Wildfire is a serious risk in California, where warmer temperatures and drier conditions have brought drought to farmers across the region. While no farm can eliminate the risk entirely, risk mitigation strategies and insurance protections can significantly reduce the impact of a fire. Any steps you take ahead of wildfire season can go a long way toward protecting your land and your business – when every minute counts.

Wildfire Risk Mitigation Strategies for Agribusinesses

Wildfires can create serious damage for agribusiness. But risk mitigation efforts can go a long way toward protecting the organization as a whole, often leading to 3x quicker recovery times and 10x fewer expenses incurred.

Consider these risk mitigation strategies:

• Raise Awareness. Sign up for alerts to be sure you know when a wildfire is heading your way. Share the information with your employees and team members so everyone can be prepared.
• Stock Supplies. Create an emergency supply kit with water, non-perishable foods and first aid necessities, including N95 masks to minimize smoke inhalation. Make sure your leaders know where the supplies are. Consider placing personal emergency kits in farm vehicles, UTV’s and tractors during the season.
• Harden your Outbuildings. The next time you need to do building repairs, consider using fire-resistant materials. These are non-combustible materials that slow the spread of fire and protect the structural integrity of the building. 
• Prepare a “Safety Zone.” Minimize damage by removing all combustibles within a 30-foot area around any farm buildings. This gives the fire less fuel to consume.  Keep in mind that many farm supplies are combustible and should be stored inside protected from ember cast or in separate piles far from farm buildings.  Think about stored bins and boxes (wood and plastic) plastic drip line or PVC pipe, lumber or fire wood piles, etc. anything that can burn will and the radiant heat is a substantial risk to your property.
• Secure water sources. Prepare any sources of water. In some cases, it may be worthwhile to install sprinkler systems.
• Create an Emergency Plan. A complete fire emergency plan should include specific responsibilities for leaders and a communication strategy to share information. Organizations should have regular drills so everyone has a chance to practice and familiarize themselves with emergency practices.

Insurance Protections

Risk mitigation strategies are helpful, but disasters do happen. In fact, wildfires can spread very quickly, leaving little time to recover your most valuable assets. And recovering after a catastrophic event can be nearly impossible without financial support.

Work with your expert advisor or broker to secure appropriate insurance policies, including:

• Property Insurance to rebuild or repair your buildings, replace the contents of the building – whether it’s tools and machinery or inventory and supplies – and remove debris.
• Business Interruption Coverage is an add-on that can help cover ongoing costs like payroll during a shut-down. It can also reimburse you for profits you would have earned if you were still operating as normal.

Be sure to make copies of all documents and save them in a protected place, so you will still have the information even after the fire. And be sure to renew the policies annually to make sure they are in effect when you need them most.

About the author

David Capponi is a seasoned insurance executive with over 25 years of industry leadership, currently serving as Senior Vice President of Property & Casualty at global insurance brokerage HUB International. Prior to joining HUB, David was the Managing Partner at MIV, where he oversaw operations, finance, compliance, and security, while also leading client development, retention, and strategic relationship management. His commitment to service excellence and operational integrity has consistently driven high-impact results across the organization he’s led.