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By Bob Weaver
State Fire Marshal Sterling Lewis Jr. keeps saying West Virginia's volunteer fire departments are in deep "crisis" over manpower, and in some cases financial problems.
But the end-crisis could very well be in the family pocketbook with the costs of fire insurance.
A weight of the cost of homeowners' insurance is based on how the Insurance Service Office (ISO) rates fire protection in specific areas.
In areas where fire department services no longer exist or are sub-standard, rates go up.
Gary Dickens, vice president of CityInsurance, said the ISO gives fire departments a rating between one and 10, with one being the best rating and 10 being the worst.
"Living in a nine or 10-class area means you're unprotected," he said. Insurance holders that are already a considerable distance from a fire station, without hydrants, pay a high rate.
The big problem in West Virginia is the lack of new volunteers, who are facing considerable training before they can become certified, with few employers supporting firemen being released from work to respond, or in many cases, firemen working distances from their fire service area.
Eighty-seven percent of the state is protected by volunteer fire departments.
"If fire stations continue to shut down, residents need to understand their homeowners' insurance will skyrocket," Lewis said.
A BrickStreet representative told one fire board they estimate their workers' compensation will raise by 300 percent, the cost going from $4,800 to $16,000.
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