Whereas Fire Underwriters Survey recommends to underwriters and requires fire apparatus replacement after an arbitrary length of service regardless of its mechanical condition or actual service hours for fire insurance grading purposes without regard of the fiscal impact on small and rural local governments and its ratepayers; And whereas UBCM has endorsed resolutions over the last 15 years to petition the Province of British Columbia to advocate Fire Underwriters Survey to change its arbitrary and unsustainable requirements and the Province has repeatedly responded by stating that it does not have a role or influence on the content of the Fire Underwriters Survey, nor the determinations made with respect to the use of those determinations by the member companies of the Insurance Bureau of Canada who subscribe to this service, in changing these requirements: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM petition the Province to introduce and adopt legislation that requires all underwriters providing insurance coverage in British Columbia, to recognize and provide credit for fire insurance grading purposes, any fire apparatus that is rigorously tested and recognized to be in excellent working condition or that can be upgraded instead of being replaced, to reduce the fiscal impact on small and rural local governments and its ratepayers.
Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness The Province does not have a role in the Fire Underwriters Survey process of setting rates and gradings for fire apparatus. However, the Office of the Fire Commissioner, on behalf of the Province, has committed to facilitating a discussion with the UBCM and the Fire Underwriters Survey to ensure local governments can access clear information on the rationale used in determining the Fire Underwriters Survey fire equipment rating system. The Province recognizes the challenges that small and rural communities face in delivering suppression services, as well as replacing and maintaining fire service equipment such as fire trucks. Through the Office of the Fire Commissioner, the Province has been conveying these concerns and the desire to extend insurance beyond 20 years for well-maintained and low mileage fire apparatuses. For reference, the Fire Underwriters Survey has published a technical bulletin called Insurance Grading Recognition of Used or Rebuilt Fire Apparatus and can be located on their public webpages at https:fireunderwriters.caDownloads. The bulletin outlines the standards that are referenced and used in the grading process. The document acknowledges that small and rural communities that are utilizing used fire apparatuses may have challenges meeting the strict standards and outlines additional options and steps that communities can take to extend the certified life span of a fire apparatus to 30 years. The Office of the Fire Commissioner, Fire Underwriters Survey, and UBCM met in April 2022 and again in July 2022 to discuss this issue. The Office of the Fire Commissioner and UBCM will be scheduling future meetings with the Fire Underwriters Survey to continue their conversations.