Wildfire Proactive Maintenance and Insurance Questions

[John Mark Morelli]

Last year, my partner and I started our vacation rental journey and purchased a place in Central Oregon in a rural area. It is located on a small mountainside community of around 300 properties in the middle of Deschutes National Forest.

Wildfire season is coming up, and seems to be starting earlier each passing year. So I'm starting to think through nightmare scenarios around wildfires. I have one or two beautiful Ponderosa Pines which are < 50 feet from the house which I'm thinking about cutting down (though I hate the thought). I'd be curious to know what other proactive measures people are taking with properties in at-risk areas.

Also, I have 2 insurance policies, one is your standard property insurance, and the other is a liability-only insurance designed for short-term vacation rentals.

I'm curious what products or services insurance companies might offer that can support risk-mitigation. For instance, I had vaguely heard about a fire-retardant foam which insurance companies can spray on properties in the worst-case where a fire is nearby and approaching the property. Would love to hear this groups thoughts.

[Lauren Kormylo]

I have State Farm for home insurance on our second home in Yarnell, AZ where 19 firefighters died in a wildfire in 2013.  About 2/3 of our property burned, but not the house, because of a gravel driveway around 3 sides, and the fire crew cutting back some vegetation on the 4th side which backs up to a hill, before the flames reached it.  A shed and lawn equipment burned, but other than that, we got off easy, and filed no insurance claim. 
A few weeks ago, State Farm sent me a notice that they have now contracted with Wildfire Defense Systems https://wildfire-defense.com/ .  So if there is a threatening wildfire in the area, that company will come out to the house and assess the risk, clear brush away if necessary, or apply fire retardant gel to the house. State Farm is doing this in Oregon too.  Here's an article https://www.mercurynews.com/20...