Picture a volunteer department that takes delivery of a new pumper this year. The department moves its 2008 engine into reserve and sells its 1999 water tender to a neighboring department. Each move changes which vehicles the department owns and how it uses them. The client’s firefighter auto insurance needs to reflect those changes, so the agent should learn about each one before renewal. If the auto schedule still lists the tender and leaves off the new pumper, the policy describes a fleet that the department no longer has.
How Old Is Too Old for Fire Apparatus?
The National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 1910 includes guidelines for first-line and reserve fire apparatus that set two age benchmarks. At 15 years, NFPA recommends moving apparatus into reserve status, meaning out of first-line service, as long as the units remain properly maintained and serviceable. The guidelines also recommend upgrading those units with as many features of the current apparatus standard as possible.
At 20 to 25 years, NFPA recommends replacement, along with the replacement of any apparatus not manufactured to NFPA standards. NFPA presents the 15-year and 25-year benchmarks as recommendations, not requirements, so a department may keep a unit in service longer.
For agents, the benchmarks work as a forecast. A unit approaching 15 years is a candidate for reserve status or refurbishment, and a unit approaching 25 years is a candidate for replacement. Each of those changes will show up on the policy, so a fleet’s ages tell the agent which updates to expect. In the opening example, the engine and tender had passed those two marks.
Age alone doesn’t set a unit’s service life, though. NFPA also lists mileage, engine hours, the quality of the department’s preventive maintenance and driver training programs, and whether the unit operated within its design parameters. Because of those factors, the agent needs more than model years to predict which units will change status. Ask the client for a fleet list that shows each unit’s age, status (first-line, reserve, or retired), mileage or engine hours, and recent maintenance or refurbishment.
What To Review When Apparatus Moves to Reserve or Retirement
With the fleet list in hand, the agent’s first comparison is against the auto schedule. Any unit that left the department through sale, trade-in, donation, or scrapping should be removed from the schedule. Any unit the department added through a purchase, grant, lease, or donation needs to appear on it. Units in reserve status stay in the fleet, so the agent should also confirm how the policy lists them.
Vehicles aren’t the only thing that moves when a department retires a unit. The radios, turnout gear, and other equipment move to the replacement apparatus. Provident FirePlus’ portable and mobile equipment coverage addresses losses to fire apparatus and to the equipment. When a department retires a unit, the agent should confirm with the underwriter which coverage applies to each vehicle and each piece of equipment, and how each coverage values them.
Firefighter Auto Insurance During Refurbishment and Replacement
The upgrades that NFPA pairs with reserve status lead to the next review point. NFPA notes that apparatus more than 15 years old might include only a few of the safety upgrades in recent editions of its standards. A department that wants to keep an older unit serviceable may refurbish it to add current features.
If refurbishment takes a unit out of service, the department still has to answer calls, so the agent should review how the policy handles that gap. The Provident FirePlus commercial auto program lists Temporary Vehicle Substitute and Rental Reimbursement among its features. Agents can review those features with the underwriter before the work begins.
For units past 25 years, NFPA’s replacement recommendation means a new vehicle will enter the fleet. Some departments fund new apparatus through federal assistance grants, which help fire departments obtain emergency vehicles. When a department relies on a grant, the timing of the award affects when the new vehicle arrives. Agents should ask whether the client has an award pending or an apparatus on order. The Provident FirePlus commercial auto program also lists Fleet Automatic as a feature, which agents can raise with the underwriter once a delivery date is set.
Building Fleet Age Into the Renewal Conversation
Each stage of an apparatus’s life changes the vehicles or equipment the policy needs to reflect. Agents who collect a fleet list at every renewal can match each change to the appropriate coverage, whether the account is a career department or a volunteer fire department.
Provident FirePlus partners with agents on fire department insurance programs, including commercial auto, portable and mobile equipment, and other lines. Get in touch with us to discuss firefighter auto insurance for clients with older apparatus.
About Provident FirePlus
Founded in 1902, our rich history involves the creation of custom firefighter insurance benefits in 1928. Today, Provident FirePlus continues to be a pioneer in developing insurance programs for firefighters, EMS providers, municipal entities, and law enforcement. In addition, we provide Special Risks insurance for various volunteer and nonprofit groups. Give us a call today at (412) 963-1200 to speak with one of our representatives.