FortressFire Presents Breakthrough Wildfire Loss Prevention Approach to Insurance Lawmakers at NCOIL Summer Meeting in Chicago

Structure-level, physics-based model shifts wildfire risk mitigation from probability to prevention

SAN MATEO, Calif., July 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- FortressFire^®, a leading provider of wildfire analytics and property-specific wildfire risk management services, will present its innovative model for ignition prevention and loss mitigation at the upcoming National Council of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) Summer Meeting on July 18 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. CDT in Chicago.

Michael O'Dell, FortressFire's head of machine learning and data science, will share FortressFire's technology foundation, proof points and actionable insights with NCOIL member legislators. The session will also feature briefings from Stanford Law School's Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program, the American Property and Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC). A question-and-answer period will follow.

At the heart of FortressFire's presentation is a transformative vision for aligning the interests of property owners, insurers and policymakers through objective, science-backed data that moves the industry beyond traditional risk transfer.

"The best risk management is ignition prevention," said O'Dell. "A decade ago, we did not have the data, models or computing capacity to accurately do what FortressFire now does with precision and accuracy. Our physics-based approach goes beyond probability to help property owners, insurers and lenders understand whether a specific structure will ignite and how to prevent the ignition."

With a background in physics, data science and enterprise-scale problem solving, O'Dell brings deep technical and commercial experience to the national conversation on how to make wildfire risk insurable. FortressFire's platform applies AI-driven models, structure-level assessments and mitigation prescriptions to reduce the likelihood of ignition and improve insurability of properties in high-risk wildfire zones.

The NCOIL session will highlight diverse and complementary perspectives on how to address growing wildfire threats across the U.S. – from federal backstop proposals and legislative frameworks to private-sector mitigation solutions like those offered by FortressFire.

FortressFire's model is already in use by insurers ("FortressFire, BMS Group and EPIC Launch Fine Art Wildfire Insurance Program to Protect High-Value Collections in California") and real estate professionals ("FortressFire Launches Onsite Wildfire Inspection Program to Prepare Homeowners for Optimal Insurability and Protect California Properties from Wildfire Threats") across the western U.S. to help mitigate risk, reduce losses and restore confidence in the face of escalating wildfire exposure.

About FortressFire
FortressFire brings together wildfire scientists, insurance professionals, technologists and fire mitigation experts to help protect homes, businesses and communities from wildfire loss. Most wildfire risk tools estimate how likely a fire is to happen. FortressFire goes further, determining whether a structure will ignite – and then preventing it. Through its proprietary AMP Platform – Assess, Mitigate, Monitor, Protect – FortressFire provides structure-specific wildfire vulnerability analysis, mitigation guidance, onsite inspection and ongoing monitoring and protection services. Using physics, thermodynamics, fire behavior modeling, and structure-fuel analysis, FortressFire turns science into action with targeted protection that reduces loss. By quantifying ignition risk and validating mitigation effectiveness, FortressFire helps insurance carriers reduce loss, enables underwriters to improve precision and provides property owners with actionable next steps. Visit www.FortressFire.com to learn more.

SOURCE FortressFire