Avoid the Destruction!
exci’s Advanced AI Detects Bushfires And Alerts Authorities
Automatically Within Minutes After Ignition
Wildfire
Detection
for Insurers and Reinsurers
Early wildfire detection reduces insured losses
Wildfires have become one of the fastest-growing drivers of insured losses.
Longer fire seasons, more extreme weather and increasingly unpredictable fire behaviour are creating larger, more severe claims that challenge traditional underwriting, portfolio management and reinsurance strategies.
Earlier wildfire detection provides a practical mitigation capability that operates before losses escalate. By identifying wildfire smoke within one to three minutes, exci helps improve the opportunity for earlier containment, reducing the likelihood that small ignitions develop into catastrophic insurance events.
exci provides Australian-made AI wildfire detection and operational intelligence that continuously analyses live PTZ camera imagery to identify wildfire smoke. Through exciMap, policyholders, risk engineers and emergency services can verify incidents, understand developing conditions and coordinate an informed response that helps reduce catastrophic losses across insured portfolios
Short answer: Why does early wildfire detection matter for insurers?
Early wildfire detection matters because it operates upstream of loss, improving the opportunity for earlier containment before small ignitions escalate into high-severity claims. For insurers and reinsurers, this supports more resilient portfolios by reducing loss severity rather than simply responding after damage has occurred.
What is reshaping wildfire risk for insurance and reinsurance?
Wildfire risk is changing faster than traditional insurance models were designed to accommodate. Longer fire seasons, more extreme fire behaviour and increasing asset exposure are driving higher claims costs, placing pressure on underwriting, reinsurance capacity and long-term portfolio resilience.
Escalating insured losses
Wildfires have become a major contributor to insured catastrophe losses. Larger, more destructive events are increasing claims costs while placing greater pressure on insurers, reinsurers and policyholders.
Changing risk profiles
Historical loss data is becoming less reliable as climate conditions evolve. Longer fire seasons, extreme heat and more volatile fire behaviour make future losses increasingly difficult to predict using traditional models alone.
Pressure on underwriting and reinsurance
Higher catastrophe losses contribute to rising reinsurance costs, tighter capacity and greater pressure on underwriting decisions. Insurers must continually balance affordability, risk selection and long-term portfolio performance.
Growing focus on mitigation
As wildfire risk increases, insurers are placing greater emphasis on practical mitigation measures that reduce the likelihood of catastrophic losses before they occur. Earlier wildfire detection provides a measurable risk reduction capability that complements existing prevention and response strategies.
These changes are shifting the industry’s focus from simply financing wildfire losses towards reducing insured losses before catastrophic claims develop.
Learn how wildfire losses are reshaping insurance and reinsurance markets in Australia and globally.
The cost of catastrophic wildfire losses
Wildfires create losses that extend well beyond individual insurance claims. When small ignitions grow into large disasters, they generate financial impacts across property, business interruption, infrastructure, communities and the wider economy.
Property and infrastructure losses
Large wildfires can destroy homes, commercial buildings, industrial facilities and critical infrastructure. As events increase in scale, individual claims become larger and portfolio losses become more concentrated.
Business interruption and supply chains
Many insured losses occur after the flames have passed. Businesses may remain closed for weeks or months because of damaged infrastructure, evacuation orders or disrupted supply chains, increasing the cost of business interruption claims.
Community recovery and resilience
Catastrophic wildfires affect entire communities. Housing shortages, economic disruption and prolonged rebuilding increase recovery costs while placing additional pressure on insurers, governments and policyholders.
Long-term environmental and economic impacts
Large wildfires damage ecosystems, release significant greenhouse gas emissions and affect tourism, agriculture and regional economies. These broader impacts contribute to increasing insurance costs and long-term economic losses.
Earlier wildfire detection helps reduce the likelihood that small ignitions develop into catastrophic events. By improving the opportunity for earlier containment, it supports lower loss severity across insured portfolios while contributing to stronger community resilience.
Early wildfire detection reduces loss severity
Earlier wildfire detection provides valuable time for earlier containment before fires escalate. By identifying wildfire smoke within one to three minutes under normal operating conditions, exci helps asset owners and emergency services respond while fires are still small, reducing the likelihood that they develop into large, high-severity insurance events.
For insurers and reinsurers, earlier containment can contribute to:
- reduced property and infrastructure losses
- fewer and lower-severity business interruption claims
- improved resilience across high-risk regions
- more predictable portfolio loss profiles
- measurable mitigation that supports underwriting and risk assessment
- stronger justification for premium incentives and risk differentiation
Through exciMap, policyholders, risk engineers and emergency services can access true live camera imagery, verify detections and coordinate an informed response without interrupting AI analysis.
Early wildfire detection functions as an upstream mitigation capability rather than a post-loss response measure.
Short answer: What role does exci play in loss mitigation?
exci helps reduce the financial impact of wildfires by providing earlier awareness of developing fires. While exci does not replace firefighting or emergency response, earlier detection improves the opportunity for containment before fires escalate into catastrophic insurance events.
