Richburg, SC<\/span><\/span> (Mar. 31, 2026)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) and the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) have released a new resource to help local governments, fire services and other community organizations come together to implement coordinated wildfire mitigation programs in their communities. The Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program Framework<\/strong><\/i><\/a> outlines how communities can organize, launch and sustain effective wildfire risk reduction efforts.<\/p>\n The toolkit provides:<\/p>\n \u201cCommunities are learning how to live with wildfire because in many areas it\u2019s no longer a distant threat \u2014 it\u2019s a reality,\u201d said Steve Hawks, senior director for wildfire at IBHS and retired assistant deputy director at CAL FIRE. \u201cThis toolkit provides a consistent, research-based program neighbors can implement in their communities to reduce the risk of home ignition and strengthen their neighborhoods, which also supports insurability.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike other natural disasters, wildfire can intensify when it moves from the wildland into neighborhoods, turning a single home ignition into a chain reaction of structure-to-structure fire spread. This toolkit gives fire departments, local leaders and community organizations practical guidance to work together and reduce that risk. By strengthening homes and creating defensible space across entire neighborhoods, communities can significantly lower the chance of widespread destruction.<\/p>\n \u201cWildfire risk is not going away. We must adapt by reducing the likelihood that homes ignite from embers, flames and extreme heat,\u201d said Karen Collins, vice president of property & environmental at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. \u201cCommunity\u2011wide action \u2014 led by local officials and supported by property owners \u2014 is essential to reducing losses and easing pressure on insurance markets as climate risks grow. This toolkit equips local leaders with science\u2011based actions and resources to help homeowners protect their homes and neighborhoods. When mitigation is implemented at scale, property owners benefit from improved survivability and insurability, and communities experience reduced reliance on disaster aid and stronger fiscal stability that protects local tax bases and real estate markets.\u201d<\/p>\n Communities interested in building or strengthening a local wildfire mitigation program can access the full Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program Framework \u2014 including templates, guidance documents and implementation resources \u2014 at ibhs.org<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n The framework has garnered strong support from leaders across the wildfire, fire services and insurance communities, who shared the following perspectives:<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that modifications to home structures and landscapes play a vital role in reducing homes\u2019 risk to wildfire ignition. However, making sure community residents learn about these efforts and their impact can prove challenging,\u201d said Michele Steinberg, the wildfire division director of the National Fire Protection Association. \u201cThat\u2019s why NFPA is proud to contribute its wildfire risk reduction information and messaging to the new Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program Framework from IBHS. This toolkit serves as a great vehicle for getting critical wildfire risk reduction resources to the communities that can benefit from it the most.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCommunity wildfire resilience is something we build together, one neighbor and one neighborhood at a time,\u201d stated California State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant. \u201cThis toolkit gives people the practical guidance and confidence to take meaningful action, whether that means hardening a single home or organizing a community-wide effort. When communities are informed, connected and prepared, we significantly reduce wildfire risk and create safer places for everyone across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs wildfire threats intensify nationwide, communities need clear, actionable guidance they can use today,\u201d said Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. \u201cThis toolkit delivers exactly that, evidence\u2011based strategies to strengthen home hardening, expand defensible space and support more resilient neighborhoods. Our collaboration with IBHS demonstrates the progress we can make when we unite science and community leadership to protect people and property.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAcross California, communities are working to reduce wildfire risk through defensible space, home hardening and coordinated local mitigation efforts,\u201d said Jessica Martinez, interim executive director of the California Fire Safe Council. \u201cTools that help translate wildfire science into practical resources can strengthen the work of local Fire Safe Councils, fire agencies and local community leaders who are advancing wildfire resilience on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not enough fire engines to be at every structure during a wildfire, so residents must understand and do their part well before a wildfire starts,\u201d said Chief Jeremy Craft, the president of the Western Fire Chiefs Association. \u201cThis toolkit is a partnership among the fire service, insurance industry and the public to address wildfire structure threats well before a fire impacts a community.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs we emerge from a winter of record warm temperatures and record low precipitation in many areas, the time is now to take action to prepare for the next wildfire,\u201d said Mark Novak, chair of the International Association of Fire Chiefs \u2013 Wildland Fire Policy Committee. \u201cThe Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program Framework provides an easy-to-follow guide that will make your home and community better prepared for the next wildfire.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s best about the Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program Framework is the way it brings together the best mitigation science with the most comprehensive, experience-based knowledge available about community and property-owner engagement,\u201d said Kenton Brine, the president of the NW Insurance Council. \u201cInsurers have been \u2018leaning in\u2019 to wildfire risk reduction and promoting mitigation for more than a decade. Now, the APCIA\/IBHS framework invites state and community-level organizations to access proven successful mitigation tools that prevent fire spread in the built community, save lives and structures and can help lead to more stable, accessible and affordable property insurance markets.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe science behind wildfire mitigation clearly shows us what steps help protect our homes and neighborhoods, but where we need to do better is in working together to implement meaningful wildfire preparedness strategies that make homes safer and more insurable,\u201d said Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Association. \u201cThis Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Program Framework and toolkit help homeowners better understand what they can do to prepare their homes and finances for wildfire risk.\u201d<\/p>\n The IBHS mission is to conduct objective, scientific research to identify and promote effective actions that strengthen homes, businesses and communities against natural disasters and other causes of loss. Learn more at ibhs.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n The American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) is the primary national trade association for home, auto and business insurers. APCIA promotes and protects the viability of private competition for the benefit of consumers and insurers, with a legacy dating back 150 years. APCIA members represent all sizes, structures and regions\u2014protecting families, communities and businesses in the U.S. and across the globe. For more information, visit www.apci.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n SOURCE: Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety<\/i><\/p>\n Tags: American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA)<\/a>, Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS)<\/a>, launch<\/a>, tips<\/a>, wildfires<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Science-based roadmap gives communities practical steps to reduce home ignition and limit neighborhood-level wildfire destruction Richburg, SC (Mar. 31, 2026) \u2013 The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) and the American Property Casualty...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[1],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24920"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24920\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lifeinsurance-orleans.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
About the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) <\/b><\/h4>\n
About the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA)<\/b><\/h4>\n