IDAHO, USA — In 2023, Idaho had about 91 insurance carriers in the state. As of April 2025, roughly 22-25 of those carriers have left, partially due to wildfire concerns. 

This left some homeowners without property insurance. 

“We started seeing in our own marketplace, some of the carriers also being a little more cautious about who they would insure and how they would insure them,” said Dean Cameron, director of the Idaho Department of Insurance. 

26 states have what is called the Fair Plan Act, which ensures homeowners will have home insurance even if they are not renewed by several agencies. Idaho is not one of those states that has the Fair Plan Act, but Cameron said that is not necessarily a bad thing. 

“It’s part of the reason carriers are leaving other states – because those fair plans are causing them to pay assessments or bills for others that they have no control over,” Cameron said. 

Cameron said even still – Idaho has to have a solution to making sure homeowners can get property insurance, even while living in wildfire-prone areas. 

“We recognize we need homeowners to be able to have coverage, so we are looking at other strategies to help them have coverage,” Cameron said. 

One of those solutions – helping homeowners “harden” their homes against fires. That means doing things like cleaning the gutters, replacing wooden fences with metal fences and creating defensive, green and wet space around homes as a buffer. 

“Insurance companies rate based on the risks that they see,” Cameron said. “If you can show that you’re less risky, then that does reflect in how they would rate you.” 

Two Idaho firefighters had that same idea – and started a program called Ember Safe. They travel throughout Idaho and give home inspections to then help homeowners harden their homes. 

“We now work with homeowners hand in hand by doing a home inspection, taking a look around their home and providing them the steps that they can do to create a home hardened area,” said Zach Mason, co-founder of the program. 

After they do the inspection and harden a home, they give homeowners a certificate that the homeowner can then give to their insurance company to show their home is hardened. 

“Some homeowners have gone full coverage again because of it,” Mason said. 

Cameron said hardening a home doesn’t ensure full coverage – but it certainly does help. The Department of Insurance is also attempting to pass legislation that would give homeowners a grant to harden their home as well. 

“We encourage folks to do those kinds of things so they can make the argument to them that they are a reasonable risk to take on,” Cameron said. 

The Department of Insurance is currently gathering data to find out exactly how many homeowners have not been renewed by their agency, but Cameron said the Department is here to help Idahoans navigate keeping and getting property insurance, so to call them to receive assistance.