Triple-I Moderating Feb. 9 Keynote Session at Wildfire Conference

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For Immediate Release
Florida Press Office: Mark Friedlander, 904-806-7813, markf@iii.org

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 6, 2023—The Insurance Information Institute’s (Triple-I) California market expert is moderating a keynote session at the Wildfire Resilient Structures (WiRes) Conference and Tradeshow on Thursday, Feb. 9, in San Diego, Triple-I announced today.

“Technological advances by insurers are allowing them to predict and to prevent wildfires, a positive development given the threat they pose to life and property. Community leaders, builders and insureds are also taking proactive steps to achieve these same public policy goals,” said Janet Ruiz, Director, Strategic Communication, Triple-I, who is moderating a panel on California Building Insurance—The State’s Future Standards and Best Practices for Wildfire Mitigation and Resilience. “More people are living in harm’s way than ever before so mitigating these risks and building wildfire-resilient structures is essential.”

The one-hour session on Thursday, Feb. 9, begins at 4:30 p.m. PT at the Town and Country Resort, 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego. The panelists, in presentation order, include:

Roy Wright, President & CEO, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), who will join the panel virtually
Dave Winnacker, Fire Chief, Moraga-Orinda, Calif., Fire Protection District
David Shew, Wildfire Field Representative, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
Julia Juarez, Deputy Commissioner, Community Relations/Outreach, California Department of Insurance

Triple-I focused on wildfire mitigation and climate risk resilience in 2022, releasing last September in collaboration Capgemini a report called Tamping Down Wildfire Threats: How Insurers Can Mitigate Risks and Losses.

“The insurance industry, with its long experience in assessing, quantifying, and pricing all kinds of perils, must be involved in helping to manage these evolving risks, both for the protection of the clients it serves as well as for its own vitality and growth,” the report concluded.

Four of the five largest wildfires in California’s history, as defined by acres burned, occurred in 2020 and 2021. In 2018, California’s Camp Fire caused 85 deaths and is the largest insured loss wildfire on record.

The Air Quality Research Center and the Climate Adaptation Research Center at the University of California, Davis, are hosting the WiRes Conference and Tradeshow. It begins on Tuesday, Feb. 7, and concludes on Friday, Feb. 10.

RELATED LINKS:

Videos: Building for Wildfire Resilience

Wildfire Reality Check: Insuring Your Home

Article: Insurance for Wildfires

Facts & Statistics: Wildfires