Fire, Rescue & EMS 1, 2 & 3 Day Classes Available
Registration Fee includes Hog Roast on Saturday Evening
Vendors on-site Saturday and Sunday
Early registration due by Sept 29 2010
See registration document for more info:
Registration Form – http://www.wvsfa.org/documents/boonecountyfireschool2010.doc
The West Virginia Legislature created and runs the ‘West Virginia Crime Victims Compensation Fund. The Legislature created the program to provide appropriate financial assistance to the innocent victims of crime who have suffered personal injury or death during the commission of a crime.
The Legislature wants to be certain that firemen are aware that if they are injured in the line of work, due to a crime, such as arson, an injured fireman may qualify, for financial assistance from the Crime Victims Compensation Fund. Such financial compensation could be awarded to assist a fireman with out-of-pocket expenses not covered by insurance or workers’ compensation. For example, an overtime work loss, that is not reimbursed under either of the aforementioned sources, may be the basis for an award.
The Legislature also wants to be certain that firemen are aware that there is a two-year statute of limitations from the date of the crime for the filing of a crime victim claim. All firemen, including volunteer firemen, are encouraged to apply to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund for assistance if any out-of-pocket loss has been or may be incurred as the result of a crime.
The Legislature encourages you to contact the legislative agency which runs the program, the Court of Claims, to discuss any questions you have about the program with the Clerk of the Court of Claims, Ms. Cheryle Hall, or her staff. Ms. Hall and her staff can be contacted at 877-562-6878 or via email at cvictims@wvlegislature.gov.
Sincerely,
Aaron Allred
Legislative Manager
For Immediate Release:
The West Virginia State Fireman’s Association breathes a sigh of relief
Action to allow Volunteer Fire Departments to get Broadform coverage through the Bureau of Risk and Insurance Management (BRIM) seen as a positive step in resolving the Worker’s Comp dilemma.
Charleston, WV, July 28, 2010: The West Virginia State Fireman’s Association is breathing a sigh of relief now that the Governor’s Office has secured an agreement with the Bureau of Risk and Insurance Management (BRIM) to provide broadform liability coverage to West Virginia’s volunteer fire department’s through June 30, 2011. While not a permanent solution, this action does avert a pending crisis which would have occurred September 1, 2010 when 129 fire departments across the State would have lost broadform coverage currently being provided by Brickstreet Insurance.
Jim Oldaker, WV SFA First Vice President, said, “While there is still much work to be done, we are very pleased that the Governor listened to our concerns and intervened on our behalf. His actions have allowed fire departments that were considering going idle on September 1, 2010 to remain open and fully operational serving their communities while we continue to work to resolve these critical issues.”
Tom Miller, West Virginia’s representative to the National Volunteer Fire Council, stated, “The issues being faced here in West Virginia with Worker’s Comp are being closely watched by many volunteer fire departments across the country. What we do here to resolve these issues may have a broader impact on the nation’s volunteer fire service as a whole.”
Volunteer fire departments across the state were seriously concerned about continuing operations after September 1, 2010 without liability coverage for their officers and Board members. Many had made the very difficult decision to go idle unless they were able to fully protect their members.
The issue of broadform insurance relates to employer liability for sending employees into hazardous environments or situations – conditions faced by volunteer fire departments every day. Without this insurance, fire line officers and Board of Directors members could be held liable if a firefighter got hurt on an emergency under certain conditions. Brickstreet sent a letter to all of the volunteer fire departments in the state on April 26, 2010 stating that they would not be renewing broadform liability coverage after July 1, 2010. At a June 16, 2010 meeting with the Governor, Brickstreet CEO Greg Burton agreed to continue providing coverage until September 1, 2010 in hopes that a solution could be worked out in a select committee chaired by Secretary of Finance and Revenue Virgil Helton.
Over 80% of West Virginia’s population is protected by volunteer fire departments. There are over 10,000 volunteer fire firefighters in the State of West Virginia serving on over 400 volunteer fire departments. The West Virginia State Fireman’s Association is the active voice of West Virginia’s volunteer fire service.
