A new Nevada law goes into effect Jan. 1 that creates a “sandbox” where insurance companies can experiment on wildfire policies over the next four years.

“We are the first in the nation to offer this type of sandbox as it relates to wildfire,” state insurance commissioner Ned Gaines said.

This worries the National Fire Protection Association. The nonprofit sets fire safety standards and promotes public safety through education and research.

“Insurers will be permitted to exclude wildfire coverage from standard homeowners’ policies and offer it only as a separate, standalone product,” two of the organization’s staff wrote in a recent Nevada Current opinion column . “As written, the legislation allows insurers to go even further by eliminating wildfire coverage entirely.”

Gaines and st

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