Wildfire Insurance Task Force Report Due In Colorado
DENVER (AP) - A wildfire insurance task force convened by Gov. John Hickenlooper is scheduled to turn in its recommendations on ways to protect property.
The task force report being turned in on Monday afternoon will focus on calculating risks in high hazard areas and ways to set up effective prevention measures.
The governor created the task force by executive order in January. The group was asked to identify ways to encourage practices and policies that will protect property and people near hazardous areas and property critical to the state's economic health.
Historic wildfire seasons these last two summers have brought more attention to how to mitigate and try to prevent big fires. The creation of the group came six months after the destructive Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs, which burned 346 homes and 28 square miles. This summer another massive wildfire hit Colorado Springs. Called the Black Forest Fire, it destroyed nearly 500 homes and burned 22 square miles.
Lawmakers have also taken notice. Earlier this year, legislators passed a series of new laws, including tax incentives for homeowners to conduct fire mitigation on their property, and revising a prescribed burn program. Lawmakers also created a committee to meet at least once a year to review and propose laws on mitigation and forest health.
Another new law revises homeowner insurance laws to make insurance more user-friendly when someone loses a home. The changes include annual reports to homeowners about their coverage and more time for homeowners to report an inventory of lost items.
Wildfire Resources
- Visit CBSDenver.com's Wildfire Resources section.
- Read recent Wildfire stories.
Wildfire Photo Galleries
- See images from the most destructive wildfires (Black Forest, Waldo Canyon, High Park and Fourmile) and largest wildfire (Hayman) in Colorado history.
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