OIC, DNR deliver wildfire resiliency work group’s report to Legislature

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Wildfire Mitigation and Resiliency Standards Work Group, co-chaired by Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer and Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove, delivered its final report and recommendations to the Legislature on Monday.

The report recommends establishing a voluntary grant program to help residential properties resist wildfire loss. Work group members also agreed upon the need to enhance mitigation at the community level, improve data sharing between state agencies and the insurance industry, and improve risk transparency for consumers.

“Wildfires pose an immense danger to some of our rural residents and a significant risk to insurance companies doing business in Washington,” Kuderer said. “This report offers several excellent recommendations to address both of those aspects, and I hope the Legislature acts on them.”

Enhancing mitigation at the community level is an important step, Upthegrove said. The report recommends expanding the Department of Natural Resources’ Community Resilience program and returning full funding to DNR’s wildfire response, forest restoration and community resilience accounts.

The report recommends expanding the Department of Natural Resources’ Community Resilience program and returning full funding to DNR’s wildfire response, forest restoration and community resilience accounts.

“No one is immune from the impacts of wildfire — we need to take these recommendations seriously,” Upthegrove said. “But right now the most concrete action our legislators can take is restoring full funding to DNR’s Wildfire Response, Forest Restoration, and Community Resilience account because preventing and responding to wildfires is a basic, core function of government.”

Substitute House Bill 1539 established the work group to study, and make recommendations on, wildfire mitigation and resiliency standards. Members included experts and representatives from state agencies, the insurance industry, fire services, local governments, Tribes, utilities, landowners and non-profit organizations. 

The group met seven times in July and August to hear presentations from fire, mitigation and insurance experts from across the country, with a final meeting in October to discuss recommendations.

The Legislature asked the work group to focus on five areas of study. The report includes results from each area.

• The group could not reach a consensus and recommended further study — including reconstituting the work group with support from the State Fire Marshall’s Office — on coordinating and aligning state and DNR wildfire property mitigation standards with nationally-recognized, science-based wildfire mitigation standards.
• To enhance wildfire mitigation at the community level, the group recommended expanding DNR’s Community Resilience program, with additional campaigns to encourage participation. This point also included full funding for DNR’s wildfire response, forest restoration and community resilience account, and increased funding for community mitigation efforts.
• The group broadly agreed on the importance of coordinating wildfire hazard, risk and mitigation data among state agencies, local entities and the insurance industry, and offered three recommendations to improve data sharing capabilities.
• The group made three recommendations on improving consumer transparency for wildfire hazard and risk:
  • Consider requiring insurers to internally track instances in which wildfire risk materially contributes to a policy nonrenewal, cancellation or eligibility determination, with that information being available to regulators and lawmakers upon request. 
  • Consider requiring insurers to share wildfire risk scores, and a clear explanation for those scores, with consumers if the scores are used to determine eligibility or pricing.
  • Consider developing a consumer education program to explain wildfire risk assessment methods and connect homeowners with available funding or technical assistance programs.
• The recommended grant program would help homeowners retrofit their homes to the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety’s (IBHS) Wildfire Prepared Home standards. The program would apply to existing structures, not new construction; prioritize projects in areas with high wildfire risk, limited insurance access and historically underserved populations; and balance scientific rigor, cost-effectiveness and equitable access. The program would be expected to reduce the number of home insurance non-renewals and cancellations due to wildfire risk and would promote measurable wildfire risk reduction across the state.

The 2026 Legislative Session convenes on January 12.