SHOULD I WAIT TO DO MY FIRE CLEANUP?

Fire debris cleanup is a heart-wrenching process. If you’re in a hurry and just want to get the process over with, we get it! Many will go this route.  However, if insurance coverage or money is an issue, then you could benefit by ‘opting-in’ to the federal cleanup program where all testing, removal, disposal and reporting is completed under the state program either at no charge to you (if you don’t have fire insurance) or for whatever coverage your insurance policy has for debris removal (i.e. the state will bill your insurance directly but will not collect amounts beyond your coverage limits).  

If you are ready to move forward with debris removal cleanup and you lost your home in the Dixie, McFarland, Monument, Fawn or Beckwourth fires then you’ll have an option for participating in the state/federal run program or opting-out and handling the waste yourself.  A landfill waiver was issued for landfills to accept waste from those fires without performing waste profiling first.  Identifying the presence or absence of asbestos in the fire debris is still required however.  The opt-in/opt-out process typically becomes a heavily debated topic in a local community; we’ve written a guide for property owners affected by previous fires and you can review that guide.