Wildfire activity has traditionally followed regional seasons, but those seasons are shifting and extending, making now the time for restoration firms to prepare for future events. The first hours of a wildfire are not the time to start building a response plan. Restoration contractors need to make critical decisions about their people, equipment, and customer commitments in advance, so they’re prepared to act as the conditions and demands increase.

Through mid-September, wildfires have already burned more than 8.5 million acres across the United States, nearly 1.5 times the amount of land typically burned by this point in the season, according to insights from Verisk Respond®. The Northwest has been particularly impacted, with more than 3 million acres burned so far, more than five times the acreage burned in the region all last year.

However, wildfires are not just a western hazard. The eastern U.S., spanning the Midwest through the Northeast, recorded more than 200,000 acres burned in both 2024 and 2025. This year is on a similar pace, with more than 163,000 acres already burned this year. This makes the 2024-2026 period the most active wildfire period in the eastern U.S. in at least the last 30 years.

Wildfire preparedness begins long before smoke appears on the horizon. Restoration contractors can strengthen their readiness by combining risk intelligence on previous wildfire events, real-time event information, operational planning, and standardized response procedures.

Make better decisions before and during a wildfire

Effective wildfire preparedness generally requires two complementary types of intelligence: long-term risk information based on previous events and real-time event data. Together, they help restoration organizations prepare before a fire and respond more effectively as conditions evolve.

Long-term wildfire risk information can help restoration contractors prioritize their preparedness efforts across their service areas. That may include identifying communities where planning should be strengthened following previous wildfire events, considering staging locations, and understanding where home or neighborhood hardening measures may have the greatest impact.

Once a fire is underway, real-time event intelligence, like that offered by Verisk Respond, serves a different purpose. It can help contractors monitor changing conditions, identify areas where restoration demand may emerge, and position resources to serve affected properties when authorities determine it is safe to do so.

The goal is not to predict the next wildfire. It is to connect risk awareness with a response plan that teams can activate as conditions change.

Build capacity before demand rises

Restoration contractors are at their best when careful preparation supports fast, disciplined action. The strongest teams establish surge plans in advance, clarifying when to activate them, identify who has authority to make decisions, and determine when they need to pause new assignments to protect people and service quality.

Restoration contractors excel at mobilizing their people and resources when communities need them the most. Leading teams strengthens that capability by reviewing equipment, staffing, and geographic coverage in advance, building relationships with qualified subcontractors, and preparing for multiple concurrent losses. As the response unfolds, monitoring assignments, project progress, and available resources helps them adapt quickly while maintaining safe, high-quality service.

Centralized job-management technology can help teams maintain a clearer view of project schedules, workflow milestones, field documentation, and work in progress as demand increases. That visibility can support more informed decisions about staffing, sequencing, and service levels during surge events. For example, XactRestore brings estimating, project tracking, and field documentation together in a connected restoration workflow.

Prepare for losses beyond the flames

Wildfire-related restoration demand can extend beyond properties directly damaged by flames. Smoke, soot, and airborne particulates can affect surrounding structures and in some cases those miles from the flames, creating odor, HVAC, and indoor-environment concerns.

It’s essential to be prepared to assess and document these conditions, recognize when specialized testing or expertise may be required and account for secondary losses in staffing, equipment, and customer communication plans.

Standardize the response

When demand rises, restoration contractors can sustain the quality, safety and communication that customers rely on by putting consistent practices in place before workloads increase.

• Create consistency. Standardized documentation, estimating, and communication practices help teams deliver a consistent response as operations expand.
• Document conditions and decisions. Detailed photos taken before cleanup alter the site, along with clear records of work performed, decisions made and project status, preserve an accurate account throughout recovery.
• Keep customers and teams informed. Clear communication plans establish who provides updates, when they occur, and how information is documented internally and externally. Setting realistic expectations about timelines, material availability, and labor constraints—and updating them as conditions evolve—can further strengthen customer trust during complex recovery efforts.

Readiness Starts Before the Fire

Wildfire preparedness is no longer just about responding after an event. By combining risk intelligence on previous wildfire events, real-time event information, and operational planning, restoration contractors can position resources sooner, scale more effectively and deliver a stronger recovery experience for property owners.

Technology and data play an important role in that process by improving visibility, coordination, and consistency across response efforts. The organizations best prepared for tomorrow's wildfire challenges will be the ones making critical decisions before the first smoke plume appears.