Multiple speakers at the Laguna Beach town hall emphasized Firewise community certification and local mitigation as practical steps residents can take to improve insurability and access to private market insurance.

Brenda Caloca and local officials explained Firewise certification can document neighborhood mitigation measures to insurers and make homes more attractive to private carriers. Caloca said insurers are looking for mitigations and that Firewise designation is “being recognized” when insurers assess risk for homes that may move off the Fair Plan.

City staff and the fire department described the Firewise process: a minimum of eight homes and a community certification process (speakers stated a maximum of 2,500 homes can be included in a designated area, while the state fire marshal and local officials suggested keeping groups to 20 or fewer for manageability). “Minimum requirement is 8…you don't have to be contiguous,” one speaker said. Another city official cautioned that when groups exceed 20 homes the administrative effort becomes large.

Speakers and a California Department of Insurance representative said certified communities can apply for mitigation grants through state programs (Cal OES, Cal Fire) and use those funds for chipper days, vent upgrades and other neighborhood mitigation projects. A local staffer said the city has had success obtaining grants for certain zones and that there are online grant portals residents can consult.

Town hall attendees described successful local and regional examples: Paradise’s rebuild and community hardening program was shown as a case study during the presentation; other residents cited Pacific Palisades neighborhoods where exterior sprinklers and retardant sprays had helped houses survive prior fires.

Presenters urged residents to organize, pursue Firewise certification, sign up for consumer alerts and coordinate with city staff to identify grant opportunities. City staff offered to provide presentations for neighborhood groups and to assist with grant searches and the certification process.