Re: Fire Insurance Dear Community: Over the last year and a half the fire district has been making tremendous strives to better serve the islands. The news has regularly been good, however, this time I must share a negative note. Earlier this year the Washington Surveying & Rating Bureau (WSRB) evaluated Vashon Island Fire and Rescue. The WSRB is responsible for establishing the island’s Fire Protection Classifications for use by insurance companies to determine fire insurance premiums. In comparison to the last evaluation of 2014 the loss of volunteers will negatively impact residences on both ends of Vashon as well as much of Maury Island. Vashon Island Fire and Rescue has one fire station that is staffed twenty four hours a day. However, the WSRB will consider a station staffed if six firefighters live within five miles of the station and will respond out of it. In 2014 it was documented that this standard was met. This year we can not claim such. We actually have no firefighters serving out of the north or south stations and only one is currently active out of the Dockton Fire Station. For this lack of volunteers, properties within five miles of these stations will see their Protection Classification jump from a 5 to a 9 unless, your property is also within five miles of the Main Fire Station or the Burton Fire Station then there will be no change in classification. For this information’s official release on June 1st island residents have been advised of changes in their insurance premiums and are asking us what can be done. Unfortunately how these changes impact insurance rates is solely known, and calculated, by the various insurance companies. With regards to the District’s options, the fix is not necessarily easy or quick, we need volunteer firefighters. We need volunteer firefighters living close to stations; once a station has six or more firefighters living within five miles of a station and responding out of it, we inform the WSRB and the classification can be returned to 5. However, volunteerism in the fire services or the lack thereof, is a national problem and Vashon is no exception. We have been watching such ranks trend down for years. Additionally we have watched the average age of our volunteers growing older and older further supporting a drop in numbers as they ‘age out’. Where staffing was the primary focus of this year’s insurance increases it is not the only obstacle the District is working on. Aging fire trucks also have an annual impact on our service; it did not have a negative impact on this year’s WSRB report but could in the future. The District is very much engaged in the correction of these issues but they will require time and effort by both the community and the fire district to improve. Beyond directly asking all of you affected by the change to become a volunteer firefighter we must ask for your understanding and patience as we explore long term solutions. We are working to find solutions! As always, thank you for all of your time and consideration. Your input and assistance in the successful mitigation of this matter is very much welcome. I look forward to our next conversations regarding the continual improvement of the District. Sincerely yours, Charles H. Krimmert, Fire Chief |