Date: 7/27/10
The West Virginia State Firemen’s Association is pleased to announce that we have helped secure broad form liability coverage through June of 2011, providing that fire departments wanting this coverage go to their insurance agency and acquire a policy through BRIM. BRIM, the WV Board of Risk and Insurance Management will provide broad form coverage for volunteer fire departments within the State of West Virginia until June 30 2011. Until that time, we will be working with the Governor’s Office and the Legislature to secure a minor change in WV Code that only affects Volunteer Fire Departments and their immunity from deliberate intent cases.
–
John Holstein,
West Virginia State Firemen’s Assn
Publicity Chair & Legislative Committee
www.wvsfa.com
http://wowktv.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=83096
“…the state firemen’s association is calling on Gov. Joe Manchin to add this issue to the special session.”
To all:
On Wednesday, June 16, 2010 members of the West Virginia State Fireman’s Association met with Governor Joe Manchin III, Insurance Commissioner Jane Cline, Brickstreet CEO Greg Burton, Counsel for the Speaker of the House (Rick Thompson) Dan Kimball, State Fire Marshal Sterling Lewis, and other government staff regarding issues with Worker’s Compensation impacting volunteer fire departments. Those present from the West Virginia State Fireman’s Association were:
The meeting was very open and all sides voiced their issues, concerns, and viewpoints.
As a result of that meeting, the following can be announced:
1) Brickstreet has agreed to a moratorium on any increases in Worker’s Compensation premiums until July 1, 2011. This means that your premiums will not go up and/or you will not be charged the previously posted rates. There may be some administrative glitches in this as Brickstreet is already into their billing cycle for July 2010 – DON’T PANIC!!! – simply call your agent/Brickstreet representative and let them know if you are/were charged at the higher rate(s). They have verbally agreed to correct those issues.
2) Brickstreet has agreed not to suspend Broadform coverage(s) for a period of sixty (60) days post July 1, 2010. They graciously did this at the direct request of the Governor to allow for the Legislature to address this matter in the Special Session set for July 19, 2010. This gives the 130+/- departments that would lose their Broadform Liability coverage(s) until September 1, 2010 for this matter to be resolved.
NOTE: There was discussion about how would be the best way to address this issue and whether or not legislative action is needed. It is the opinion of the West Virginia State Fireman’s Association that the best solution is for volunteer fire departments including the Boards of Directors and their Fire Line Officers, as well as any firefighter acting in a role as an Incident or Operational Command Function, have clearly stated statutory immunity similar to that of the whitewater rafting industry except in cases of gross negligence or overt criminal act. There is a Supreme Court case that may offer some immunity from liability but it is important to note that a Supreme Court opinion is based on a defined set of factual circumstances which may not be applicable to all situations and/or sets of facts. Further, the Governor stated that he viewed volunteer fire departments as a part of State government – which is an issue that has been discussed and debated over time. Perhaps this is an issue that needs to also be addressed by the legislature – please, share your thoughts.
3) The greater issue of the future of Worker’s Compensation underwriting for the entire State government was discussed as the Governor voiced concerns that there are entities in State government that also have high loss and/or claims histories. He expressed a desire for us to look at the global issue of addressing everyone’s concerns with regard to rates, classifications, safety, loss reduction, and risk management going into the interims and the next General Legislative session in 2011.
4) The Governor challenged us – West Virginia Fire Fighters- to get our Delegates and Senators informed and educated about our issues, concerns, and wishes with regard to these issues. He wants there to be bipartisan consensus on these issues going into the Special Session and a willingness by all parties to work in good faith towards resolving the bigger Worker’s Compensation issues going into the interims and the 2011 General Legislative session.
5) This is probably the biggest issue for us – the West Virginia fire service…WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER AT BEING AND STAYING SAFE!!! We cannot argue with the facts. Brickstreet CEO Burton indicated that one of the biggest areas of loss is fire fighters responding to and returning from calls. We all must exercise due diligence in ensuring that our responses and returns to service don’t get people injured and/or killed. We also need to take the time to ensure that every reasonable safety practice is followed – proper PPE is used – and hazards are properly identified and addressed.
