PORT TOWNSEND — Inaccuracies in fire protection classifications in East Jefferson County could mean some homeowners are paying hundreds of dollars extra per year on fire insurance.
East Jefferson Fire-Rescue is asking residents who saw a change in their fire protection classification and insurance premiums to contact the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau to double check that they aren’t overpaying.
Fire Chief Jim Walkowski said it’s difficult to know how many people have been affected by the error. He said that for some people their premiums were unchanged while others are paying $200 to $600 more per year.
“We’ve seen ranges from insurance premiums not changing at all to almost doubling in a year’s period,” Walkowski said. “There’s a dramatic range.”
The Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau conducted a routine re-rating evaluation in East Jefferson County in 2017 and the results of the re-rating took effect in February 2018.
Communities are evaluated every five years.
The inaccuracies were discovered after EJFR reviewed a customer’s request regarding a rating.
The bureau assigns communities protection classes ranging from 1, exemplary, through 10, insufficient.
That rating then may or may not be used by insurance companies to help determine insurance premiums, he said.
“There’s some insurance companies that don’t use that rating at all,” Walkowski said.
Walkowski said the inaccuracies resulted in some houses that were within a 5-mile driving radius from some EJFR stations incorrectly having their insurance ratings lowered from a 5 to a 9.
The recent rating process also hadn’t accounted for the regular response of Engine 91 from the career-staffed fire station at Naval Magazine Indian Island.
In 2017, crews from Naval Magazine Indian Island had 233 calls for service, 88 percent of which were off the military installation.
Walkowski said that while there may be inaccuracies in classifications in other parts of the state, this issue is isolated to specific parts of East Jefferson County.
Areas affected
One area affected includes Marrowstone Island south of East Beach Road.
Residents of that region who experienced a premium increase can have their fire protection classification restored back to its pre-2018 rating, he said.
If insured structures are within 1,000 feet of a fire hydrant, the classification will be restored to a 5, while structures farther than 1,000 feet from a fire hydrant will be restored to a 6.
Other areas potentially affected include the Kala Point and Cape George communities.
Homeowners in those areas who experienced a recent increase in their classification and believe they reside within five road miles of the Chimacum Fire Station at 9193 Rhody Drive, Jacob Miller Fire Station at 35 Critter Lane or the Uptown Fire Station at 701 Harrison St. should contact the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau to confirm the fire protection class of their insured structure.
If the classification given is different than what was provided by the insurance provider, Walkowski recommends contacting the provider immediately.
“This correction will not be initiated by the WSRB,” he said. “Residents are encouraged to contact them directly at their customer service telephone line at 206-217-0101. Specifically request you want to confirm the Fire Protection Classification of your insured structure and ask them to calculate the driving distance from your home to the nearest fire station.”
Walkowski said that the easiest way for the fire district to improve classifications is for it to acquire more volunteers. He said that having more volunteer firefighters would help in areas where fire stations are not staffed.
“We have a high need for volunteer firefighters,” he said. “The quickest and easiest solution is to find people in our community that are willing to volunteer.”
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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsuladailynews.com.
