The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is responsible for forest fire prevention and response on both private and state-owned forestland in Washington.  The DNR, in collaboration with other entities, provides guidance, funding, and other forms of assistance through multiple programs to support community resilience and preparedness for wildfires. The DNR must assess areas at significant risk of wildfire and begin providing decadal assessments to the Legislature by 2027.

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) is responsible for licensing and regulating insurance companies doing business in this state, including regulating the form and content of insurance contracts and approving insurance rates. An insurance contract establishes conditions under which the insurer may cancel or not renew an insurance policy.  Though the reasons for cancellation or nonrenewal are contract dependent, they may be the result of nonpayment, increased risk, or fraud or misrepresentation by the insured.  By state law, an insurer must give the insured a certain number of days written notice prior to the effective date of the cancellation or nonrenewal.

A number of counties and communities have created community wildfire protection plans to outline priorities for the protection of life, property, and critical infrastructure before and during wildfires.

Wildfire Mitigation and Resiliency Standards Work Group. The Wildfire Mitigation and Resiliency Standards Work Group (Work Group) is established, to include:

• the insurance commissioner or designee;
• the Commissioner of Public Lands for the DNR or designee;
• representatives from the property and casualty insurance industry;
• a representative each from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, local emergency management, the Washington Fire Chiefs Association, small-forest landowners, and rural landowners;
• ex officio members from each of the two largest caucuses of the House of Representatives and the Senate; and
• other state agency representatives or stakeholder groups at the discretion of the Work Group.

The Work Group must study and make recommendations on:

• coordinating and aligning DNR's existing wildfire property mitigation standards with nationally recognized, science-based standards;
• enhancing wildfire mitigation at the community level;
• sharing data between appropriate state agencies and the insurance industry regarding successful implementation of wildfire mitigation efforts, including coordination with the Department of Health regarding its environmental health disparities map;
• improving transparency for consumers regarding wildfire hazard and risk; and
• establishing a homeowner grant program for purposes such as retrofitting and evaluations, with framework recommendations for decreasing insurance nonrenewals. 

The Work Group must submit a report to the Legislature, OIC, and DNR by December 1, 2025.

PRO:  The goal of this bill is to be proactive and to prevent what has been happening with wildfires in other areas.  The insurance market can't keep up with the increasing risk of wildfires, and insurers are leaving the market.  There are additional stakeholders that would like to participate in the work group including real estate and electric utilities.  The timeline for completing this work is tight, and an extension may be required.  We need to align mitigation with science, and focus on community scale approaches.  Fire service is being overlooked.  Defensible space and being proactive is important, but fire service capability should also be factored in.  There should be additional fire service representation on the work group. Conservation Districts provide forest health and wildfire resiliency services directly to homeowners and should be included as a member on the work group.