Cross-portfolio exposure requires scalable mitigation
Wildfire risk rarely affects a single asset class. Insurers and reinsurers often manage portfolios that span multiple industries, where one extreme fire event can generate losses across forestry, agriculture, infrastructure and industrial operations simultaneously.
Common wildfire exposure includes:
- plantations and forestry, where decades of timber growth can be lost within hours
- agriculture, including crops, grazing land and rural infrastructure
- utilities and critical infrastructure, where fires can disrupt essential services and create liability exposure
- waste and metal recycling facilities, where fires can escalate rapidly into high-severity industrial losses
- renewable energy infrastructure, where wildfires threaten generation assets and power supply
- tourism and hospitality, where fires can force prolonged closures and business interruption
Earlier wildfire detection provides a single mitigation capability that can support multiple insured sectors. By improving the opportunity for earlier containment, it helps reduce loss severity across diverse portfolios rather than addressing individual asset classes in isolation.
A sovereign capability you can trust
exci is Australian-owned and Australian-made, with operational data stored onshore in Australia. This supports Australian jurisdiction, governance expectations and secure handling of operational information associated with insured assets.
For insurers and reinsurers, sovereign capability supports:
- secure handling of sensitive operational information
- governance, audit and reporting requirements
- reduced reliance on offshore infrastructure
- long-term operational continuity
- confidence in Australian data sovereignty
Short answer: How is insurance data handled?
All operational data is stored onshore in Australia. Detection records and archived imagery can be made available on request to support governance, investigations and internal risk assessment where appropriate.
What is the economic value of early wildfire detection?
Reducing wildfire losses benefits policyholders, insurers and the broader economy. Earlier detection improves the opportunity for containment, helping reduce property damage, business interruption, environmental impacts and long-term recovery costs.
The Productivity Commission has reported that approximately 97% of disaster funding is spent after disasters occur, while only 3% is invested in mitigation. This highlights the financial importance of preventing losses before they escalate.
Research by the Australian National University shows that earlier detection, combined with faster initial attack, could deliver an estimated A$14.4 billion in economic benefits over 30 years through reduced damage and recovery costs.
Read our white paper on the economic and environmental benefits of early AI wildfire detection: Reducing carbon emissions: AI wildfire detection within minutes.
Where has exci’s wildfire detection been proven?
exci’s AI wildfire detection system monitors millions of hectares across Australia, supporting plantations, agriculture, utilities, government agencies, mining operations, renewable energy infrastructure and other high-risk assets. With more than 200,000 bushfires detected, the system has demonstrated consistent performance under real Australian fire conditions.
Insurers and reinsurers value exci because we provide:
- smoke detection within one to three minutes
- a sovereign AI system with operational data stored onshore in Australia
- true live camera access and PTZ control through exciMap
- complete deployment, maintenance and operational support
- transparent performance data that supports governance and portfolio risk assessment
Detecting fires as early as a minute after they start
Common questions from insurers and reinsurers
How does early wildfire detection reduce insured losses?
Earlier wildfire detection improves the opportunity for containment before fires escalate into large, high-severity events. While exci does not replace firefighting, it supports earlier operational decisions that can reduce claim severity and improve portfolio resilience.
Can exci support underwriting and portfolio risk assessment?
Yes. Detection records, incident history and operational information can be provided on request to support internal underwriting, risk assessment and mitigation programs where appropriate.
Should insurers encourage customers to deploy exci?
Insurers already encourage policyholders to adopt measures that reduce risk, such as security systems, flood resilience and safe driving technologies. Early wildfire detection follows the same principle. By improving the opportunity for earlier containment, it can help reduce losses across high-risk portfolios.
For insurers and reinsurers, encouraging the deployment of early wildfire detection can support broader risk mitigation strategies, strengthen portfolio resilience and demonstrate a proactive approach to managing increasing wildfire exposure.
Is operational data stored in Australia?
Yes. exci is Australian-owned and Australian-made, with imagery and operational data stored onshore in Australia, supporting organisations that require Australian data residency and operational control.
Can exci operate across different insured industries?
Yes. exci supports a wide range of industries exposed to wildfire risk, including plantations, agriculture, utilities, renewable energy, mining, waste and government-managed land. This enables insurers to consider a consistent mitigation capability across diverse portfolios.
Insurance & reinsurance summary
- Sovereign Australian-owned and Australian-made AI wildfire detection
- Smoke detection within one to three minutes
- Functions as an upstream wildfire mitigation capability
- Improves the opportunity for earlier containment and reduced loss severity
- Supports underwriting, portfolio resilience and climate risk management
- Proven across millions of hectares and more than 200,000 confirmed bushfire detections
- Operational data stored onshore in Australia
- Supports a broad range of high-risk insured industries
Reduce wildfire losses before they become insurance losses
Wildfire losses continue to reshape insurance and reinsurance markets. Earlier wildfire detection provides insurers with a practical mitigation capability that operates before catastrophic losses develop, helping improve portfolio resilience while supporting policyholders, emergency services and more resilient communities.
Request a risk briefing to explore how exci supports insurers and reinsurers through earlier wildfire detection and measurable loss mitigation.