Wildfire preparedness checklist for auto dealerships

AutomotiveArticleOctober 23, 2026

Taking preventive steps before wildfire season can help protect auto dealership inventory, property, and operations.
Share this

Wildfires are becoming increasingly frequent and severe,1 posing a serious threat to auto dealerships located in high-risk regions. Wildfires can ignite with little warning and spread rapidly, endangering inventory, facilities, and the safety of employees and customers. Beyond the immediate physical damage, wildfires can disrupt operations for weeks or even months, impacting revenue and customer relationships.

Proactive planning is essential. By implementing preventive measures and having a clear emergency response strategy, dealerships can significantly reduce the risk of loss, protect their people, safeguard their facilities and inventory, and maintain business continuity.

To help get you started, Zurich Resilience Solutions has developed a general checklist to help your business prepare for, respond to, and recover from a wildfire event. By following these guidelines and practices, you can better protect your people and your property if a fire impacts your business.

Download the checklist

 

To learn more about Zurich’s products and Risk Engineering services, click here, contact your Zurich representative, or call us at 1-800-840-8842 ext. 7449.

 

Additional resources

Zurich North America Wildfire Resource Hub

U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Wildfires

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) − Wildfire preparedness

 

1. Manning, Anne J. “The Smoky Signature of Climate Change.” Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. 15 December 2025

The information in this publication was compiled from sources believed to be reliable for informational purposes only. All sample policies and procedures herein should serve as a guideline, which you can use to create your own policies and procedures. We trust that you will customize these samples to reflect your own operations and believe that these samples may serve as a helpful platform for this endeavor. Any and all information contained herein is not intended to constitute advice (particularly not legal advice). Accordingly, persons requiring advice should consult independent advisors when developing programs and policies. We do not guarantee the accuracy of this information or any results and further assume no liability in connection with this publication and sample policies and procedures, including any information, methods or safety suggestions contained herein. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any of this information, whether to reflect new information, future developments, events or circumstances or otherwise. Moreover, Zurich reminds you that this cannot be assumed to contain every acceptable safety and compliance procedure or that additional procedures might not be appropriate under the circumstances. The subject matter of this publication is not tied to any specific insurance product nor will adopting these policies and procedures ensure coverage under any insurance policy.