Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 22, 1995 TAG: 9506270006
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: W-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STEWART MacINNIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: NEW CASTLE LENGTH: Medium
Ronnie Price, chief of the Craig County-New Castle Volunteer Fire Department, led representatives from Craig's five volunteer companies in seeking county funding for the insurance.
"There hasn't been any talk among the chiefs of disbanding [the companies], but there has been some talk among the members," he said prior to Tuesday's board meeting. "I can't blame someone if he thinks twice about going into a burning building because he doesn't have insurance. We all have families to think about, too."
Woody Lipps, a member of the New Castle company, said the shortfall in insurance coverage could undercut efforts to recruit new members and to retain trained members.
"We're trying to attract new, younger members," he told the supervisors. "Many of the people we want don't have insurance. They can't put themselves in the position to afford it. We're just putting another restriction on joining."
The supervisors accepted a proposed insurance policy presented by Price for consideration. They also directed County Administrator Stephen A. Carter and County Attorney James E. Cornwell Jr. to meet with the chiefs to discuss the insurance issue.
The county now pays about $4,000 a year for an insurance policy that supplements a firefighter's personal insurance. The policy pays for medical expenses up to $5,000.
Price said firefighters have had difficulty getting reimbursed by the current insurance company. He said the chiefs want coverage of up to $25,000 and for the insurance to be the primary insurance for firefighters injured in the line of duty.
The proposal presented by the chiefs would cover all five fire companies and the Craig County Rescue Squad for an annual premium to $10,160, he said.
"The amount of money we're talking about is small when you think that without the protection provided by these unpaid volunteers, that the fire insurance payments for everyone in the county would go up," Price said after the meeting. "It's even possible that people wouldn't be able to get fire insurance."
In other business, the supervisors adopted a $5.3 million county budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. They also increased the personal property tax rate by 30 cents to $2.50 per $100 of assessed value.
The tax increase drew protests from three people, including Wilfred Miles, who is seeking to unseat Supervisor Zane M. Jones in the November election.
Miles said the tax, which applies mainly to automobiles, unfairly avoids taxing the equipment of "these people who have big farms and ride around in air-conditioned tractors."
Jones, a farmer, said state law restricts the ability of localities to tax certain items. "We set our taxes by the law," he said.
by CNB