The LA fires still fresh on their minds, homeowners in one northern Arizona pine community are scrambling to remove fire fuel from their properties and to keep their home insurance amid rising costs.
Fire Risk Manager Conrad Jackson says about 12% of homeowners in the Prescott area have decided to go without insurance altogether because they’ve paid off their home and are no longer required to be insured.
“Some of them are choosing to roll the dice,” Jackson said. “The way things have gone, if your insurance has gone up 20% in the last year, you are lucky. I know many whose insurance is up 100%.”
A combination of long-term drought and growth has made Prescott more vulnerable. Between 1990-2020, the number of homes in Yavapai County in urban wildland interface zones increased by 126%. The total is at 114,000 homes and growing.
Homeowners are not powerless. They can negotiate with insurance companies and obtain fire risk assessments from the city .
Jackson conducts about 5 assessments each day, making recommendations.
Homeowners then carry out landscaping and home improvements based on the recommendations. They provide photos and documents of the changes to their insurance company. The city also provides a wood-chipping service to collect debris from properties.
“I’m going to tell you all the things the insurance is going to be looking at,” Jackson said. “But as a 30-year wildland firefighter, I also have insight on how a fire is going to behave around your home. Regardless of the insurance aspect, let’s make your home safer.”
There is no guarantee the insurance company will offer lower coverage, or even any coverage at all. Different insurance companies use different metrics, Jackson said.
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