Risk Management Solutions Analyzes Calif. Wildfire Data

Risk Management Solutions, Newark, Calif., has applied its RMS Wildfire Hazard Data to analyze recent fires that have burned almost twice as much area as the five-year average for the same time period. The RMS data was released prior to the 2006 California fire season to help the re/insurance industry manage exposure to California wildfire risk.

According to RMS, two of the largest California fires of this season were the Sawtooth Complex and the Millard Complex fires that spread through San Bernardino County in July. Together these fires burned 86,000 acres, mainly in areas that the RMS data identified as having moderate, high, and very high hazard values. Furthermore, the majority of 2006 fires in or near wildland zones began in and spread across areas identified as moderate or greater hazard areas.

The model performance reflects its consideration of surface fuel, local weather conditions influencing fuel moisture, and correlation of risk between adjacent cells via potential fire spread.

The RMS Wildfire Hazard Data is a suite of wildfire assessment tools that are designed to help agents, brokers, insurers, and reinsurers reliably identify locations exposed to wildfire risk. Its methodology incorporates techniques in wildfire risk assessment using fire behavior calculations to evaluate wildfire hazard, threat, and susceptibility in wildland, rural, and urban areas. The data considers varying weather conditions, annual frequencies of fire occurrence, surface fuel types, canopy cover, and topography, and the likelihood of ignition in determining wildfire hazard.

For more information, visit www.rms.com.