounts to policyholders in recognized Firewise USA® communities in select states; always ask your carrier about available mitigation credits (NAIC guidance).
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Montana
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- Texas
- Utah
- Washington
- Wyoming
The Bottom Line
Extreme weather events, like wildfires, are increasingly common as fire-conducive weather intensifies with warming. Homeowners in high-risk zones face greater chances of property damage. However, organizing a Firewise USA® site can significantly enhance property protection and may lead to insurance savings where mitigation discounts are recognized. For current wildfire statistics and outlooks, visit the National Interagency Fire Center.
Featured photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images.
