Church Mutual, Church & Casualty Pilot Wildfire Loss Prevention Program in California

Church Mutual Insurance Company and Church & Casualty Insurance Agency have launched CM Wildfire Solutions, a no-cost, multifaceted program to keep customers and their property safe from the devastation of wildfires.

CM Wildfire Solutions is being piloted in California with a limited group of policyholders. Church Mutual expects to expand the program to additional markets in 2019.

Accordiing Rich Poirier, Church Mutual president and CEO, through early detection and preventive measures the program is designed to significantly reduce the risk of wildfire-related losses.

The new program takes a multistep approach designed to protect customers and their property from wildfires:

• Monitor – All organizations that enroll in CM Wildfire Solutions will receive access to 24/7 wildfire monitoring services through REDZONE. The monitoring system sends an alert to people in the path of a wildfire, giving them time to prepare and evacuate. Customers will receive alerts via email or text message.
• Prevent – For policyholders who can’t avoid high-hazard areas, a member of Church Mutual’s Risk Control team can schedule a walking tour of their grounds, offering important wildfire prevention recommendations such as removing brush and combustible materials, covering vents, and more.
• Defend – If wildfire danger is imminent and the situation allows, Church Mutual can send a fire mitigation service to a customer’s location to help protect property in the wildfire’s path. Defense tactics may include removing combustible items such as outdoor furniture and dead or dying tree limbs, deploying temporary sprinklers or using a fire-suppression truck to apply fire-retardant gel to the building and grounds.

Church & Casualty Insurance Agency, founded in 1983, offers risk control and coverage options for more than 6,500 worship centers, schools, camps and human services organizations. Headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif., Church & Casualty has offices ocated in southern, central, northern California and southern Nevada.

Church Mutual Insurance Company, founded in 1897, offers specialized insurance for religious organizations of all denominations, as well as schools, camps, denominational offices and senior living facilities. Church Mutual markets most lines of commercial property and liability insurance, including multi-peril, workers’ compensation and commercial auto insurance. In addition to insurance, Church Mutual provides a spectrum of value-added solutions that benefit its customers. Church