The APCIA has thrown its weight behind a landmark California report that could set the template for how smoke claims from standing homes are evaluated nationwide, while calling for science-based standards in the wake of the state's worst urban wildfire disaster.
The trade group responded to the final report of the California Smoke Claims & Remediation Task Force through Karen Collins (pictured above), its vice president of personal lines and environmental policy, who served as one of two insurance industry representatives on the nine-month panel.
Collins said the association supports the task force's call for standardized, wildfire-specific training and certification requirements, and sees potential in claims triage tools for large-scale events. She maintained, however, that individual property assessments remain necessary.
"Wildfire survivors deserve clarity, consistency, and confidence as they recover, and insurers support science-based approaches to evaluating smoke damage and guiding remediation," Collins said.
The 64-page report, released on March 9, concluded that wildfire survivors are falling through the gaps in smoke damage inspection, testing, and restoration rules.
The panel was convened by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara following the Palisades and Eaton wildfires and brought together public health experts, fire safety specialists, industrial hygienists, consumer advocates, and insurance representatives.
Its central finding was that statewide standards are needed to give survivors clarity and insurers a consistent framework for paying smoke claims.
More than 42,000 insurance claims were filed between January and November 2025 following the Los Angeles wildfires, including over 13,000 involving standing homes with smoke damage.
The findings have been channeled into AB 1795, the Smoke Damage Recovery Act. The bill would create statewide protocols for inspecting, sampling, and testing smoke-related contaminants in homes.
Insurers would be barred from cutting Additional Living Expenses benefits until a home is cleared as safe, and would be required to inspect smoke claims within 30 days of notice. New training and certification programs for assessment and restoration professionals are also part of the package.
Collins pointed to the emergence of consensus-based guidance from the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) as evidence of the industry's commitment to rigorous standards.
AIHA published the second edition of its Technical Guide for Wildfire Impact Assessments in early 2025, setting out a damage classification system for homes outside the burn zone. The IICRC, alongside the Restoration Industry Association and the Cleaning Industry Research Institute, released a separate Technical Guide for Wildfire Restoration in December 2025.
IICRC president James Tole said at the time that restoration "is not only possible in the vast majority of wildfire smoke losses" but is a well-established practice.
The IICRC and the Restoration Industry Association also partnered on the ANSI/IICRC S700, a standard for professional fire and smoke damage restoration. The Restoration Industry Association has said it worked with IICRC, AIHA, and CIRI to develop guideline recommendations submitted directly to the task force.
Collins said the APCIA "remains committed to working with policymakers and regulators to support wildfire survivors and a stable insurance market."
