I recently listened to an NPR broadcast on its Weekend Edition about Lake County's wildfire community preparedness activities and the limited impact these initiatives have had on home insurance costs. California's wildfire crisis is truly transforming how communities approach safety, insurance and resilience.
Lake County has emerged as a leader in wildfire preparedness, investing in home hardening and defensible programs, community fire breaks, evacuation planning, and homeowner education.
These efforts deserve recognition: they show that local governments and residents can work hand in hand to reduce risk, protect property, and save lives. Applauding Lake County is not just symbolic — it highlights the power of grassroots resilience in the face of climate-driven disasters.
The county has embraced the notion that preparedness is a dual responsibility. On one side, homeowners need to take steps such as clearing brush, hardening structures, and maintaining defensible space.
On the other hand, communities must coordinate larger-scale protections — shared evacuation routes, fuel-reduction projects, and neighborhood fire-safety plans. Individual action is necessary, but collective action is indispensable. Wildfires do not respect property lines, and resilience requires both scales working together.
Unfortunately, no matter how well homeowners and communities meet the challenge of this dual responsibility, there is a disconnect between these local efforts and the insurance industry. Even when homeowners and communities invest heavily in mitigation, insurers often fail to recognize or reward the net impact of these shared efforts. Policies are canceled, premiums skyrocket, and families are left scrambling for coverage. This gap undermines trust and discourages investment in preparedness. If the insurance market cannot align with on-the-ground realities, it risks becoming irrelevant to those most at risk.
The state of California should step in and devote more effort to reforming insurance rules to reward wildfire mitigation, strengthen the FAIR Plan (the state’s insurer of last resort), stabilize premiums, and make it easier for communities like Lake County to access funding and recognition for their preparedness efforts.
One possible note of solace to homeowners and communities, no matter what, if they do the work, they may reduce their reliance on insurers altogether. A hardened home in a fire-adapted community is less likely to burn, leading to fewer claims and less reliance on a system that has proven unreliable.
True resilience starts at home and within the community, and other areas should not wait until they have faced nine devastating wildfires to take action like Lake County. Insurance should function as a safety net, not as the first line of defense.
The challenge now is to bridge the gap between local action, state support, and insurance recognition — so that preparedness becomes the norm, not the exception.
Jennifer Normoyle lives in Hillsborough, California.
