(previously printed in the 100 Mile Free Press)
Not all fire departments are created equal. For most property owners the cost of maintaining their fire dept. is a part of their property taxes, and they can take it for granted that their local fire rescue services are fully funded. There are, however, a few independent, volunteer fire depts. around the Province that rely upon the collection of annual fire dues paid by property owners in these particular areas to cover their operating expenses.
The Watch Lake – North Green Lake Volunteer Fire Dept. is one of these independent depts., and has operated in this way for over 40 years. This dept. is administered by a registered society with a board of directors elected at an annual general meeting by the community members who have paid their annual fire dues. The board and the Fire Chief operates the fire protection services for this area on a budget made up from the annual dues, proceeds from Auxiliary activities, and, usually, a BC Lottery training and safety grant applied for by the board.
Through careful budgeting, considerable hard work and tremendous dedication on the part of area members, the WLNGVFD has achieved a level of service amongst the finest volunteer depts. in British Columbia. Over the past 10 years, two of the fire engines and two of the water tenders have been replaced. Both fire halls have been rebuilt to house the larger vehicles and the provide year-round training areas. Two one-ton pickups for utility use were added to the fleet, and an older model Chevrolet Suburban was refurbished to provide crew transportation. But all of this success has not come easily. Funding, or lack of it, is always an issue.
Fire Chief AndyPalaniak says, “we have finally reached a level with our apparatus that none will need to be replaced for several years, but we do need the full support of the community to maintain the existing level of service. There are too many people going along on a free ride by not paying their dues. The rising cost of all the equipment needed to operate our dept. keeps us scrambling to adequately outfit our crew and maintain a constant state of readiness. Training standards seem to change every year requiring additional funding.”
The “full support” Chief Palaniak mentions refers to the fact that only 80 percent of the property owners pay their annual dues with the rest taking a chance that they will even have insurance coverage. Requests to the Cariboo Regional District to help collect the annual dues as a part of the property taxes has met with outright refusal. They will only assist if the fire dept. becomes a part of the CRD Emergency and Protective Services. To do so would result in an increase in property taxes far in excess of the current annual dues (currently only $170 for developed property and $100 for undeveloped land). It would also require the surrender of almost one million dollars in community owned assets to the CRD. Consequently, the dept. must do all it can to avoid an imminent increase in fire dues.
Several years ago, the dept. announced that the firefighters would not respond to unpaid properties. In response, the Insurance Underwriters determined that the service had to be provided for all properties in the service area. Therefore, in order to cover the cost of responding to incidents on unpaid properties a fee for service was established. In a recent review of the dept.’s bylaws, it was pointed out by their lawyer that the dept. is not obligated to respond to fires at unpaid properties even for members who had been paid-up for the previous year. Furthermore, property owners cannot claim to have a responding fire dept. when applying for home insurance if dues for the current year are not paid. A property owner’s failure to inform his or her insurance broker that there is no responding fire dept. is, in effect, fraud by omission and can render the insurance coverage void.
Chief Palaniak says, “as a general rule, we will respond to any fires, paid property or not, where there is danger to human life or to surrounding structures and forests. The board, the insurance company, the mortgage holder, and our lawyer can take it from there.”
Whether paid for as a part of the annual taxes or by annual dues, operating a successful fire rescue service is expensive; but, whether professional, paid on-call, or volunteer, there can be no price tag on the contribution of firefighters and for their continued dedication we can all be truly thankful.
