Insurer sent private team of firefighters to protect clients’ homes in Colorado wildfire

Insurer sent private firefighters to Colo. blaze

BOULDER, Colo. — Some homes threatened by a wildfire in the Colorado foothills west of Boulder were protected by a private team of firefighters hired by an insurance company to look out for its clients’ property.

The crew hired by Chubb Corp. was operating under an agreement the company has with Boulder County, the Boulder Daily Camera reported Tuesday.

The agreement limits them to fire-prevention work, such as spraying fire-suppressing gels on homes, setting up sprinkler systems and clearing trees and brush away from structures. They aren’t allowed to fight fires if the homes ignite, and they’re required to get permission from firefighting commanders.

Three homes insured by Chubb were destroyed and at least 10 others in the fire zone were spared, the newspaper reported. It wasn’t immediately clear how many homes Chubb insured in the fire zone, what impact the private crew had, or how much the extra protection costs.

The fire, which started Sept. 6, destroyed 169 homes and caused an estimated $217 million in damage, making it the most expensive in state history in terms of property loss. It blackened about 6,200 acres, or nearly 10 square miles.

This is believed to be the first time a private crew responded to a Colorado fire.

Chubb, based in Warren, N.J., has offered its Wildfire Defense Services in Colorado and 13 other Western states.

The company says the primary goal of the service is to help clients create a “defensible space” around their homes to reduce fire danger.

If a wildfire comes within three miles of a covered home or prompts an evacuation from the area, Chubb dispatches trained firefighters in certified wildland engines to protect clients’ homes.

Mike Chard, director of the Boulder Office of Emergency Management, said he received no complaints about Chubb’s firefighters during the blaze. He said he considered them valuable resources in the fight.

Janice Wheeler, an Allstate Corp. client whose home was destroyed by the fire, said Chubb’s wildfire protection plan sounded good, but she had reservations.

“When you don’t have that policy and someone else does, it sets up a have and have-nots kind of feeling,” she said.

Information from: Daily Camera, www.dailycamera.com/