Volunteer Firefighters Demand Answers WDTV
New insurance changes could cause some volunteer fire departments in West Virginia to shut down. But what will that mean to you if your home is covered by volunteer firefighters?
By July 1, insurance provider Brickstreet Mutual won't revive volunteer fire departments' liability coverage.
Some firefighters say if they go into a burning home and get hurt, this means it's their responsibility to pay for their injuries and medical bills.
Bunner Ridge Volunteer Fire Department Chief Roger Channell says if there's no coverage, they will go idle. Channell says no one wants the personal liability.
Other volunteers just want tangible action from the legislature before the July 1 deadline.
"The ISO rating (which is the insurance rating for a particular area) is immediately going to go to a ten. That will raise owner's insurance rates by 175 percent. A lot of people won't be able to afford homeowner's insurance anymore because they can't afford the premiums, because they no longer have a fire department to protect their home and their lives," says Barry Bledsoe, President of the Marion County Fire Association.
![Citizens rates to go up more than 10 percent Daily Comet]("http://nt2.ggpht.com/news/tbn/qn1O6v8JZF5_QM/6.jpg")
MyFox Tampa BayCitizens rates to go up more than 10 percentDaily CometHOUMA — Local Citizens policyholders will likely see more than a 10 percent cost increase on their homeowners insurance bills starting Citizens insurance rates could rise 10 percentCitizens Insurance premiums going up for most in South FloridaCitizens Rates In Fluxall 110 news articles »