Carson City, NV July 17, 2020
In the past few
weeks, Nevada experienced significant wildfires ranging from the Poeville Fire
in Washoe County to the Mahogany Fire in Mt. Charleston. With fires in mind,
the Division reminds Nevadans to take action to protect their assets from
disasters such as wildfires.
“Homeowners and
renters are encouraged to take two important steps every year: review their
homeowners’ and renters insurance policy to make sure they are adequately
covered, and mitigate the risk of wildfires to reduce the possibility of
fire-related property damages,” said Insurance Commissioner Barbara Richardson.
The first step
consumers can take to prepare for wildfires is to follow local ordinances that
help control the growth of shrubs, vegetation, pine needles and other fire
fuels. This is especially important in high vegetation communities such as Lake
Tahoe and the Mt. Charleston areas.
Consumers should
consider the defensible space around their property to reduce the threat of
wildfire and also help firefighters defend property safely and more effectively
in the event of a wildfire. The Living with Fire program at https://www.livingwithfire.com/get-prepared/can help
with this and other tasks to prepare.
In addition,
consumers should make sure they are adequately covered by first making a home
inventory. All of their belonging including home improvement items,
electronics, and other specialty items like jewelry should be documented.
The National
Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has a free myHOME Scr.APP.book
downloadable app that allows you to quickly photograph and capture descriptions
of your possessions room by room, then store electronically for safekeeping.
The app is available for iPhone® and Android devices.
Before calling
their insurance agent or company, consumers should read their insurance policy
and declarations page to review the coverage levels. When calling, consumers
should ask for an “annual policy review” and disclose the contents of their
home inventory and ask if the current insurance coverage is adequate.
The Division has
other resources available on its website to help homeowners and renters. Please
visit the Division’s website at http://doi.nv.gov/Consumers/Homeowners-Insurance/Home-Inventory/ for tips on how
to create a home inventory. You can also view the Nevada Consumer’s Guide to
Home Insurance at http://doi.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/doinvgov/_public-documents/News-Notes/HomeInsuranceGuide2011B.pdf.
About
the Nevada Division of Insurance
The State of
Nevada Division of Insurance, a Division of the Nevada Department of Business
and Industry, protects the rights of Nevada consumers and regulates Nevada’s
$14 billion insurance industry. The Division of Insurance has offices in Carson
City and Las Vegas. In 2019, the Division investigated more than 2,750 consumer
complaints, answered over 10,700 inquiries, and recovered over $6.3 million on
behalf of consumers. For more information about the Division of Insurance,
visit DOI.NV.GOV.
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