Wildfire preparedness 'more critical than ever' in 2020: Allianz

Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) has teamed up with the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I) to provide businesses with risk mitigation practices for safeguarding their establishments during the wildfire season.

The insurer believes that wildfire preparation will be "more critical than ever" this year, and improved risk mitigation techniques can help reduce the frequency and severity of wildfires and their subsequent effect on large and small businesses.

According to a new Allianz report 'Future Fires: Weathering the Fire Storm', 2020 is shaping up to be yet another difficult year with wildfires already blazing across drought-ridden Western states coupled with the risk of coronavirus.

2019 was a catastrophic year for commerce with 46,786 wildfires burning more than 4.6 million acres.

“Allianz is committed to helping businesses mitigate extreme catastrophes like wildfires with the most advanced techniques and solutions available,” said Scott H. Steinmetz, P.E., regional head of MidCorp at Allianz Risk Consulting. “The 2020 fire season presents unique challenges and complexities that will inherently put our skills to their utmost test. I feel confident, however, that businesses can greatly minimize their losses with advance planning and close communication with their insurance carrier before, and in the unfortunate event that it occurs, during and after a wildfire.”

Janet Ruiz, director of strategic communications for Triple-I, added: “Preparedness is as vital to an organization as business resilience planning. We recommend business owners review their insurance coverage to ensure they can adequately rebuild their properties as well as protect their business against major disruptions such as wildfire.”