…Some suggest sending the firefighting bill to the counties and cities that let people build houses in fire zones, or allow developers to design subdivisions with little consideration to potential flammability. Headwaters Economics, a research firm in Bozeman, Mont., suggests considering cost-sharing agreements between agencies and local government, zoning limitations, purchase of land or easements in fire-prone areas, raising insurance rates in fire zones, or eliminating mortgage interest deductions for new homes in the fringes. We might even reduce federal firefighting budgets to force more costs onto local agencies. These are among possible solutions, none necessarily advocated, but they all would force the firefighting costs closer to the people who make the land-use decisions…