6) Brickstreet CEO Burton indicated that their company will no longer be writing Worker’s Compensation coverages for volunteer fire departments after July 1, 2011. This means that we, the Governor, and the legislature have our work cut out for us. We cannot make the presumption that “somebody” will step in and fix the problem – all options will need to be out on the table.
As stated, there was a great deal of discussion but there appears to be unquestioned consensus on one (1) issue – that volunteer fire departments are vital to the public safety of the State of West Virginia.
Please forward this information on to your respective County associations and departments.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Miller
Worker’s Comp Changes Have Volunteer Fire Departments Demanding Action
Charleston, West Virginia – June 14, 2010
The West Virginia State Fireman’s Association and the West Virginia State Fire Chief’s Association are concerned that changes in Worker’s Compensation may seriously impact the volunteer fire service in the State of West Virginia. On April 26, 2010 the State’s only provider of Worker’s Compensation Insurance sent a notice to all of the volunteer fire departments in the State informing them that their premiums would increase by as much as 99% and that as of July 1, 2010 they would no longer renew the Broadform Liability coverage that provided an umbrella of protection should Worker’s Compensation claims be denied because the occupational injury occurred in a hazardous environment.
Broadform is a type of insurance that provides coverage to the officer and directors of an organization that have to send their employees – in this case, firefighters – into hazardous environments to do their jobs. “As just about everything we do involves some sort of hazard, the loss of this coverage is critical to how we operate. There are departments questioning as to whether they can continue to operate without liability protections.” said Paula Smith, President of the West Virginia State Fireman’s Association. Volunteer fire departments were the only occupational classification to be singled out for the non-renewal of Broadform coverages.
The drastic premium increases have hit already cash strapped volunteer fire departments especially hard. One example is the Wayne Volunteer Fire Department whose premium jumped by a staggering $24,000.00. “For volunteer fire departments already struggling to pay for fire trucks, fuel, equipment, and mandated training, this news couldn’t have come at a worse time. Many don’t know how they will continue to keep the doors open.” said Gary Bonnett, Chief of the Banks District Volunteer Fire Department and President of the West Virginia State Fire Chief’s Association.
At a meeting of the West Virginia State Fire Commission in Huntington on Friday, June 11, the potential loss of volunteer fire department service to the State was described as, “potentially catastrophic in terms of property loss and loss of life…” by a representative the Insurance Services Office, an organization that assesses risks for insurance companies. In response to the information presented, the State Fire Commission unanimously adopted a resolution to be sent to the Governor and the Legislature asking for immediate action on these issues in order to prevent any decrease and/or interruption in services provided by volunteer fire departments in the State.
Both the West Virginia State Fireman’s Association and the West Virginia State Fire Chief’s Association hope that the Governor will call a special session just to address these issues, or place it on the agenda of another special session anticipated to deal with education issues. “The time for action is now. No one knows what will happen July 1 if something isn’t done to resolve this crisis. Departments will have to make tough decisions and that decision may decide to shut down until they can adequately protect their members…they may have no other choice.” said Chief Jim Oldaker of the Alum Creek Volunteer Fire Department, a member of both associations. He added, “Nobody wants to see a department shut down but this is the reality we face.”
This is a joint press release from the West Virginia State Fireman’s Association and the West Virginia State Fire Chief’s Association. The West Virginia State Fireman’s Association was founded over 80 years ago and represents over 200 volunteer fire departments across the State of West Virginia. The West Virginia State Fire Chief’s Association represents the Fire Chiefs and Fire Line Officers of over 100 fire departments across the State. Both organizations have representatives on the State Fire Commission.
Contact Info:
Thomas D. Miller
Legislative Committee, WV State Fireman’s Association
West Virginia State Fireman’s Association, President Paula Smith, Benwood Volunteer Fire Department, and the West Virginia State Fire Chief’s Association, President Gary Bonnett, Banks District Volunteer Fire Department.
Phone: 304-590-3684
It has come to the attention of the West Virginia State Fireman’s Assn. that the Gassaway VFD was burglarized on May 10 2010. From what we’ve gathered, bunker gear and SCBAs were stolen, perhaps other items as well. If you happen to be near any garage sales, pawn shops, etc. and find Scott 2.2 Air Packs and/or bunker gear, you may want to notify the Gassaway VFD or local police.
